15 Time Management Tips for Your Household

A day in the life of a typical working mum goes a little like this:

Wake up (not because you wake but because you’re woken); change a soiled nappy (joy!); make a bottle and crawl back into bed for 10 minutes with your hungry child; get up and make a coffee and start on breakfast, lunches before cleaning the kitchen; get everyone dressed, including yourself and finish the pack school bag; drop offs, work all day; pickups; play for an hour in the park; cook dinner, while entertaining and feeding the baby; bath time; story time; bed.

It seems pretty straightforward when you write it down but as you would know, there is always more to do. Things such as washing, drying, folding, cleaning, making beds, closing draws, picking up toys, taking the rubbish out, going to the supermarket”¦Yes, the list goes on.

There is no wonder you sometimes find yourself in a frazzled mess, with food stuck in your hair because you forgot to wash it the night before… for the second time.

To help you manage your time better, we have come up with 15 time management tips for your household!

You could even get your husband involved!

1. Set a menu for the week

Creating a menu for the week not only ensures there is enough food to last the week, it eliminates those annoying last-minute supermarket runs. Another bonus is that you don’t have to worry about coming up with daily dinner ideas, which we all know can be quite painful!

Sit down with your family on a Sunday morning and create a menu that suits everyone’s tastes.

2. Shopping List

From your menu, you can create a foolproof shopping list, which you will be able to tick off and forget by the end of the day (Sunday). I create three lists: one for the fruit and vegetable market, one for the butcher and one for the supermarket. Make sure you also include essential items such a nappies, coffee and milk in this list as these are often the items you’ll be running down the store to stock up on mid-week.

3. Write It Down

Write your menu on a whiteboard attached to the fridge, or somewhere in the kitchen for the whole family to see as this will avoid any confusion come dinner time! This whiteboard is also great if you run out of everyday pantry items, such as soy sauce or sugar, and need to remind yourself to add them to the list for next week.

4. Wash Days

My grandmother told me to put a load of washing on everyday, but seriously, who has time for that? Instead, I have set “wash days” where I make sure to put a load on and hang it out before leaving the house for the day.

5. Set Timers

If your washing machine has a timer, use it! Set the time to finish the load early morning, giving you plenty of time to hang the washing out before you leave. This can be the same for bread makers, if you enjoy having fresh, delicious bread for breakfast.

Next Page: More Time Management Tips for Your Household