Here are 8 time savers that have helped in my quest to balance work & family life:
1. Plan to have ‘in days’ and ‘out days’. On your ‘in days’, stay in your workplace all day. Have a list of prioritized tasks and do them – one after another. You will achieve so much that you’ll fell better about spending quality time with your family or doing something for yourself in the evenings. Similarly, on your ‘out days’, list all the errands to be done and just do them.
2. Plan your meals ahead and go grocery shopping only once each week. Prepare a few meals to freeze for quick meals later.
3. Make sandwiches in advance and freeze them, too. Each morning just grab a sandwich out of the freezer and pop it into the lunch box. You can freeze a lot of cakes, muffins, lamingtons and other treats too. They will have defrosted by lunch time.
4. School bags and clothes can be prepared the night before. If you find yourself really pushed for time of a morning, put all bowls, breakfast cereals, cups and vitamins on the table or bench too.
5. Use your diary appropriately, attending to matters when thye need it (the longer you leave it, the harder it will become).
6. Keep your home and work space tidy. You can easily waste hours looking for misplaced items.
7. Consider outsourcing chores such as ironing, lawn mowing or bookkeeping. How much do you earn per hour? How much is three hours of cleaning really costing you?
8. When friends drop in unannounced – ask them to make you a cuppa and then do some filing or hang out the washing while the two of you chat. I guarantee, if they don’t take the hint and leave, at least you’ll be catching up on some chores!