10 Time Saving Tips For Busy Moms

The title of this entry is somewhat of an oxymoron. I didn't create it, Starbucks did - (see below.)

First of all, what mom isn't busy? Have you ever heard of a bored mom? And only ten tips? There are literally thousands of time saving tips out there, but luckily the title isn't the 10 BEST Tips - just narrowing them down would be a time waster!

Anyway - here goes - 10 Tips Off The Top of My Head.....(I like that title better!) and in no particular order.....

1. Write down the night's dinner offering on a white board or tile in your kitchen. Saves your entire family asking over & over again "What's for dinner", and you rarely get arguments since it's posted in black & white. I don't know why - but for some reason when it's written down, people don't question it.
2. Put up hooks for backpacks & coats and LABEL THEM with the correct child's photo. Even non- readers can realize which is their hook and hand their stuff up. Smaller kids? Put the hooks down low.
3. Keep a running list in your kitchen of things (not food) you need to get at the store. Then go only  when you have a good sized list. Running to the store multiple times in a week is nothing but a time waster. and you have better things to do.
4. Keep pens & paper next to every computer in the house. Frees up your mind from remembering dates from emails, phone numbers & such. Your family will use them too, just make sure there is a trash can located nearby or there will be a paper trail.......
5. Keep your cold cereals in cubbies with labels on them. Keep serving spoons in the cubbies. Keep the cubbies where the kids can reach them. Voila - instant breakfast!
6. Keep wipes & clean diapers in a box or cubbie outside so if you are playing outdoors with the kids and a change is needed, you're ready. When the kids outgrow diapers, keep tissues, sunblock, visors - whatever is needed. I use an old mailbox from my uncles house that I remember seeing when I was little. Memories and storage combined!
7. Hold a family clean up a few times a week. One person vacuums, one person cleans the bathrooms, one dusts, one declutters. You get the idea. Set a timer for 10 minutes and go to town. It does knock you down from your position as chief cleaner-upper, but that's not a bad thing!
8. Keep a storage box for shoes by every entrance & exit to your home. Less for you to pick up, less places for the kids to look when there are 2 minutes until the school bus comes and they can't find their shoes.
9. Have one calendar where everyone's comings and goings are marked. Writing it all in one place means that there is only one place to look when scheduling something new. No chance of double booking!
10. Print up shopping lists for the stores you frequent and list items in the same order the store is laid out in. Less impulse buys, less double backing for something you forgot, less chance you didn't mark it on the shopping list to begin with. And make sure you put chocolate on that list - you deserve a reward for going to the store in the first place!

That's it! Ten simple ideas to make your life easier, less stressful, more enjoyable, more perfect. Try one, try them all, do whatever works for you. After all, you have nothing to lose and nothing but time to gain! 


“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Starbucks blogging program, for a gift card worth $30. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”



Crave more organizing tips? Just click to get a free sample of my eBook, 30 Days to an Organized Home.

 be organized.....evelyn