My Top 10 Time Saving Tips

I'm a working mom (soon to be a SAHM) so time saving is really important so I get to go home and spend quality time with my daughter. Often times, I feel that 24 hours a day is not enough and therefore, I find ways to save time. I hope you find these tips useful especially for the working moms like me.  I would be delighted to learn more of these tips from you.

 1. Make a schedule and try to stick with it. I find that by scheduling my time I can more easily deal with those pesky little distractions which seem to pop up during the day.

2. When I plan meals, I try to cook more than we need so I can freeze the left overs and then use it for a later meal or for my lunch at work. I have found that even after it’s been frozen and thawed the food still tastes delicious. It could be the way we cook using marinated meats that seem to maintain their flavor better.

3. I don’t take time during the morning at home to put makeup on. I arrive at work a little early and put my makeup on just before my shift starts. I don't get late and I save time.

4. I prepare the clothes that I am going to wear one week before the week starts. I also do this for my daughter. It’s very convenient just to grab them instead of thinking what to wear every morning. I can take extra time to make sure things match and I’m not rushed like I would be on a work morning.

5. I buy microwavable food when we go grocery shopping. You might not agree on this but there are microwavable foods that are supposed to be healthy and they are even being promoted for weight loss. In the past microwavable foods were sometimes not very tasty, but now I find that almost all are flavorful and filling.

6. If you are a blogging mom, you can take advantage of the scheduled post or the draft feature of your blog. You can make posts before you publish them and you can take advantage of your spare time at night when your child/children are sleeping or maybe post them during their nap times.

7. I don't spend much time on Facebook or Myspace. I find that social networking can take up a large  chunk of my free time if I let it. I try to control my time on social networking sites to only a few minutes per day, just long enough to catch up on everyone’s news and then logoff and get back to important things.

8. I don't have a high tech cellphone. I use my phone only for phone calls, and the occasional text message. I only check emails when I’m on the computer. I think this is saving me time because I don't get distracted all day long with constant emails. However, I still wish sometimes that I have a better phone so I can try new apps and have better pictures using my cellphone.

9. Shop online. The world is available online if you do a little research about what sites have the items you’re looking for. The internet carries almost anything you can think of, and many times the shipping is free, and returns are very easy. I don’t waste time or gas driving to the retail store and looking around trying to find what I want.

10. If you can, do two things at one time like exercise while watching TV, do it!  I call it multitasking, even though that term is mostly used in the business world. Try cooking while washing clothes, or similar tasks that naturally go together well.

I am sure you mommies are always busy whether a stay-at-home or working. There is so much do to especially when you have kids. Thanks to Starbucks and SocialMoms for hosting a program for mommies to share their time saving tips.

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