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Tips for Busy Mums

Posted by Ali Hui on 16th Oct 2017

Tips for Busy Mums

Every mum knows how busy life can get. We are pulled in every direction from home to work, our children and  personal goals, it's hard to keep ahead of everything without burning out or having no time for yourself.

So we have put together a few tips from our Babu mums.

Choosing the right calendar

Yes, you can manage multiple schedules if you have the right tools. How about a large monthly planner stuck to your wall or a Google calendar to sync with your and all computers or smartphones. There are so many productivity apps available now that specialise in coordinating your families activities.

Use your calendar wisely

As you enter appointments into your calendar, think about the extra jobs that go with them – buying presents, RSVP's or registrations. Jot down a reminder in your calendar or set up an alert on your phone. Group activities by location, so you are spending less time in traffic.

Weekly planning

On a Sunday afternoon, take as little as 30 mins to sit down and plan the week and you will be amazed at what you can accomplish. As the saying goes, planning for 1 minute will save you 10. Concentrate on the 4 C’s.

Calendar – what events do you have happening?

Cooking – what’s on the menu and shopping list? (this makes a huge difference to your day to have the evening planned)

Chores – what needs to be done around the house and who should do it?

Children – homework, after school pick ups, sports, music, tutoring, the list goes on.

Choose children’s activities carefully

Consider limiting your children’s activities to one to two per child per school year. Imagine only one practice a week, one game on the weekend and one wrap up party.

Join forces

Ask friends or families in the area that are attending the same practices/after school activities if they wish to split the driving and each take a turn. How about weekly turnabout with looking after the kids – imagine having a couple of hours to run around and do all those errands or simply sitting reading a book in peace.

Source and delegate

If you simply find you do not have enough time to fit in walking the dog every day or mowing the lawns each month, how about putting a flyer around your street or pulling in help from the family? Some teenagers would love to earn a little bit of cash and your partner/relative might be able to help mow the lawns.

Shop online

Whether it's groceries, items for sports or school, try shopping online to remove the time involved in travelling. If you have a strict budget online grocery shopping is proven to cost less. Walking around the store will definitely make you pop more in the basket.

Get an emergency buddy

Stuck in traffic and have no chance of getting to school for pick up – call your emergency buddy! Ask a friend/relative to be your 'in case of emergency' for times when life throws up obstacles with agreements to trade favours when either of you need bailing out.

Let me think about it

When someone’s asked if you can be the team manager or if you want to join the PTA, your stock answer should be “let me think about it”. You’re not saying NO immediately, but giving yourself time to decide if you can fit it into your schedule. Carefully review the extra pressure these commitments will put on you before saying yes.

Start the day earlier

We all love to push the snooze button in the morning, but then end up running around the house just wishing we had an extra 10 minutes before racing out the door. Try resetting your internal clock and going to bed 30 minutes earlier and then getting up earlier. Imagine what you could accomplish – peaceful shower, dinner started, even getting to eat a relaxed breakfast!

Routine rules

Each morning, think about what you’re having for dinner, do the next stage of the laundry and empty the dishwasher. Before going to bed, tidy the house, put the dishwasher on and set out what you need for the next day. This all adds up to a streamlined exit the next morning.

The car bag

We all find ourselves sitting in the car, waiting for a practice/event to finish and just thinking of all the things you should be doing. If you don’t have a smart phone for emails etc, organise a ‘car-bag' that has things like a good book, thank you/birthday cards, notepad and pen, knitting etc. 

Most of all

Find and schedule time for yourself, a quiet coffee, a massage, go for a run, do some exercise, you will be a better Mum for giving yourself some down time.

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