Ok, so I originally wrote this list as a way to get more organised and keep my 2015 New Years’ Resolution of conjuring up enough me-time to get this blog off the ground.
So far it has been working (as the blog has got off the ground, just) so I thought it would be nice to update and share my post as I know we all could do with a little more me-time at the end of each busy busy day.
I have kept note of the little rituals and things I now do each day to save time. I have also added a few more great ideas that may get me that extra 15 minutes at the end of the day that still I need.
So here’s the list that got me started on my 2015 journey of becoming more organised and having more free me-time. Hope it buys you a few more minutes at the end of the day too!
1. Having a bath/shower in the evenings before going to bed.
Pretty simple tip this one, but one that saves me a lot of time and stress in the morning.
Most people have their shower in the morning as it helps them to wake up and feel ready and revitalised for the day.
For me it is the opposite.
Showering in the morning consists of locking Fee in the bathroom with me while I shower. All the while watching helplessly as she empties the bathroom cabinet, wraps herself in toilet roll and swings the loo brush round her head. Nice.
Having a nice bath or a shower in the evening before going to bed (while Fee is fast asleep) is a much more relaxing affair. I have peace and quiet and time to wash AND condition my hair and sometimes even time to paint my toenails. 🙂
This change to my routine buys me extra time in the morning to do all the other things that need to be done before getting out of the house.
It also means I have time for breakfast (something I used to skip which left me hungry/angry = HANGRY and eating fun size Mars bars in the afternoon).
2. Eat at the same time as my daughter Fee
This mainly means breakfast and lunchtime (I like to eat dinner and drink the odd glass of wine in the evenings with Mr E).
I also tend to eat similar foods to Fee during the day. I find that she likes this too as she is at an age where she likes to copy and do the same things as me.
For example we both might have porridge in the morning (making a batch for two is just as quick as for one) and beans on toast / mushroom omelette with a yoghurt for lunch. Simples.
3. Make batches of food and freeze small sized toddler portions
Now that Fee is 21 months, she pretty much has the eating thing sorted (in that she know what she likes and what is not acceptable…like green peppers). Her favourite meals are spaghetti bolognese and fish pie so these tend to feature heavily on the family’s dinner menu.
Whenever I am cooking these dishes for myself and Mr E, I make an extra batch or two (usually minus the salt) to freeze into small meal portions for Fee. These are then ready to be defrosted and reheated at mealtimes. With the bolognese I just freeze the sauce and cook some pasta fresh at mealtimes.
4. Sign up to Audible.com
One of the things that I never seem to have the chance to do anymore is read. Before Fee was born I used to get through tons of books. I read on the train to/from work, in the evenings after dinner, on lazy sunday mornings in bed…etc. Now those moments seem like a thing of the past, I no longer commute to work and if I get a few spare moments in the evening it is filled with online food shopping, scouring the net for kids bargains and occasionally sleep!
When I discovered Audible I was very excited. Audible is basically an online bookstore that sells audio books.
I had used audiobooks before, but never seemed to get into them; the CD audiobook selection at my library was always a bit limited and audiobooks were pretty expensive to buy in CD format.
So when I saw that Audible had a free trial for the first month, allowing you to get one audiobook for free, I gave it a go.
Since then I have signed up and pay a monthly fee (£7.99 a month I think) which allows me to get a free credit/book each month to listen to. If you don’t use the credit it rolls over to the next month.
I listen to the books on my smartphone (having downloaded the audible App onto my phone).
I listen to it on loudspeaker when I am cooking or doing chores around the house. I even sometimes listen to it when out shopping in town (headphones in though – motivational self-help on loudspeaker in the supermarket would just be weird).
There are other online audiobook resources too, Audible just happens to be the one that I use and that I would recommend.
5. Do food shopping online
I do the majority of my food shopping online. I have online accounts with all of the major supermarkets and tend to shop with the one that is offering me the best money-off coupon or online offers at that moment. I like to use the supermarket comparison website : www.mysupermarket.co.uk to price check stuff and to see who is the cheapest for the products I want to buy.
I try to get all my groceries delivered in the evenings after Fee is in bed as I don’t like waiting around for the delivery man during the day (the delivery slots tend to be cheaper then too).
6. Duplicate & allocate
I find that I always seem to lose things at the most inconvenient times i.e. when I am about to head out of the door and am running late.
To minimise the amount of time that I was spending looking for lost items around the house I decided to duplicate and allocate ‘homes’ to things.
For example, I bought a load of dummies in the sale and put a mug in Fee’s wardrobe for storing the dummies.
There is also a dummy mug in the kitchen cupboard downstairs. Whenever a dummy is found lying about it gets washed and put into one of the mugs. That way I can always be sure to find at least one when Fee needs it.
Things I have duplicates of:
- Back door key
- Baby wipes
- Mr Bunny (so one is always available when the other is in the wash)
- Nappy bag (I have two bags packed with nappies, wipes and a change of clothes)
- Woolly hats
- Lipstick
- Scissors
- Stickytape
7. Book doctor’s appointments for first thing in the morning
I recently had to wait over an hour and half in the doctor’s waiting room for my appointment which is a long time when you are trying to entertain a hungry toddler… and you have run out of snacks. So I have decided that I am going to try and book all my doctor’s appointments for first thing in the morning.
I am usually up early anyway thanks to my personal alarm clock Fee. So whenever we have to go to the doctor for vaccinations or check ups from now on, I am going to try to get an early morning slot as I think you are likely to spend less time sitting in the doctor’s waiting room if you are one of the first patients on the list. Worth a try!
8. Put outfits together when putting the clothes away
I like to do this when I am putting the laundry away. I do this with both Fee’s clothes and my own.
I hang the entire outfit on a hanger ready to go including tights/socks.
Preparing outfits beforehand when I am not in a rush, means that I am more likely to put a coordinated outfit together (for me) and Fee will not end up looking like she has been dressed by a clown in the dark when its Daddy (Mr E’s) turn to get her dressed.
9. Keep disinfectant wipes in the toilet / bathrooms for speedy cleaning
I like to keep Flash wipes or some similar disinfectant wipes in the bathroom so that I can give the sink, mirror and loo a quick clean whenever I get the chance.
For example when Fee is in the bath, I usually will give the bathroom a quick wipe down.
Job done.
10. Buy birthday cards for the year in one go
As I am not the best at remembering birthdays (actually I’m terrible at it), I write a list of friend’s and family’s birthdays for the year, stick a copy on the fridge and then go and buy everyone’s birthday cards as well as stamps, all in one go. It might take a little time to buy 20 or so cards all at once, but this definitely saves me time in the long run.
An added bonus of doing it this way is that if you do need a last minute birthday card for someone else (who didn’t quite make your original list) you always have a stash of cards to pick from.
These tips have really helped me be more efficient with my time and feel more organised, but there is always room for improvement so if you have any useful time-saving tips that you’d like to share, let me know!
