10 Working Mom Hacks For A More Productive Week: The days I can get both kids to school ALL day and be ABLE to work are a mini miracle.
After spending years and years wishing… there were no snow days…. children didn’t get sick…. my home didn’t need maintenance… unexpected tasks wouldn’t pop up… I gave in and realized the only thing I can control is ME.
So I set out to streamline, systematize, and proactively take care of anything I needed to do for the week… in advance.
Did you know that for every hour you spend planning, 3-4 hours are saved from redundancy, waiting for information, and not being prepared? I don’t know about you, but I’ll take that trade any day! And it’s so easy to accomplish through these mom hacks.
So I have set aside my Sundays as the day when I get done everything I possibly can.
Here are 10 tasks you can do on Sundays to save you 10 hours in your work week.
- Physically write out your upcoming week on paper.
Physically writing down your week will remind you of items you need to purchase, people you need to connect with, and information you need to gather for upcoming events. Just the act of writing out your list will get your brain working on your upcoming tasks and solutions to problems.
If you have followed this blog for any amount of time you know that this is my Sunday Basket routine.
- Put all meeting, networking, school, and sports-related items in the car Sunday night.
Not everything can be packed ahead of time, but a snack for the Brownie troop on Tuesday and your meeting notebook for PTA Thursday night can easily be put in the car on Sunday. The fewer items you need to remember each day, the better!
- Make a list of all the people you need to call this week, complete with phone numbers, for your car.
Having a physical list will jog your memory and help you take advantage of short breaks in your schedule to return phone calls, connect with family members, and follow up on household tasks like scheduling the repairman.
- Take care of all your food needs on Sunday.
Spending an extra half hour in the kitchen on Sunday will save you hours during the work week. Prepackaged snacks, and lunch items, organize weekly dinner ingredients by day, and make a list so everyone knows what you are having and when.
- Open and process your mail once a week.
Often mail can pile up during the week and be opened all at once on Sundays. Pay any bills due this week and defer the rest of the mail until the following Sunday.
- Get out cash.
Getting out a set amount of cash once a week will help you spend more wisely and avoid extra minutes driving through ATMs during the week. Set aside money for babysitters, house cleaners, or other help in envelopes in your bill pay area.
- Pick up the dry cleaning and do ALL the laundry.
There is nothing like waking up on Monday morning with a closet full of clean clothes to choose from!
- Pick up prescriptions and fill weekly medicine dispensers.
If you have ever tried to pick up a prescription at 5 pm on a weekday you know how many minutes this small task will save you!
- Charge and reboot all your electronics.
I know weeks can pass without shutting down my computer fully. Resetting your computer, tablets, and phones by completely powering them off and on again will keep them running longer with fewer bugs.
- Do all the dishes, empty all the trash cans, and run the dishwasher.
Spending these extra 15 minutes will start your week off with clean dishes and empty trash cans.
I hope you enjoyed these mom hacks. You never know what your week will hold, but by completing these 10 tasks each week you will save yourself 10 hours during the work week… and untold amounts of stress!
What about you? Do you have a Sunday routine that makes your week go more smoothly?
