I’ve always been an organised person but becoming a mum and then a working mum means I have had to up my game! I have developed habits to help make the week run a bit more smoothly and try to keep the stress levels at home to a minimum.
Tidy and sort on the go I find that if I keep areas of the house as tidy as I can and sort out as I go it stops things building up. I like to clear up after breakfast before I take Jake to his grandparents or nursery as it just helps me dive into my working day if I come back to a sorted kitchen and living area – I can just get myself sorted and head off to work or grab my laptop and crack on if I am working at home. Similarly, if something takes two minutes to do then do it there and then - there is no point in annoying myself by leaving it until later!
Meal plan dinners On a Sunday night Rich and I decide what we are going to eat for dinners throughout the following week. We work out who is in and out for dinner on which days so which days need quick and easy meals and which days I can cook meals which are a bit more involved. It has made a big difference doing it and sticking to it as we are spending less on takeaways, and we know what we are doing rather than trying to throw something together.
I also look through the fridge and freezer more carefully to plan meals using the food we already have waiting for us! This makes the food shop much easier as I know exactly what we need, how much of it and so it has also reduced how much we are spending on the weekly shop – which is great!
Diary Fail to prepare then prepare to fail – very true for me! I use my diary to plan and prepare and sort out the big what, where, who, when questions of the week ahead! I work four days a week, some of those days I am in the office and others I am at home.
Knowing where I am and what I am doing means I can plan in all the other things I need to do in the week. I have a diary which has the 7 days on one side of a double page spread and on the other side just has lines so at the top I write out my top 3 priorities for the week and then a to do list underneath split into work and personal. At the moment this seems to be working really well and is simple to keep up with.
Brain dump This is something I have started to do more of and I am not sure why but it has definitely helped. I like a lot of people have one thousand and one things going through my head throughout the day either about things I need to remember, worries about one thing or another, things I haven’t done or need to do etc and so I have found writing them down or talking to Rich about them really helps to reduce the business of my brain and feel calmer.
Rich will sometimes try to help come up with a solution but, more often than not, he will just let me talk! Writing bits down helps, either in a pad or in the notes on my phone as I know I won’t forget certain things and can put the thoughts into some sort of logical order.
De-clutter regularly I de-clutter all the time which makes me wonder how I always have things that need de-cluttering…! Stuff just builds up! Clothes and Jake’s toys are the main things. I will have a season turn around for clothes so the only clothes and shoes in my wardrobe are the ones I will be wearing, all the others are in the loft and I switch around at the beginning of a change of season. I will have a good sort through and only hang up items which still fit properly and make a list of the bits I need.
Jake’s toys I am constantly sorting – toys which are too young for him get put in a bag in the loft (ready for if we have another baby at some point in the future), I put the toys with ‘bits’ together and chuck any which are broken or are missing essential parts!
Stuff builds up (aka gets dumped) on the sides as well so I regularly sort through the mini piles which develop over the week.
Files, folders, labels Nothing makes me happier than having a place for things! I love a good folder for specific documents, and using my label maker to label up a box! It just makes it easier to sort out the house and put things away by knowing exactly where things go. It also makes it easier for Rich when I ask him to get things…although he will often moan that I have tidied away something of his and he can’t find it!
Say no and don’t feel guilty! Time is precious! I wish I had bags of time to do everything I wanted to do and see everyone I wanted to see and until I develop the ability to pause time I just don’t! Since going back to work I have had to become more comfortable with saying no or suggesting alternative options/times.
Before having Jake I would always just fit in with everyone else, but I just don’t have that luxury anymore. At work I need to make sure I leave by a certain time to get through traffic and pick him up in time - I do not want a late fine from nursery!
With friends and family I need to be careful not to plan too much in so that I am not running around and am completely knackered. Jake will often scupper plans by waking up poorly or having a bad night so he then has the major grumps, I have learnt to just be honest with people instead of stressing myself out trying not to let anyone down.
Lists Who doesn’t love a good list! My bigger ‘to do’s’ go in my diary but I also have a ‘to do’ pad which I use daily especially at home to get through everything that needs to be done. There is a big satisfaction in ticking things off too!
Thank-you so much for reading!
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