Teach Mom Learn

Being a working mom is not easy.  It seems like there’s never enough time for anything you need to do, and the to do list just keeps piling up. 

Weekdays are lost in a chaos of morning routines, commutes, work, and then cramming everything you can into the 3 hours between when you get home and when the kids go to bed, including dinner and bath time.

 Weekends are a mess of errands, social commitments, and family obligations.  It’s so hard to find time to just relax with your children. 

These 9 hacks will help free up your time so you can focus more on what you love!

1. Take full advantage of curbside pick-up and delivery

If it can be delivered to your car, or better yet, your house, do it!

There simply isn’t enough time in a day (or a week) to accomplish everything you need to do and spend quality time with your family. Let’s be honest, errands are the last thing you want to do when you have an adorable child you could be playing with instead.

If I were to go to the grocery store, I’d spend 20 minutes making a list and meal plan, drive 20 minutes to the store, shop for 30 minutes, and drive home for another 20.  That’s 90 minutes of time I’d never get back!

Instead, I spend 15 minutes building a list on Amazon Prime, save a fortune on organic produce because of their deal with Whole Foods, and my groceries come to my house during a 2-hour window.

Even factoring in the tip for the delivery driver, we end up saving money because we know that going into the store would result in impulse buys.

Curbside is also a budget-saver for my Target habit.  Normally, I’d wander aisles for fun and a $40 trip would balloon to a $150 trip. Not anymore!

You can’t argue with something that saves you time and money!

2. Buy smart

Your life is busy enough, the last thing you want to add to it is complicated care for your dishes and clothing.  Buy items that are easy to keep in pristine condition.

I only buy clothing that is machine washable, and my most complicated items have to be hung up to dry.  90% of what I own goes directly in the dryer on low heat and comes out looking great. 

I totally understand that for some jobs, perfectly ironed, dry cleaned clothes are a necessity.  But if they’re not, keep things simple for yourself.

Look for soft, comfortable dress pants (Old Navy has great ones!) and long, warm, cozy sweaters.  I have this sweater from Amazon in 2 colors and plan to pick up at least 2 more.  Tunics always look sophisticated, and cotton dresses are comfortable and easy to wear.

Have the same rules for everyone else in your house too!

Now that your laundry has been simplified, let’s move onto dishes.  I totally get that most frying pans aren’t dishwasher safe, and that’s hard to get around.  But for everything else, buy dishwasher safe!

3. Pouches

This may be the laziest hack ever, but I buy anything I can in a pouch.  Half the food is meant for Rae, but I love it too. 

Pouches are the ultimate grab-and-go snack.  They are mess free (unless your child gets overexcited) and don’t require any silverware. 

Rae and I love the strawberry apple sauce and whole milk yogurt pouches from Whole Foods. The apple sauce pouches from Trader Joe’s come in tons of flavors, and they’re great too!

Read the ingredients carefully.  Some brands use fruit from concentrate and others use pure fruit puree.  The puree is definitely the healthier (and actually more delicious) route.

4.  Plan ahead

Benjamin Franklin said, “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today,” and I couldn’t agree more.  When your life is chaos, planning ahead is essential to keeping things somewhat in control.

For those working a traditional five-day work week, Sundays are the perfect prep days.  When I go to bed Sunday nights, I like the dishes done, the laundry folded, and the house neat.  I know that if it’s not done by then, it won’t be done until Saturday.

Set the coffee maker in advance.  Make sure you have a plan in place for the week’s activities.  Shower at night if that makes things easier for you.

Investing an hour or two on Sunday will make your whole week easier. 

Check the weather and your meeting schedule and pick out your clothes and accessories in advance.  Be sure to select 6 outfits, including one specifically chosen for if you have a bloated day.  Do the same for your children. 

Meal prep if that’s your thing.  Or pick lunches that you can easily throw together for you and your children.  I’m a huge fan of yogurt, granola, and fruit.  It’s super easy to prep ahead!

My other go-to is stashing charcuterie board-style snacks in my classroom.  A box of crackers, some fruit, and a little minifridge stuffed with cheese and you are good to go!  

5.  Streamline your morning routine

Prior to having children, your sole responsibility every morning was to get yourself ready and out the door to make it to work on time.  And possibly to care for a pet.

Now, your job is to get yourself and your children up and ready to go at an obscenely early hour, completely prepared for the day ahead. And it is not easy!

Simplify your morning routine in any way you can.  Cut your makeup and hair routine to the bare minimum.  Find a quick, easy breakfast everyone likes so that you only have to make 1 thing in the morning.

As your children get older, give them specific morning jobs. Giving them a visual checklist to help them get ready creates autonomy and independence. 

Check out my free visual morning checklist below! I’d recommend sliding it into a sheet protector and hanging it on your child’s door with a dry erase marker nearby.  That way, it can be reused day after day!

5. Embrace your natural hair

I straightened my naturally wavy hair nearly every day for 12 years before I had Rae.  Since then, I’ve curled my hair twice for special occasions and straightened it only for the purpose of at-home haircuts. 

As a busy working mom, I honestly don’t have the time to do my hair every morning.  And if I did have a spare 20 minutes, I’d spend it eating a meal at the table instead of in the car while driving to work. 

My current hair routine is easy -I just wash it, dry it with a t-shirt, scrunch it with Pineapple Curls, and go.  Some days, I’ll pin up a small section in the front if I have time.

Embracing my hair’s waviness made a huge difference in my mornings, and it will do the same for yours too.  Plus, avoiding heat is so much healthier for your hair! 

6. Dry shampoo

Who doesn’t love dry shampoo? If you’ve actually had the time to straighten or curl your hair, it lets you stretch the style at least an extra day.  And if you just don’t have time to wash your hair, it removes the grease so that no one can tell.

Dry shampoo is an essential for busy moms, but be sure to read the ingredients carefully.  Many have ingredients like propane and butane, and the idea of putting that in my hair freaks me out.  There are lots of natural alternatives that won’t make you feel like a walking grille.

For dark hair, a little bit of cocoa powder actually works.  I know how insane it sounds, but I’ve done it a few times in a pinch and my dark brown hair smells delicious, looks slightly richer in color, stays oil free for an entire workday. 

I’ve also messed this up and dumped far too much cocoa powder in my hair, ended up with a dusty look, and ended up taking a panic shower 5 minutes before I had to go to work. 

I’d recommend using any powder-based dry shampoo while standing in your shower and before getting dressed for work.  It’s easy to dump in more than you plan to, and you want a quick clean up!

Cornstarch works for lighter hair, at least from what I’ve read.  These dry shampoo recipes from Brit + Co are very helpful, and there are plenty of natural dry shampoos on the market.  Just search through your favorite beauty shop’s clean beauty section!

7. Perfect your ponytail

Ponytails are by far the easiest hairstyle and work on everyone with hair long enough to pull back.  However, a classic ponytail isn’t the fanciest look.  A few quick tweaks can change that.

I’m a huge fan of the secret double ponytail -gathering and securing the bottom half of your hair first in its own mini ponytail before bringing all your hair together. I have a lot of hair, so it gets super flat without this trick. 

Definitely pull at your hair once your pony is fully secured to soften the look.  And check out Kayley Melissa’s awesome 5-Minute Ponytail Routine video for some tips and tricks!

8. Use products that multitask as much as you do

Using multitasking products makes your life so much easier! My personal favorite is my Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer and Styler because it dries and styles my extremely thick hair in less than 15 minutes.  It’s a lifesaver on meeting days!

There are so many multitasking beauty products.  CC cream can do the job of a moisturizer, foundation, and even sunblock all at once.  Cream eyeshadow pencil like 24-Hour Eyeshadow and Liner from Trish McEvoy (not sponsored, I just really love it) are a quick, easy way to highlight your eyes. 

There are multitasking shower products too.  Dr. Bronner’s soap is totally natural and the bottle says there are 18 uses for it.  I’ve used it as shampoo, shaving cream, and body wash, and it works great! The key is to lather it up in your hands ahead of time.

Basically, if it can serve more than one purpose or do more than one thing at a time, at least try it out.  It may make your life just that much easier.

9. Ask for Help

There are going to be days where you have late meetings, a vet appointment, your own doctor’s appointment, dinner to make, and a child to care for.  And that’s not actually possible for any one human to do. 

On those days, ask for help! That’s what significant others, friends, and family are there for!

As working moms, we have a tendency to feel fully responsible for almost everything when that’s simply not true.  Healthy relationships are built on a balance of shared responsibilities, but your significant other will never read your mind and know what you need them to do.  You need to come right out and ask them for help when you need it.

And if you’re both completely tied up, ask a friend or family member.  They will be more than willing to help in any way they can, and you know you’ll return the favor any time you can.

No one can accomplish everything by themselves!

What hacks have helped you be more productive and make the most of your time? Please share in the comments below!