We’ve all heard and said there aren’t enough hours in a day to get everything done on our to do list. And, it seems that our to do lists are never-ending. At least it seems that way for me. I’m constantly scratching items off only to add new ones on. Roughly a month ago I reached the end of my rope while my husband was out of town. I was juggling an additional human to take care of and keep alive, returned to work and had a team to lead, and household duties to maintain all while the hubs was traveling 2- 3 days a week. I was barely sleeping, only ate when I had a free few minutes (much less a free hand) and daily life starting to pile up. I started to worry about perhaps my feelings were related to post-partum depression which immediately prompted a call to my doctor. We talked through what I was feeling, how I was managing and she asked me a great question, “What could I remove from my plate?” Not but a week earlier I was listening to an episode of Jenna Kutcher’s podcast, The Goal Digger Podcast, about creating a not-to-do list. I love her podcast and routinely am able to convert the entrepreneurial advice into relevant info for my 9-5 but when listening to this episode, I had trouble relating.
Making the impossible happen is my specialty; it’s what I get paid to do and what I’ve trained my team on. I’ve always been able to manage and come out on top. This time, however, was different and I knew it. I kept thinking to myself that if I just hired a nanny to take care of the kids, everything would be better. But, something just wasn’t sitting right with me on that thought.
The next day during my lunch, I sat at my desk and made a list of everything I had going on. My list included all the boys stuff, household chores, work responsibilities and personal interest. Next, I put an ‘x’ next to everything I hated doing or felt I would be comfortable handing off to another person. A couple of things became readily apparent from my exercise. First, my kids have always been my number one priority and my list showed I wanted to keep everything theirs on my to-do list. Household chores were at the bottom, particularly cooking. I was spending all day Sundays meal prepping because I knew if I didn’t have breakfast, lunch and dinner readily accessible during the week that we’d end up at a drive through or getting take out for our meals and that is not what I wanted for myself or my family.
It was time for some changes to regain my life and sanity. By focusing my efforts on the items at the very bottom of my to-do list, I was able to turn over a new leaf in my new life as a wife and mommy of two.
The changes I made were relatively simple and cost efficient. Here are the top 6 changes I made that gave me back over 24 hours of my life a week.
- Meal prep.
While listening to Jenna’s podcast, it was great to hear eating healthy was one of her priorities as well. She had mentioned Hello Fresh and while I know she had them as a sponsor, she is also regularly transparent about what it takes for her to mention products on her podcast or accept them as a sponsor. So, on her recommendation, we decided to try it and I’m so happy to say it’s been such a great decision. I also brought on Daily Harvest to help with our breakfast prep, which has been another great move. Meal planning has become a cinch and left-over items from recipes have been minimized. The only things we truly meal plan now are lunches that we make in bulk for the family to take during the week. How did this help? I would spend almost all-day Sunday meal prepping for the week which meant grocery run on Saturdays. While it does cost a little more than purchasing groceries and doing it all myself, I’ve essentially added an entire day back to my week with these changes.
Time back: 24 hours Mindset: Positive
- Target pick-up/drive-up
Let me be honest, I love target and could spend several hours in there at a time and dropping far more money than initially planned. Therein lies the problem. We’ve all done it. Gone in for 3 things and end up with a cart full and over $100 of stuff we originally didn’t know we needed. Now, I submit my items in the app and pick them up when I happen to be near the store. I have had multiple orders before because I forgot something and that’s ok too.
Time back: 1-2 hours Mindset: I’m probably going to miss target but my wallet is happy
- Laundry
It starts on Thursday! I use to do all laundry on Saturday and Sunday, but no more. I’m not tied to my tiny rectangular room on the weekends anymore to ensure everyone has clean clothes. Is this something the hubs could have picked up? Maybe. Do I really want to risk him destroying my hand wash only sweater? No. It’s not worth the frustration that would ensue. Been there, done that, moving on.
Time back: It’s about flexibility Mindset: It’s still laundry
- A Robotic Vacuum
Now in all honesty, I’ve had a Roomba Vacuum for a few years now. In fact, I’ve had 2, one for upstairs and one for down stairs. What I recently realized was that I wasn’t utilizing it efficiently and for best results it should be on a schedule. Coming home to a clean house is a key factor in my mood and mindset for the day
Time back: 1hour-ish Mindset: positive
- Exercise
This one probably should be number one on my list but, it’s not. I’m pretty comfortable with the fact that my body is not in pre-baby shape and may never again be in the shape it was. My size and weight are not the issue I am looking to correct with this one but more how I felt and the energy I was able to create by exercising. Three times a week my goal is to exercise. It could be as simple as going out my front door to go on a walk, a 15-minute ride on my Peloton, a quick yoga practice or an actual full blown work out at the gym. It just needs to be something.
Time back: + 15-30 minutes Mindset: positive
- Scheduling
There is just something about having a physical planner that makes me feel good. I’m not sure what it is, but there’s just something about it I love. Yes, it more accessible and easier to load it all on my phone and I put it there too, but using my Soho Smythson planner has been key. Why do I love it? Again, I was listening to a podcast (for the life of me I don’t remember which one) where they talked about the never ending to do list and ways, they start their day to make it the most productive. Developing a ‘Big 3’ list was one thing that stuck with me. By picking and selecting 3 things to get accomplished that day, you could easily turn that dreadful feeling of getting nothing done into something that is actually do-able and achievable. I tailored this concept a little so that I have a big 3 home and a big 3 work. There’s nothing better than looking at the calendar at the end of the week than seeing all of the things I was able to accomplish without all of the stress and anxiety that use to come with it.
Time back: immeasurable Mindset: accomplished
So, there it is. This is how I make my Saturdays and Sundays stress free family time and my weekdays actually workable. There wasn’t any massive shifting or a ton of money I threw at the problem, but more looking at simplifying and utilizing items already at my disposal.
If you have any tips or tricks that work for you, share them in the comments below. You never know if there’s a struggling parent you may be helping gain back a little more sanity by learning your tips and tricks.