What Would you do if you had More Time Each Week?
One of the biggest issues I hear mums mention is they don’t have enough time to do everything.
What if you could have an extra 15 hours a week, what would you do with that time?
Working as well as parenting, doing the house stuff and trying to keep a life we love means we have to use our time wisely, outsource tasks and reduce our workload.
A study shows women do an average of 22.3 hours of unpaid domestic work, but 30+ hours if they have kids under 18 at home.
And that issue seems to be getting worse, not better.
Here are some things you can do to ease that.
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1. Stop Watching TV
Time Saved: 15 Hours
Or at the very least, reduce how much you watch and “TV” includes streaming of any type.
According to research, the average Australian spend 2 hours and 39 minutes watching TV per day. That is nearly 20 hours a week.
A poll of The Thrifty Issue Facebook group members a few years ago showed most watch more than 10 hours a week.
What could you achieve if you had 15 hours a week to dedicate to it?
Wealthy/successful people tend not to watch TV either.
If you stopped watching TV or limited it to a favourite show, what could you achieve that you currently don’t have time for?
Could you go to the gym, find another way to make money, take a class, read those books you always meant to or finish the home renovations?
2. Teach Your Kids to DIY
Time Saved: 5+ Hours
If your children can use an iPad or the TV remote, they can use the washing machine, dishwasher and vacuum cleaner!
Teach your kids how to cook and clean, teach them to problem solve and play by themselves with Lego.
Stop doing everything yourself and start teaching your children to be independent.
You’d be surprised how young kids can be when they learn these skills.
Create a morning routine so you kids know what to do and encourage them to do as much as possible themselves.
Get them to pack their lunches from a young age.
Teach them life skills so they are capable and your load is reduced.
Even toddlers can help pick their clothes, put things in lunch boxes etc.
It takes a little longer when they are young but spending that time then frees up significant time as they get older.
After school, have a routine where they change out of school clothes, do a chore because they live in the house and should contribute plus do any homework.
Do yourself and your kids a favour by teaching them life skills and getting them to contribute to running the house.
Read 11 life skills we want our children to have and tips for how to get your kids to help at home.
3. Outsource Where Possible
Time Saved: 4+ Hours
List all the tasks you do, how long they take and whether they must be done by you or can be outsourced.
If you can afford it, get a cleaner/ironer/gardener/someone to do these tasks.
Chances are, many of the tasks you do could be done quicker by a professional and may not cost as much as you think.
Plus, with the extra time, you can either do things you enjoy or put the time into something that will bring in more money.
Think about it, if you can do something that pays you $50 per hour and you only need to pay $30 an hour to outsource something such as cleaning, you will have a clean house plus extra money in your pocket!
Besides that, how much better would you feel mentally if someone else is taking care of something such as cleaning?
Use meal kits instead of meal planning yourself. Rotating through the discounts, meal times are easy because they are planned out and I don’t have to think about it.
Get discounts and free meal kits for yourself here.
The great thing about outsourcing is that there are always so many solutions based on your specific needs, whether it is getting carpet cleaners every 6 months or housekeeping services into your home once a week, if you can find the right options that will take the pressure off, it’s worth considering.
If we can save money and reduce our stress levels in the process, it is going to make a big difference in the long run.
4. Get it Delivered
Time Saved: 2+ Hours
Order online and get it delivered to save time driving to the shops, finding parking, going in, selecting it, packing it in the car, driving home and unpacking.
The time and energy saved can be significant plus most places offer free delivery.
We love having meal kits delivered as mentioned in tip 3.
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Up to $140 off Dinnerly, spread across your first few boxes.
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We’ve used them all on and off during stages of our lives, especially when time-poor, and they helped heaps.
It was also great for our kids to be able to learn new recipes and cook themselves.
Getting groceries delivered reduced impulse buys and time spent at the supermarket too.
5. Routines and Automation
Time Saved: 3+ Hours
Get routines and make sure your kids know them too.
Better still, get your kids to write their own routines with your guidance and put them up in their room.
Create a morning routine to get ready and out the door, so you don’t need to nag constantly, have another one for when you get home such as they take their shoes off, school bags go in the same spot, lunch boxes in the kitchen, get an after-school snack, do homework etc.
Routines mean we all know what is happening and when.
Kids don’t need to be told repeatedly or you can have your routine written up for the family to refer to instead of you yelling and trying to get everyone to hurry up.
Look at other areas of your life, where can you automate them or set routines so you don’t waste time going over the same thing?
Arrange a direct debit for your bills, work out your budget, schedule any payments that need to be made to happen automatically, have a shared electronic calendar for everyone to put their appointments into, use a meal plan, and simplify and automate your life.
This applies to finances too e.g. how to get rich being lazy with money.
6. Meal Plan
Time Saved: 2+ Hours
Plan your meals and shop accordingly. We eat the same things most of the time so our meals and shopping list don’t change much.
Plan your meals based on the food in season, use the food you have in your cupboard and think about what you are doing during the week.
For nights we will be home late, we have quick meals or we have meals cooked and frozen in the freezer which we can reheat instead of getting takeaway.
By knowing what we are eating and when we save time and money plus shopping is easy.
As mentioned, we often use meal kits to save the time and energy on meal planning..
Wehn cooking, cook double batches of anything that will freeze well such as bolognese, lasagne, fried rice, curries, soup etc.
Doing this builds up a supply of cooked meals with no real extra time or energy needed.
7. Schedule Time for Yourself
Time Saved: Variable
“But I don’t have time to schedule time for myself!” we hear you argue.
If you do not schedule time for yourself you will burn out and depending on how bad that is, it could see you extremely sick, or worse.
Look after yourself. Change your lifestyle, get your kids to do more at home, put them in care or arrange a childcare swap with another mum.
Do something to get the time you need to do what you want.
Even if this means hiring a babysitter for a few hours once a week so you can do your hobby.
Book dates, nights out and holidays without your kids if you want. Work out what you want in your time, then do it.
8. Know Your Style and Create a ‘Uniform’
Time Saved: 1+ Hours
It might sound boring but it makes life easy.
It doesn’t mean you need to wear exactly the same thing every day, although that does make it easier and many successful, high-profile people do it.
Decide what you are wearing, what suits you and plan it for the week then throw away any clothes you don’t wear.
Have a session with a personal stylist, find what looks good on you, brands you like and what you feel comfortable in.
Create a wardrobe based on this and pick your outfits ahead of time.
On a Sunday, plan it all out, iron whatever you need to then don’t think about it again. No mornings are spent deciding what to wear or trying on multiple outfits.
9. Stockpile and buy Items on Sale
Time Saved: 1+ Hours
Having a small stockpile to start with will save time and money.
Buy 1 or 2 extra items when on sale or with each grocery shop and you’ll soon have a small supply you can rotate and never pay full price.
Having items on hand such as toiletries, pasta, rice, tinned food we can use to make dhal, chilli or similar saves us time and makes life easier.
10. Cook Double Batches
Time Saved: 2+ Hours
It takes me virtually no extra time to chop a few more veggies and cook twice as much dinner so you can have the same meal later.
Everyone has favourite meals and tends to cook them repeatedly.
Do it in bulk and reduce the amount of time you spend cooking each week.
Try it with bolognese, lasagne, curry, stew, pizza bases, pasta bake, chilli etc.
This saves cooking time, time cleaning up and a lot of energy planning and executing it all.
11. Use Your Commute
Time Saved: 5+ Hours
A commute doesn’t need to be wasted time. Listen to podcasts or audiobooks e.g. these 12 that will improve your life.
If you are on public transport you can read, do your shopping list, order groceries online, pay bills and anything else you can do online can be done from your phone.
Do online surveys and make money with your commute.
Use your commute time for things you don’t want to do in your free time.
12. Get Organised
Time Saved: 2+ Hours
“A place for everything and everything in its place!”
Easier said than done for some but a few little changes can make a big difference.
Have a key hook inside your front door or use a magnetic hook for your keys on your fridge.
A shoe rack inside the door makes it easy to organise the shoes people take off when they enter.
Hooks behind your bedroom door for handbags, scarves and similar.
Get your house, your car, your office, everywhere organised and save yourself hours each month.
13. Dressing Gown or “Pinny”
Time Saved: 1 Hour
Get a dressing gown or apron and wear it over your clothes when getting ready in the morning so kids don’t mess it up.
It saves time having to change but remember to take it off just before you leave.
Much like the ‘pinny’ or apron our grandmothers had.
On that, if you don’t use an apron when cooking etc. Get one. It’ll save your clothes.
14. Get Things Ready the Night Before
Time Saved: 2 Hours
This is easier when you have specific routines as mentioned earlier.
Every evening, write a list for the next day and get everything ready so it’s simply a matter of getting up and going in the morning.
It reduces indecision in the morning and stressing over having to iron that shirt or being unable to find what you need.
15. Colour Code the Family
Time Saved: 1 Hour
Each family member gets a colour, items such as toothbrushes, towels, hairbrushes etc are all this colour.
You’ll easily know who has left what where (unless a sibling has used it).
This saves time trying to work out who left that wet towel on the floor.
16. Have Duplicates
Time Saved: 30 Minutes
Have more than one of the items you use regularly or your kids walk off with and don’t return such as scissors, tape and pens.
Keep them in a few places like the kitchen drawer, a desk drawer and your bedroom.
This saves time because you aren’t constantly searching for them.
We do this with cleaning supplies and my glasses too.
17. Keep a Time Diary Then Eliminate Time-Wasting habits
Time Saved: 3+ Hours
It might shock you when you do it, but it’s a great exercise.
Start tracking how long you spend on different tasks so you can identify and eliminate your time wasters.
There are apps you can get to time how long you spend on things online and you can keep notes in your calendar for other things.
18. Learn to say NO!
Time Saved: 4+ Hours
You don’t need to be the one doing everything.
Being asked to do something does not mean you have to say yes. Learn to say no to things you don’t want to do or don’t have the time to do and take control of your time again.
All these time-saving tips can easily save you over 15 hours a week.
Some take a little time to implement or get the kids used to them but it will provide so much relief once you have it sorted.
What Time-Saving Tips Would You Add?
Resources:
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Get up to $200 off with HelloFresh (spread across your first 6 boxes)
Get easy meals from $2.19 per plate with this discount from EveryPlate
45% off your first box with Marley Spoon and further discounts.
Up to $140 off Dinnerly, spread across your first few boxes.
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