My fave shortcuts as a busy mum

Working and having two kids means that every day can be quite the juggling act. I don’t think I’ve ever been as busy as when Sophia and Grace came along. All of a sudden I went from being able to manage my time the way I wanted to having to fit everything around them and their schedule. As I’m sure most mums can attest, there’s not a whole lot of time left to get anything done after you’ve tried to get everything on your child-related to-do list checked off.

From taking the girls to pre-school, ballet, play dates and then having to do everything from making dinner to cleaning around the house, it can be a long, exhausting day. So wherever I can I like to take the easy way out. Yes, shortcuts are any busy mum’s friend and they’re definitely mine. Here are a few I’ve adopted to free up a bit more time during the week.

 Get groceries delivered

Anyone who has ever tried to keep their kids entertained whilst simultaneously trying to do their grocery shopping without forgetting pretty much everything they needed in the first place deserves a medal. This is why I’ve taken to shopping online and having my groceries delivered. I can peacefully shop on my laptop when the kids are asleep and then have a week’s worth of food appear in my kitchen without any hassle. If you’re not doing it already, please try it!

Vacuum from anywhere

Vacuuming is one of those chores that needs to be done regularly but it eats up so much time that I always find it a struggle trying to get around to it. So I succumbed to the allure of having my floors cleaned without having to lift a finger. Check it out here Electrolux PUREi9. It’s a robotic vacuum cleaner that I can not only program to follow my own particular cleaning schedule but I can control it from wherever I am using the PUREi9 app on my phone. I was initially worried that it may run into furniture and get stuck while I was out however  it has a 3D Vision system which scans the room and makes sure to avoid obstacles. So I can pretty much just schedule it via the mobile app, leave it and then come home to totally clean floors.

 

Cook once, eat twice

The last thing I want to do is have to spend hours in the kitchen cooking each week. So to halve the time spent on making meals often we’ve taken to whipping up bigger batches of whatever it is we’re having then freezing it as that means we can revisit again on those days when we really can’t be bothered cooking.

Organise as I go along

I’ve noticed that if I try and do things as I go along I don’t have such an epic cleaning job ahead of me at the end of the week. I’ve now tried to implement the rule that if it will only take me a few seconds to put something away then I do it right then and there instead of procrastinating.

 

Embrace lists

Lists are a mum’s best friend. Instead of wasting time trying to remember things I now map out the day ahead by writing a quick list. If I can see what I have to do, it helps me to plan how I’m going to structure my day so I use my time efficiently. For example if I have to run errands in multiple places during the day I try and do the things closest to home first then work my way out so I don’t spend the time driving around just trying to get from A to B and back again.

Utilise open storage

Before having kids I didn’t really appreciate the usefulness of baskets around the house. I do now. I have a few strategically placed around our apartment so that I can quickly put the girls’ things away at the end of the day. It takes a few minutes and I feel I have a tidy house at the end (this works wonders for calming a frazzled mind). It’s also perfect for those times when people drop by unexpectedly and I need to have a clean house in seconds.

What are some of your favourite shortcuts as a mum?

This post was produced in collaboration with Electrolux

Photography: Sophia Athas