What are some things that have given you more time?

[rafiki]

.

[Peela]

I am not at a point where I lack time but when I was more time stretched....going to bed early, getting up early was and always has been a key for me. I will get a lot done as well as me time (meditation, exercise), early in the morning, wheras in the evening time just seems to get wasted.

 

Routines save time- a swish and swipe of the bathroom, a 5 or 10 minute tidy, moving the washing through its cycles....when things are fairly automatic and routine, it saves time.

 

Doing dishes in the evening saves time in the morning.

 

Slowing down and relaxing actually saves time. Rushing everywhere and trying to do too much ends up backfiring.

[milovany]

Getting up early, when (once I'm awake) my energy is higher.

[SailorMom]

Getting up before 7am

Exercising at least 3 times a week

Closing my Facebook account!

Doing "once a month" cooking (mine is more like once every three months cooking)

folding laundry as soon as it is out of the dryer (instead of letting piles build up)

rinsing out dishes, and not letting food ever dry on anything

throwing out junk mail as soon as I walk in the house

Using a car wash for $8 rather than washing my car by hand

simplyfying my wardrobe, makeup, and jewelry

Using a computer program to keep track of son's HS records

[simka2]

My nook color. I can do everything i did on my laptop, but it is really portable and follows meeverywhere! It has revolutionized reading in the bathroom. It turns on a lot faster than my computer as well. Also, reworking how i do laundry has helped a ton.

[*Lulu*]

*Saying no more often

*Getting rid of stuff

*Establishing a few routines that work for our family (not the other way around)

*Organizing key clutter zones

*Batch cooking

*Streamlining errands and chores

*Planning ahead for school

*Being very mindful of how often I am online or on the phone

[Stacia]

Having less

Being on the computer less

[mom2denj]

I do not watch tv anymore (except for American Idol). I haven't for about 3 yrs. My next step is to cut my time here on this forum. :001_huh:

[Mejane]

Lowering my expectations. Not in a negative way, but in an 'it doesn't have to be perfect' way.

[Year Round Mom]

Lowering my expectations. Not in a negative way, but in an 'it doesn't have to be perfect' way.

 

Definitely this. I'm learning to be happy with a mostly-presentable living room/kitchen on a day-to-day basis. I don't even clean upstairs when we have dinner guests anymore. If the kids want to go upstairs to play, more power to them! Still ain't gonna clean first! :D

 

Like other posters, I find being in good health myself makes me more productive. So, when I get good sleep, eat healthily, and excerise, I am better with my time.

 

Oh, and I find that the more I prepare beforehand, the more efficient I am with my time, whether it's dinner prep (cutting veggies, measuring ingredients, etc.) or photocopying school worksheets.

 

:)

[I.Dup.]

Having quiet times enforced for the children in the afternoon for 2 hours.

 

Early bedtimes for kids.

 

Cleaning a room as soon as it gets dirty (the kitchen while I'm cooking, putting dishes in the dishwasher right after they're used, swiping the bathroom every time I'm in there, etc)

 

Other than that, I am NOT good at prioritizing my time!

 

This is a great thread.

[Plucky]

Easy planned menus, organized chore list & lesson plans, everyone pitching in to do the cleaning, 17ds able to help me chauffeur kids around, using the timer on myself and the kids so we don't waste time on our favorite time wasters (computer/tv/whatever), moving in town, just learning that I don't have to be perfect and being a mom means I have to be flexible. Things don't always go as planned, and sometimes kids' needs supersede any goal of mine for a clean house or nice yard. And it is all okay. :)

Edited May 11, 2011 by True Blue

[milovany]

Trying to follow the rule I read somewhere of "touch it only once." i.e., when you pick up that object that needs to be put away, put it away instead of putting it somewhere else to put away later.

 

I custom designed this at Uppercase Living and have it in a very visible spot in our kitchen!!

[sleepymommy]

Doing a load of laundry in the morning before breakfast. I shower, pray, and throw a load in, put what needs to be in the dryer in the dryer and hang the rest. I fold anything in the dryer and ds6 puts his and his brothers shirts on hangers.

 

I've stayed on top of laundry this way and it has been such a freeing feeling.

[Kalmia]

In desperate need of the responses to this thread, so bumping it up.

[Eleni]

Waking up at 5 and following a routine through the day. I get so much more done and a little bit every day really does make the work easier each day.

[Hoggirl]

Plan to Eat! Saves much time on meal planning, grocery list making, etc.

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

:bigear:

 

Sleep now ... Read thread tomorrow...

[kolamum]

Early rising

less comp time

boxed curriculum

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

One small thing I've discovered that works in our home:

 

I put a bookshelf in the laundry room for the children's clothes. On the bottom shelf I have a box for all their socks, one for my daughter's pjs and one for the boys. Second shelf from the bottom has my 2yo's clothes, next shelf up has my daughter's clothes, second shelf from the top has my oldest son's clothes and the top shelf has the baby's clothes and I leave a stool in there so the higher shelves can definitely be reached. This way each child has easy access to their own clothes and they go straight back in their place as I'm taking stuff out of the dryer. This has saved me all kinds of time and energy. I also have only one dirty clothes basket which is in the laundry and everyone dumps their dirty clothes there so I don't need to collect them.

 

One thing that is a work in progress:

 

Making sure everything we have has a home and getting rid of anything that doesn't. This is especially helping with the toys and with teaching the children to clean up after themselves.

 

 

Thank-you for sharing your tips, ladies. I need all the ideas I can get.

[HistoryMom]

I picked up a portable filing box a couple of months ago, and use it to file incoming bills and such (household as well as for our business). It has supplies like a stapler, check stamps, deposit slips, etc. When I'm sitting at kids' sports or co-op, I can pop it and my laptop open and get some work done. I can also do it in the living room in the evening if I have work to do but also want to spend some time with DH.

 

I have a lengthy to-do list of routine things on my PDA. It may seem silly to have things like "eat" and "shower" on a list, but it means I don't have to think about what's next. Just check the list. I also have weekly chores like vacuum and take out the recycling on there, so things never get too bad.

 

Also, seconding the suggestions for: daily laundry, evening dishes, 10-15 minutes tidying up, and kids helping.

[laughing lioness]

"Batching" work.

Once a week or month cooking.

Once a week or month shopping.

Work on house re-buil=dedicated days of work.

Set-up for jobs takes just as long if you are doing one thing or 10.

 

Also, schedules with lists of activites, school and chores and menu plans. I just re-made a "Mom" management notebook and it's been great!

NO T.V., limited time on computer. Manage media time.

Edited May 12, 2011 by laughing lioness

[shanvan]

I'm agreeing about ...

 

• exercise making me feel better and so better able to manage time.
  
• limiting screen and TV time (thought he screen time is sometimes a challenge for me)
  
• Early rising (when I can get into that routine)
  
• learning to say 'no' - it has become my default answer w/o guilt (well...mostly)
  

I'll also add....

 

• cutting out coffee eliminates the "sit and wake up with my coffee and a book" routine which often derails my daily plans. I also feel more awake all day long after cutting out the caffine. (Though I'll admit I am back to having a very small cup in the morning, but I'll be eliminating it later this week)
  
• sharing the grocery shopping w/ my husband and shopping for 2 weeks at a time so that I only have to shop once a month
  
• THE biggest time drainer I got rid of was our local homeschool group. No more e mails to deal with, no more pressure to participate in this field trip or that activity, no more requests for help b/c your child seems so good at reading I'm sure you have time to teach mine, no more pressure to attend, plan or teach at co-ops and classes, no more discipline problems and calling up parents who don't want to address them.
  

[Stacyandtherugrats]

This is a no brainer for many people but sadly, I had been very remiss in this. When we moved back to our old house, I had a week of 'domestic education'. I taught my rugrats how to do the laundry, how to put their dishes in the dishwasher, and other household chores. I finally set up a chore schedule and we have kept to it. No longer am I required to put away their dishes, wash all their clothes, sweep after them, etc. That has freed up a LOT of time for me. And, it has the added benefit of teaching them how to take care of themselves a bit.

 

I need to wake up earlier but I am a night owl. I often stay up late and knit to relax. I have insomnia so I often just go until I feel tired. I imagine if I woke up earlier, I would fall asleep earlier.

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

Something else I thought of,

 

I keep bottles of cleaner and vinegar, a box of baking soda, a refill bottle of handsoap, a stack of cleaning cloths and a dustpan and brush under each sink in the house = many less trips back and forth = more likely to actually get done when it should.

[Guest]

My Dirt Devil Versa Power All-in-One stick vacuum cleaner that someone recommended here to vacuum my hard floors!!!!! Oh my goodness, I got it weeks ago and am still raving about it! LOVE IT! We got ours for under $20 and it is SO worth it. I haven't pulled out that broom in weeks. Such a time saver.

[shanvan]

replacing our fabric sofas with leather. No more hour long vacuuming sessions to get out the dog hair. just a quick wipe and I'm done. I never really liked leather, but I'm in love with it now!