A new year is an incredibly reflective time which is full of fresh starts and new beginnings. As a parent, becoming more organised is a constant resolution that we all want to achieve. With school runs, babies, work and social activities it can be hard to plan your time out equally, and make the most of your free time effectively. But however unorganised you are as a parent the best thing is you can make quick and easy changes today that will make a noticeable improvement on your time management, organisation and the ability to get things done in a timely manner! If you do need a helping hand to get 2016 off to a great start, here are 5 tried and tested tips on becoming a more organised parent!
Tip #1. Schedule Everything
Scheduling is the main foundations of anything, it is also the quickest way to manage your time, convey what is happening in the week ahead and plan everything else around that. Whether you use to-do lists, diaries, weekly planners or your phone, having everything down in writing will get your week off to a great start without even doing much. Putting aside 10 minutes at the start of every week is all you need. We recommend planning weekly meals, both your child’s and your own activities, exercise and even the weekly chores. Having a plan at the start of the week will lead you into the week with a huge weight off your shoulders!
Tip #2. Cook In Bulk
Putting one afternoon aside a week or even once a month for cooking will vastly cut down your time during the week, and avoid those evenings where you don’t know what to cook. Bulk cooking evening meals such as spaghetti, pasta, quiches and many other dishes can all be frozen and put into the freezer, and most importantly called upon when needed.
Tip #3. Create A Household Schedule
From a young age children should be actively involved in household chores to instil a good work ethic into them. Whether it be something simple like cleaning the table or setting the table, these little jobs help them to be proactive, and appreciate what it takes to have a clean house, whilst helping you out at the same time. Drawing up a schedule for the house can be done at the same time as planning your week ahead, and you can even set incentives for your children to take part too!
Tip #4. The School Run
The school run is always a manic time for parents whatever a child’s age, and however many children you may have! Getting everyone out of the house by 8am can be a struggle, especially when you have little ones.
You can make your life easier by getting ready the night before. This can include making all of the packed lunches the night before and storing them in the fridge, laying out backpacks and their school clothes, and anything else that your children may need for their day at school. This will half your time getting ready in the morning, and your children will appreciate it too!
Tip #5. Keep Calm
Most of all, remain calm in all situations! Flapping about it only stresses you out and enhances the situation more, it will often add much more time onto the task too. As long as you plan the week ahead, follow the tips above and take some deep breaths, you will lead a stress free and happy life as a parent!
No one ever said parenting would be easy or hassle free, but organisation is the ultimate key to success in any situation, and whatever your age! We can’t help you the whole way, but these top 5 tips will certainly help you get more organised in a short period of time! Do you have any other tips for juggling time as a parent? Please do comment below or let us know on our Facebook page or Twitter!