Organizing Time Effectively for Full-time Mums
Tips for Mums to Manage Time while Doing Household Chores
Sep 1, 2009
Overwhelmed by the number of household chores to do? Wish there were 48 hours instead of 24 hours a day?
While no one can increase the number of hours in a day, it is possible for full-time mums to organize their time effectively. Check out the following tips to maximize the use of time available.
Complete Related Chores at the Same Time
Household chores can be broken into groups so that they can be finished using less amount of time. For instance, a mum preparing a meal in the kitchen can set the table, clear away clean and dry dishes and clean up the kitchen counter while the food is cooking. If she is using the computer in the study room, she can also make phone calls, check her diary for appointments, open mails and pay bills online while she is there.
If she is in the laundry room, she can fold the clean clothes immediately after taking them out from the dryer. She can put the dirty load in the washing machine too. By grouping related chores together, a mum is more likely to finish them accordingly and not leave them for some other time.
Set up a Timetable for Specific Tasks
Stay-at-home mums can also consider setting up a timetable for specific tasks. Some housework only needs to be done once a week. So pick a day for a specific task. For instance, Monday is mopping day, Tuesday bedding washing day, Wednesday grocery shopping day, Thursday raking leaves day and so on.
Each day can also have its own timetable. For example, the morning can be devoted to meal preparation, laundry and appointments while the afternoon will be for supervising kids’ homework, taking them to sports, music and other activities and walking the dog.
Work Within Time Limits
It’s also a great idea for mums to work within time limits to help them get the job done. Once they finish a task, they can move on to the next one. Try using an alarm clock or a stove timer. If that sounds a tad boring, play a CD or music video instead. That should make the chore more exciting. Plus, the music may entice the mums to dance to the tune, giving them a good workout!
Reduce Wasted Hours
A lot of time is wasted when a mum has to search through the whole house for the car key, garage door remote controller or Little Johnny’s favorite toy. The solution is to de-clutter the house and make things easier to find. Use hooks to hang keys, set up proper filling systems for bills and mails as well as get enough storage units and label them properly so that each item has its own little house. Train children from young to pick up their toys, books and clothes and put them in the right bins.
Effective time management is essential to make sure housework is completed on time. To organize time more efficiently, stay-at-home mums can group related chores so that they can be done at the same time, set up timetables for specific tasks, work within time limits and reduce wasted hours by de-cluttering the house.
Found this article useful? Read also Time Management Tips for Stay-at-home Mums, Becoming a Time Efficient Stay-at-home Mum and How to Save Time while Food Shopping.
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