The following are all mentioned in terms of parenting, because that's where I use them most, but they could all be applied to 'non-parent' lives as well...
Now that school is in session and we're all getting into routines again, I thought I would share five places in our everyday life where I save myself a few minutes...
Fold Laundry While Watching TV | I can't tell you the last time I sat down and watched TV without folding laundry {or editing, but since most of you aren't photographers, that wouldn't apply!} I pretty much do a load of laundry each night. It works great for us, because I pretty much only stay up long enough to fold one load of laundry after the kids go to bed, before I go to bed. :)
Clean The Bathroom While The Kids Are Taking Baths | We bathe our kids every other night, so one {or two} nights a week I use this time to clean the bathroom. I usually have just enough time to clean the mirror, dust, and scrub the counter, toilet, & floors before one of them is ready to get out. On the rare occasion they're playing really nice together and behaving {not wrestling in the tub, taking toys from each other, or dumping cups of water onto the floor--true story!} I'll also use the time to tidy our room {which is connected to the bathroom}. Also, now that they're a little older I use the other bath night {or two} to put clothes away or unpack bags from the weekend. {again, within eyesight of the bathtub}. And I'm always listening for it to get quiet--quiet is
rarely good in our house! :)
Book Appointments In The Car | Utilize car time! I use Bluetooth {speaker} in the car to book appointments and reorder prescriptions while stuck in traffic {or at stoplights}. With a family of four {plus a dog on several medications} we're constantly at appointments {eye, medical, dental, vet, specialists, etc.} and filling prescriptions. Bonus for me, Adam drives 99% of the time when we're together, so I use that time to respond to emails and make phone calls.
Listen To Books While Working Out | I talked about this one
here, but it had to make this list. I would probably read 5 books a year if it weren't for listening to books on my kindle. I listen to
books while running {bonus::makes the time go by 462864286 times faster!} and also while I'm driving to and from work and photosessions {the kids aren't in the car}.
Also listen to books while editing client photos, but again that won't apply to most of you. Because of this, I've read over 80 since January. Best.invention.
ever!
Prep The Kids Clothes For The Week | This one is
so easy and is such a time saver for us! Sunday night, when I would normally lay Monday's clothes out for the kids, I grab clothes for the whole week. Takes me like 5 minutes longer, but saves me at least 20 minutes a week. I happen to have an old locker room wire basket that fits the weeks clothes just perfectly. I was forgetting to lay clothes out some days and letting the kids {Jordyn} pick out their outfits each morning
is a battle I don't have the energy to fight takes forever. Doing this all on Sunday saves me {Adam} about 5 minutes each morning {& 5 extra minutes
in the morning is a big deal!}. *One suggestion is to have the weather forecast ready {especially this time of the year} or to have a bonus {warmer/cooler} outfit in the basket for the days the weather changes.
>>What advice do you guys have for making the weeks go by smoother?
