How to Get Ready for the Week As Busy Working Parents
Before I became a mom, I thought I knew what it meant to be busy. Well, that couldn’t be further from the truth; after becoming a parent, my life became a non-stop whirlwind of tasks. Juggling parenting duties, full-time work, and my relationship with my significant other (now my husband) became quite daunting. Oh, and keeping our house clean, too. It sometimes feels like I have multiple full-time jobs. Being a working parent means learning how to balance a career with family life, sometimes unsuccessfully. That’s why I had to learn quickly to be as productive as possible. And that means getting ahead of the work week with a little bit of preparation.
With some careful planning, you can ease the weekly grind and make more time for what matters most. Here’s how you can set yourself up for a successful week as a working parent:
Plan out your work week over the weekend. How you plan your week will vary depending on the type of work you do, but it could look something like this:
Review your work calendar for the week so that nothing takes you by surprise. List important tasks and projects, and block out time on your calendar for tasks that require the most focus.
Take note of whether any family activities are coming up that week. Things like doctor appointments, school events, sports, etc. It’s a good idea to sync your calendar with your work calendar so you can see everything all at once.
Schedule some time for yourself. Whether it’s scheduling time for exercise, getting your nails done, or making time for a weekly hobby, make sure to have it all on your calendar.
Consider meal prepping or meal planning. Truthfully, I am not very good at meal prepping - each time I’ve tried, I’ve ended up throwing food away because some leftovers give me the ick (for example, chicken never tastes right the day after it’s been cooked). However, I am a big fan of meal planning - and it saves us a little bit of time each week. The idea is to think about what you’ll be cooking each day of the week, and then make sure you have all the items you’ll need when you go to the grocery store. This brings me to my second point, I strongly recommend making sure you have all the necessities you’ll need over the weekend (groceries, toiletries, etc.). I detest going to the grocery store (or doing any errand) during the week when all I want to do is go home and spend time with my family, relaxing.
An idea to consider would be batch cooking. If you can make a good lasagna or casserole, then maybe you can make dinner for 2-3 nights.
Prepare snacks for the week for you and your family. Cutting up fruits and veggies, for example, can save you a ton of time on busy mornings.
Don’t feel guilty about occasionally ordering take-out or heating premade foods. They’re not the devil, unlike what some people will have you believe, and they will save you a ton of time.
Keep a running grocery list so you’ll know exactly what you need next time you go for a grocery run.
Create a daily routine if you haven’t already. It helps a lot if you and your family know what to expect each day. In our family (during the week, at least), our days usually look pretty similar. In the morning, we wake up at 6:00 a.m., get ourselves ready, get Bebe ready, and we’re out the door. We give her a bottle of milk in the morning, but she gets breakfast at daycare (because who wants to eat that early, anyway?). In the evening, we pick up Bebe, go home, get her dinner ready, then get our dinner ready. Then it’s playtime for a little while, and then bathtime. After bathtime, it’s milk time and then bedtime for Bebe. Having a high level of predictability each day may seem boring but we all thrive when we have a routine. Other than going out to eat sometimes, we are highly unlikely to plan anything during weeknights. Here are some additional ideas on how to streamline your daily/weekly routine.
Prepare outfits for the whole week.
Put a shoe rack by the front door.
Put a coat rack by your front door, if you don’t already have one.
Install key hooks, so that no one in your house ever loses their keys again.
Commit to showering just once a day (at night), so that you have one less task in the morning. I used to shower twice every day but decided that it was kind of overkill. One shower a day is enough for anyone, and not showering in the morning saves me about 15-20 minutes.
Make sure your home is clean and organized. I like to clean my whole house on the days that I work from home, that way my husband and I don’t have to squander precious weekend time cleaning. But if you can’t do that (or don’t want to), I would recommend taking a couple of hours on Saturday mornings to do a weekly house reset. Not having any major chores to do during the workweek will surely lower your stress levels.
Make sure all laundry is done, from beginning to end (yes, put them all away, too).
Make sure all trash is out of the house. I like to make sure our diaper genies are emptied, too. Starting the week with full diaper pails is not fun. Don’t forget your cat’s litter box, either.
Declutter, if needed. There’s nothing I hate more than having too much stuff around me.
Handle any deep cleaning tasks, if needed. Things like cleaning the oven, clearing out your closets, or washing the windows.
Create designated spaces. Have a spot for everyone’s keys, backpacks, lunch bags, etc. Looking for something important in the morning when you’re already running 10 minutes late is a nightmare.
Use technology to your advantage. Modern technology can help you stay organized and save time. Here are some ideas:
Sync your family’s calendar with your work calendar and make a habit of checking it each morning, first thing.
Consider using a task management app, such as Google Tasks (free and easy to use). I use this app to brain dump all of my outstanding tasks each week, and it’s satisfying to be able to mark tasks as completed.
Utilize online shopping during the week. We often run out of important items during the week, so I usually place an order on Target’s app and then pick up my order right after work. I don’t like having to stop anywhere after work, but it beats running into the store and looking for stuff.
An even better idea (albeit more expensive) would be to have groceries and other necessities delivered to you.
Delegate and ask for help. We moms often feel like we have to do everything by ourselves, but that’s not true. Don’t be afraid to let your partner handle some household chores, even if you have the time. Likewise, don’t be afraid to let your partner do school drop-offs and pick-ups. They’re called “partners” for a reason. If your partner refuses to help because they have certain ideas about gender roles, that’s a major problem.
If your kids are old enough to help, let them. My daughter is not even two years old yet and she knows how to put her dishes in the sink, and put some of her toys away. Kids can handle so much more than we think, and they’re often happy to help (at least when they’re little). Likewise, consider letting them have more autonomy if it lessens your load, such as picking out their own clothes each morning or letting them style their own hair.
If your budget allows, consider getting professional help for some tasks. Some cleaning companies will clean your home as often or as little as you would like (such as biweekly or monthly).
If your children are involved in a lot of extracurricular activities, you shouldn’t feel obligated to attend everything. I know how it feels to want to be everything for your children, but that’s a really easy way to get burned out fast.
Expect the unexpected. Unfortunately, no matter how much we prepare, life is always going to throw us curveballs from time to time. Just last week, I got ready for work and then went outside to find out that I had a flat tire. We overcome, improvise, and adapt. There’s no point in getting upset when things don’t go exactly as planned. Sometimes, nothing goes as planned, and routine and order get thrown out the window entirely. We just have to move along and do our best.
Side note - have backup options, if possible. For example, backup meals, alternative childcare options, or transportation.
By implementing the ideas above, you’ll be setting yourself up for much better time management, which will help you make time for things that matter - taking care of your family and yourself without getting too burned out. Remember, life is unpredictable and the universe doesn’t care about our plans. Therefore, we must allow some space in our lives for a little bit of disorder.
XOXO, Alexis.