Parenting is hard! Check out these great tips to help simplify mom life!
Hey! Mom life is hard. Before I became a mom, I used to judge (silently in my head) other moms I’d see in public and think that they should do this or that. Then, when I became a mom for the first time, I realized that being a parent is terribly difficult! (And I felt guilty for judging other moms!)
Not only do you have to feed, clothe, and physically take care of small human beings, you need to help raise them to be functioning, successful adults! Plus, you have to do ALL the things (cook, clean, pay bills, and possibly work part or full time!).
Then…I became a single mom. And life became so much more challenging!
There are a few things I’ve learned along the way that have helped me manage my life and make each day run more smoothly (and I work from home and have 2 kids under the age of 8!)
Check out these time-saving tips and life hacks, little things you can do to make mom life easier whether you are a stay at home or a working mom. It might take time to implement some of them, but the long term benefits will definitely be worth it!
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12 Easy Ways to Simplify Mom Life
Start with these 12 simple tips to simplify mom life:
1. Declutter and Organize
When my first daughter was born, I received lots of gifts and hand-me-downs and other goodies. I was so excited and I kept nearly everything.
Then, when she was a few months old I started feeling overwhelmed at all the stuff in our tiny 1 bedroom apartment and that’s when I first heard of minimalism and decluttering.
I started seriously purging items and it was one of the best things I did!
Our place became instantly clearer and cleaner and my overwhelmed feeling (at the state of the house, not parenting in general!) slowly diminished.
Once you’ve reduced the overall number of items in your home, organization becomes so much easier.
Related:
Simple Steps for Organizing Kids’ Toys
Little Things that Make Your Home Look Cluttered
2. Have a Weekly Schedule
On Sunday afternoon or evening, I write down the major events of the week on my weekly planner on the fridge. (I have this one and it’s great!) You could also use a hand-held planner or a large paper one.
Write things down so you don’t have to keep it in your brain. Prepping for the week helps tremendously!
Related: Time Management Tips for Busy Families
3. Set up Daily Routines
As a single, work-from-home mom, I absolutely could not function without daily routines in place for myself and my kids.
I have morning and evening routines. Here are some of the things I do daily:
- run the dishwasher before I go to bed
- do a load of laundry (usually in the evening)
- clean up the kitchen after each meal
- put away toys at the end of the day (my little kids help!)
- sweep at least once a day
Here are some ideas for daily routines you can set up:
Morning:
- Get up before your kids (this is hard, but truly does help!)
- Have a plan for breakfast (or prepare it the night before)
- Lay kids’ clothes out for them
- Wash a load of clothes (or at least put them in the washing machine)
Related: 10 Quick and Easy Kid-Friendly Breakfasts
Evening:
- Clean kitchen and sink
- Run the dishwasher
- Do a load of laundry
- Enlist everyone to do a quick clean up (put away toys, sweep, clean counters) (if you have already decluttered and require everyone to help, this does not take long)
- Lay kids’ clothes out for the next day
- Pack school bags (and office bags!)
- Prepare lunch and leave it in the fridge
- Think ahead to tomorrow and what you need to get ready (for meals, any appointments that day, etc.)
Related:
Stress-Free Laundry Tips
Tips for Work from Home Moms
4. Time Batch Tasks
I’m sure you’ve never been lost down the internet black hole (or Facebook or Instagram or…)
It’s so easy to get sucked up in randomly surfing the internet or playing video games or mindlessly watching Netflix.
However, to make the most efficient use of your time – you want to organize your tasks into groups and tackle similar tasks all at once at the same time.
If you want to surf Facebook, set a timer and when it goes off, put your phone away.
If you want to tackle work emails, set aside a block of time to go through all the new emails in your inbox at once.
Humans can’t actually multi-task, we just switch our attention very quickly. It’s far more efficient to work on one task (and batch similar tasks) to complete them at one time and then move on to the next thing.
5. Schedule Your Hardest Tasks for The Most Productive Time of Day
When you are well-rested and energized you can get a lot done. If you wait until the end of the day when you are tired or burnt-out your productivity level will be low and you won’t feel like doing tough jobs.
Leave the easiest tasks for the evening or times when you are least productive. For example, I do laundry or dishes (my least favorite, although simplest in terms of brainpower needed) in the evening when I’m more tired.
6. Meal Prep
I was never a fan of meal prepping (and I’m still not really excited about it), BUT I can tell you that it most definitely helps the week run more smoothly!
A few tips to make it simple:
- Have a list of favorite, easy-to-make meals that you can choose from weekly (or monthly) (made from items you normally have on hand and that your kids eat!)
- Order groceries online and pick up (saves tons of time!)
- Take time to cut and prep veggies and meat when you first bring them home (and keep them ready in containers in the fridge or freezer)
Related: Easy Meal Planning Tips
7. Create an easy cleaning schedule
Create an easy cleaning schedule and involve your kids (of every age)!
It can be as easy as this:
- Sunday – dust
- Monday – vacuum
- Tuesday – clean bathrooms
You get the idea…
Related: How to Keep a Clean Home with Little Kids
8. Amazon Subscribe & Save
I never used Amazon Subscribe & Save until I became a single mom and shopping (with 2 kids under 5) became so much harder. I made a list of things I needed regularly, signed up for subscribe and save, and felt relief! yay!
9. Simplify Your Wardrobe
Having a simple (sometimes called capsule) wardrobe makes your life so much easier. In the morning you can avoid the mental strain of having to decide which outfit to wear that day.
I remember first hearing about this idea from an article about Mark Zuckerburg and his simplified wardrobe.
You can have capsule wardrobes for everyone in your family.
For example, my daughters insist on wearing only dresses, so I’ve pared down their pants and shirts to a minimum.
You can:
- limit the number of each item of clothing (7 shirt, 10 pants, etc.)
- choose and lay out clothes the night before
- wear the same outfit on the same day every week (outfit 1 – Monday, outfit 2 – Tuesday, etc. No one will notice that you wear the same thing every Tuesday, trust me!)
If you limit the items you have, you will also have more room in your closet (and your kids’ closet).
10. Take Care of Yourself
Mom life is only that much harder when you are not feeling your best.
Take good care of yourself:
- eat well
- exercise
- get enough sleep
- schedule regular time to be by yourself (without kids)
- keep connected to good friends
- have a hobby you enjoy
11. Delegate Tasks
Everyone in your home should pitch in and help (yes, even the hubby and little kids)!
My kids are almost 5 and 8 and we all clean up together. One of our house rules is: Put the game (toy) away before getting another one out. And we clean up together.
If you don’t have time or energy to clean and can afford it, hire a cleaning service.
As moms, we sometimes try to do everything ourselves. Don’t. Let people help if you need.
12. Let It Go
Seriously. Let go of perfection. Having routines and other mom hacks will definitely help, but absolute perfection is a myth.
Sometimes I go to bed with the sink full.
Sometimes the toys are strewn around everywhere and we don’t clean up that day.
Final Thoughts on How to Simplify Mom Life
Mom life is hard. Stay at home mom life. Working mom life. Single mom life. There are things you can do to make your life a little bit easier. Set up some routines and schedules, simplify by decluttering (items and clothes), and plan ahead. I’d love to hear any other great tips you have to simplify mom life!
