9 ways for busy stay at home parents to maximise time and money
in Partnership with Sellmyhome
Mums (or dads) at home whether working or not are a very busy bunch, and it’s not always easy to think of work at home in the same way as we would in an office. But there are ways to organise tasks at home to be more productive, freeing up more time for family, cups of tea and getting out and about.
Ok this sounds counter-intuitive, and we mums like to think that we are the masters of multitasking, but research has shown that multitasking does not exist. What really happens is we switch quickly from one task to another. There is no better way to exhaust your brain and become less productive than to multitask. Of course sometimes it is essential to multitask, but if on some days you feel like just doing one (or maybe two) tasks at once, comfort yourself in the knowledge that you’re giving your brain a break.
Whatever way you best organise your thoughts, be it on paper, in an app like Trello, on Evernote, or Notes or Microsoft Word. Whatever is clogging up your thoughts and taking you away from what’s present – write it down. At some point you can organise that “to do list” into priorities, but the important thing is that it is no longer in your mind.
Some used to think it’s better to put the big goals at the bottom, and easy stuff at the top, but apparently that’s a recipe for mood repair, not productivity. Rather you need the big, important goals at the top, followed by the easy wins. You can use SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) to qualify your goals and set you on the path to productivity.
Drastic? Well have a think, what is your next stage for you and your family. Do you want to move out to the country and get more space, what about releasing some equity on your property to lighten the financial load. Whilst the effort of relocating is not to be dismissed these days it’s much easier to sell your home. You can do it all online with services like Sellmyhome – they’re the best rated Online Estate Agent in the UK. The ease means you could even test the waters and see what the reception is like from potential buyers. You may be nicely surprised. Find out more here.
Ok so the laundry and ironing are repetitive and come a close second to sitting on the beach with a cocktail, but what if having clean ironed clothes means that you/your partner are seen well at work, and your kids get confidence from always having nice clothes to wear. Imagine the acceptance speech from your kid as an adult when winning a professional award and thanking you for giving them confidence. Then it’s easier to pull out another sleeve and push through all that pressing.
Impossible? How about deleting the Facebook app and accessing it on the browser only. You may find you visit the site much less freeing up time to see people IRL.
Stop blogging
Or rather, why am I blogging? If you are looking to make a living from blogging, ensure you are being commercial. If you are blogging for yourself, set aside the requisite amount of time for it and see it as a diary. Spending hours on a blog that brings in £2.50 a month is not going to make anyone feel good about themselves, and there are plenty of other ways to earn money from home.
Audit direct debits and regular payments
Not every day, but when insurance is up for renewal take the time to shop around; and audit your direct debits occasionally to catch any regular payments you are making that you no longer use or need.
Nail the essentials
Have a place for your important items: car keys, wallet, bag, glasses, etc. and ruthlessly, always put them there when not being used. Endless time saved looking for things.
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