13 Practical Time Saving Tips for Busy Moms
Busy moms with lots to do need these 13 practical time-saving tips.
When you’re a busy mom, you know how precious time is. Sometimes a simple tip can save us tons of it. Let’s take a look at 13 practical time-saving tips for busy moms. This post contains affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase after clicking a link, I will earn a small commission, but it won’t cost you a penny more. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.
1. Have your smartphone read what’s on the screen
This is my favorite time saver. When I’m folding laundry or washing the dishes, I also listen to something on my phone. I don’t always have time to read, and before I used the text to speech feature, I found that my email inbox was full and I could never catch up. The blog posts I wanted to read were also left neglected.
I now listen to my emails, ebooks, and blog posts by swiping down with two fingers on my iPhone. To turn this feature on the iPhone on, go to Settings -> General -> Accessibility -> Speech -> turn Speak Screen on. Now open up a blog post, swipe down with two fingers from the top of the screen, and enjoy.
If you’re an Android user, turn this feature on by going to Settings -> Accessibility -> Installed Services -> Select to Speak -> flip the toggle to ON. A little person icon will appear on the bottom right of your screen. When you tap it, a play menu will appear, and when you tap play, your phone will read what’s on the screen to you. Alternatively, you can install a text to speech app.
2. Use voice to text
We’re probably all used to using the microphone button on our phones to speak into it for text messages. But often we forget to use it if we have to type an email, a note to ourselves, or a grocery list. Using the microphone button will not produce perfect results every time, you will need to go back and edit the text, but nevertheless, it still saves time.
3. Don’t type, record
Another nifty time-saving trick is to record a video or a voice recording instead of typing out your message. When you have a quick story to tell, or need to explain how an instant pot works to your best friend and can’t call her, send her a recording instead.
4. Keep your to do’s in one place
I was the mom with sticky notes and lists everywhere. I now use the notes app on my iPhone and keep all my lists and notes on it. The great part about it is that you can search by any word, and the notes app will pull up all the notes you have with that word inside. You can also use your phone’s reminder app to remind you of time-sensitive to do’s on your list.
5. Learn to say no
Sometimes we say yes when someone asks something of us just because we want to be nice. There’s nothing wrong with being nice, but not when it comes at the expense of our sanity. When you find yourself overstretched, try saying no. It’s very hard to do, especially when you have people-pleasing characteristics, but sometimes it’s necessary.
6. Use a grocery delivery service
To those moms that stay home with their kids, grocery shopping is like a mini-vacation they can’t wait to go on. But sometimes we need things fast, and may not be able to go to the store. Grocery delivery is a huge timesaver. While not completely free, the cost is usually reasonable and may be worth it if you’re in a time crunch.
7. Freeze your meals
When you’re making a recipe, try making more than you need and freezing the extra. Before you start freezing your meals, take a look at this list of things that freeze well and things you shouldn’t freeze.
You can also use this trick for uncooked food. Simply prep all the ingredients you will need to make a recipe, put them in a zip lock bag and freeze. This works great for slow cooker meals. When the time comes to start cooking, simply take the ziplock bag out of the freezer, pop the ingredients into a slow cooker, turn it on, and you’re done.
8. Use a flat iron on wrinkles
While getting ready one morning, I realized that the shirt I wanted to wear had a sash that was completely wrinkled. I didn’t have time to take out the ironing board and warm up the iron.
I was ready to go back into the closet to find another shirt when my eye caught the still-hot flat iron I just used on my hair. “It’s worth a try,” I thought and quickly ran the flat iron down the sash, holding it at one end. It worked perfectly.
I now use the flat iron to quickly smooth out a wrinkle or two. If you use this trick, pay attention to the heat settings. Like the traditional iron, the high heat of the flat iron can burn delicate fabric.
9. Use kitchen shears to cut food
Kitchen shears work very well on pizza, breadsticks, and the like. I’ve been using shears to cut pizza ever since our first littles were toddlers. Shears help make the perfect bite-sized pieces quickly, they’re a great time saver.
10. Teach your kids to help
Teaching kids to do daily chores will not only help you out, but it will teach them responsibility and basic life skills. Start teaching them young and you will spend less time arguing with your teenagers about cleaning their room. For more about chores, read Kids Doing Chores.
11. Hire Help
Hiring help can be an answer some moms are looking for. Sometimes we’re so engulfed in our busyness, ideas like this escape us completely. It can be a mommy’s helper for a couple of hours twice a week, a neighborhood teenager to mow the lawn, or a house cleaner. If you can swing to pay a helper, do it to free up some time in your day.
12. Buy instead of DIY
When you want to give a unique gift and don’t have much time to make it yourself, try shopping on Etsy for something different and meaningful. Etsy is full of talented artists and makers, and you may just find something special there.
13. Know where your time goes
One of the most powerful time-saving tips I have is to keep a time diary for a few days. This can be eye-opening and will give your objective information on where you actually spend your time.
If you feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day, read How to Find More Time in Your Day. This article also includes a free time tracking printable.
When you have a lot to do in a short period of time, try time blocking for busy moms.
There you have it, friend. Use these time-saving tips and ideas for busy moms above to save yourself some precious time, and share them with your busy friends.