Let’s Talk about Making Life Easier!
I'm pretty sure I was made to create order out of chaos. As a little girl I spent hours decluttering my bedroom, the kitchen, any space that needed a little TLC. After I finished the job, I would step back and admire it with pure joy.
Decades later that craving to organize when life feels overwhelming has not changed. What has changed is the time I have to do it - very little. So, I've introduced some simple and quick routines into my schedule to minimize the clutter - both visual and mental - to allow space for my soul to breathe. I'm sharing these Simple Solutions to give you rest, too!
Shop Online for Stock Items
One of those Simple Solutions is saving energy, time and money by shopping online for stock items. Walking into Target with kids and coats in tow this time of year can be quite the challenge. You end up perusing aisles and picking up unneeded items OR exhausted with the constant "No's" and potential meltdowns.
Save yourself time and energy by creating a stock list of items you always buy. Shop those online and invest that precious time elsewhere!
Have a Weekly Family Meeting
These days life is full! I am wearing many hats as a wife, mom and career girl. My husband is also doing the same, only his hats range from husband to dad to business owner and worship leader - to name a few. With lots of commitments, it's becoming more important for us to stay aligned with our calendars so we don't over-commit. To do this we sit down together on the weekend to talk through the week ahead and connect on what's in store for our family. This includes intentionally building in margin for us to reconnect and re-energize. It's 15 minutes well spent to ensure we are synced for a smoother week.
Prepare for the Next Day
Years ago in my first job, at the end of the day, I would make a quick list of the items I needed to tackle the following day. The goal was to provide myself with a structure of priorities to help me stay focused when I raced into the office the next day, with a stacked schedule, in a fast-paced environment. That simple practice has translated to so many other areas of my life, including motherhood.
With so much going on this time of year, investing 5 minutes at the end of the day to prepare for the next one, helps me put on paper what's in my head and gives me mental margin to be present in the moment.
Make Your Weeknights Easier
For someone who loves the spontaneity of summer but functions better with routine, I start to crave a fresh start about this time each year. So when school begins I take the opportunity to steer our family back towards a more predictable schedule. I look forward to the rhythm of meals around our table but it takes a little bit of preparation to get us there.
Investing 10 minutes during the weekend to assess the week ahead, create a simple meal plan and order groceries saves time and builds a little more margin for me to be present during the weekday.
pack a Laundry Bag for the Road
With Summer in full swing now, we are hitting the road with trips to the lake, the beach, the mountains and even to the sunny Keys! When we have the opportunity to travel in our car, I like to pack a large laundry bag in my suitcase. On our way home, it houses everyone's dirty clothes.
Once we're back, half the unpacking is already done and just needs to be thrown into the washing machine.
This saves me time as we are getting into the swing of the normal routine again! Try this and other Simple Solutions here! I'd love to hear if they work for you!
pack for Ease
Summer vacation is just days away! Sleepy beach towns are waking up, mountain cabins are filling up and boats are skating across lakes all over the country! For most of us, this means getting "all the things" ready to hit the road.
One of my favorite travel hacks is to pack an outfit a day for my kids in a Ziplock bag. This makes it super simple for them to grab a bag each morning and get dressed.
We don't have clothes exploding out of a suitcase and we have a place for dirty clothes at the end of each day.
make Your weekends Easier
One of the biggest surprises I've faced as a mom is the sheer volume of laundry that piles up ALL WEEK LONG. It can be daunting to have seven loads staring me down on a Saturday morning - especially when I'd rather spend time with my family instead of folding clothes.
A dear friend, and veteran mom, recommended I do a load of laundry a day to relieve weekend duties. I quickly adopted that and haven't looked back!
It's a simple and quick routine built into my schedule that creates space for what matters most on the weekends.
An Empty Sink Makes a Difference
There’s nothing like the feeling of walking into a clean kitchen in the morning. Entering a room full of dirty dishes and counter tops makes me feel behind the eight-ball.
But, if the sink is empty and the counter tops are clear, that clean slate helps me feel prepared for the day.
In order to get that good start to the day, I run the dishwasher and unload it the night before. In the morning, there’s an empty dishwasher available to put dirty dishes in all day long. This keeps the sink clear and reduces the visual clutter and stress!