5 Tips To Stay Organised as a Busy Working Mum

Sometimes, it feels like there just aren't enough hours in the day to keep up with everything. Between work responsibilities, chores at home, and the never ending childcare duties, it often feels like the to do list just keeps getting longer and longer.

I've tried:

• Waking up at 5am before the kids
• Time blocking
• Planning out my entire week on a Sunday, down to every last detail
• All the apps, planners, and shared calendars which claim to make organisation easier for busy working mums.

Do they work? Definitely, if you can stay super disciplined and consistent with it.

But let's be honest: We all have days where we struggle to make breakfast for the kids let alone to wake up before them!

Personally, I find that I like to switch up my organisation methods depending on my mood, energy levels, and how much I need to get done at any given time.

Sometimes the only way for me to have a successful, organised week is to make an ultra detailed plan, whereas other times I can afford to be a little more relaxed and just keep on top of the essentials.

It's not a 'one-size-fits-all' answer. There is no organisation technique or framework that will suit everyone.

Every mother is different, every family is different, and everyone has different views on what is most important. You will need to find something that suits you and your family's needs.

It's about having a system in place which is comprehensive enough to capture everything, yet easy enough for you to do even when you're having a really bad day. Meticulous and detailed scheduling may bring one mum sheer joy and satisfaction, but for another, it may fuel her anxiety even more and feel like yet another chore to keep up with.

The aim is to incorporate daily habits and ways of working into your routine which don't require tons of effort to keep up with, so that even if things don't go to plan, you can still pick right back up and get things done- and when you have pockets of free time, you can start using them on things that really matter- like some much needed self-care!

With that in mind, here are 5 practical, simple and useful tips that have helped me to stay organised in both my mum life and working life:

1. Outsource, Automate or Delegate as much as you can

Go through every single chore, responsibility or task that you do- unless it brings you joy or requires your personal touch, question whether it can be:

a. Outsourced,

b. Automated, or

c. Delegated.

Depending on your household budget, outsourcing can be an excellent way to free up some time- examples include gardening, cleaning, ironing, laundry, and much more. How much you outsource totally depends on you, and it doesn't have to cost much- choose a monthly amount that you're prepared to spend on outsourcing, and use that as an investment for your sanity. It's totally worth it.

Automation is a great way to free up your mental load- examples are using direct debits for all your bills, amazon subscriptions for your household staple items, and setting up automated email responses for work.

Going from maternity leave straight into working mum life is a very slippery slope and you may soon find yourself doing the lion's share of household duties as well as your work responsibilities- this is where the delegation comes in.

It's really important to have an open conversation with your partner about dividing up the chores at home. A few examples of household duties that you can divide up are:

• Grocery Shopping
• Cooking
• School drop-off and pick-up
• Ironing
• Cleaning
• Laundry
• Bins
• Gardening
• Finance/Budgeting
• General household maintenance

Some of these can even be shared- for example, you can split up the days where you do the cooking or school runs, depending on your work schedules. The key is to have a clear division of responsibilities and open communication to avoid any resentment or arguments down the line of 'who does more'.

2. Bulk or double buy items that you will always need

This has been a game changer for me and something that I only recently started doing. I've always been a 'only-buy-something-when-i-need it' kind of girl, so buying in bulk doesn't come naturally to me. Plus, I like keeping my storage spaces as free as I can, so having space taken up with extra things is not ideal!

However, the advantages of this definitely outweigh the inconvenience- it saves me the effort of running to the shops last minute when I need something, or paying extra to have it delivered the next day.

Here are a few examples of things I like to buy in bulk- most of these are things you will always need, don't take up a lot of space, AND work out cheaper- it's a no brainer!

• Batteries
• Cleaning Products
• Wrapping paper and birthday cards
• Breakfast cereal
• Kids snacks (nobody ever wants to run out of these!)
• Dishwasher and Laundry pods
• Personalised name labels
• Calpol, Nurofen, and Plasters
• Baby wipes

Bonus tip: When buying a toy or book for your little one, buy an extra one for them to give as a gift for the next birthday party they're invited to- Not only have you just ticked off an item on your to- do list before it's even appeared, but you've also managed to avoid the dreaded tantrum of "But why do we have to give that away, I want one for myself!"

3. The 60 Second Rule

When something comes up at work or at home, even if it's a quick task, I'll think to myself: 'I'll just do it after I've finished with this'- and off it goes onto my mental to-do list along with the 547 other things I have to do later that day.

Chances are, 540 of those things will be forgotten or pushed onto the next day's to-do list.

Lately, I've been adopting the '60 Second Rule'- if it takes less than 60 seconds, do it immediately.

It sounds like it's too simple to be effective, but think about how much this could declutter your life by making it a simple habit.

For example: When I've run out of pasta, instead of mentally having to remember to add it to my weekly shop, it'll take me less than 60 seconds to open the grocery app and add it to my virtual basket- ta da! One less item on my to-do list.

At the end of the week, my bedroom almost always ends up with an enormous pile of clothes that either need to be put back in my wardrobe or in the laundry hamper (sound familiar?). If I were to take a few seconds each day to put those clothes in the right place after I change, that would immediately help me to keep my bedroom clutter- free throughout the week.

The 60 second rule can be applied to work too- replying to emails as and when they come through, particularly the quick and short ones, will avoid a mountain of emails to respond to at the end of a busy work day.

Your to-do list should be treated as a sacred item- the more you add to it, the more overwhelmed and burnt out you'll feel. The 60 second rule acts as a great gatekeeper to remind you that sometimes, it's quicker to just do it rather than adding onto your never ending list.

4. Make good use of your freezer

Now, we all know that batch cooking and freezing meals is one of the biggest mum hacks, and saves us all on weeknights when there's just no time to cook.

But pre-cooked meals aren't the only thing that a freezer is good for. In the same way it's helpful to keep your pantry stocked with essentials, it's also super handy to have a well stocked freezer so that you can always be ready to make a quick, healthy meal.

Here are my favourite things to keep in the freezer:

• Bananas- yes, that's right! Next time your bananas go too ripe, don't feel like you have to make banana bread straight away- who has time for that?! Instead, peel and freeze them. When you're ready to bake, stick them in the microwave for a minute or defrost for a few hours, and you'll have sweet, mushy, soft bananas that taste amazing in baked goods- you'll never be able to guess they were frozen.
• Chopped onions- this one is an absolute game changer. Sometimes, the thought of chopping an onion is enough to put me off cooking. But having them ready and chopped in the freezer makes everything so much easier. Most supermarkets sell these in the freezer aisle, and some even sell them mixed with chilli and garlic for an indian base.
• Spinach- These come in ready made cubes so you can easily add them to smoothies, curries, or protein shakes.
• Grated cheese and parmesan- Cheese freezes amazingly, and it's always useful to have extra in the house for a last minute pasta bake or lasagne.
• Herbs- Please tell me I'm not the only one who ends up with a pack of soggy coriander at the end of every week. I recently discovered that you can freeze the leaves, and it's so much better than using the dried version in your recipes. You can do this with almost anything- parsley, mint, and basil are some great ones which taste just as good as fresh herbs when frozen.
• Broth- When I boil chicken or beef, I always make extra broth and then freeze in ice cube trays. They can be used for almost any recipe- my favourite way to use them is in pasta sauces and for lentil/vegetable based curries to give some extra flavour.

5. Make the most of 'dead' time

If you commute to work using public transport, this can be your time to plan your meals for the week, check your emails, make appointments, or anything else that is often hard to do when you have the kids running around.

If you spend a lot of time in the car on the school run or on your way to work, use it to catch up with loved ones (hands-free, of course), or you can listen to a podcast or audiobook.

Another great way to use dead time is in the kitchen. While the microwave is on or the kettle is boiling, wash up any extra dishes in the sink or clean the countertops. The best thing about this is that you can use it as a timer to see how much you can get done! It's surprising how much you can achieve when you're racing against time.

And there you have it, my 5 top tips to stay organised as a busy working mother. I'd love to know what your best organisation tips are. Let me know in the comments below!

Lots of love,