At RecruitMyMom we know how difficult it is to be a mom, let alone a working mom! Your to-do list seems never-ending, and sometimes it may feel like there simply aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done. Juggling all these balls can be extremely stressful, and we totally understand. We have been there and got the t-shirt!

To try to elevate some of this work-life balance stress for working moms, we decided to compile some time-saving tips for you based on our experiences to help moms like you feel like you’re winning again.

Ok, you can exhale now.

Get a little help with school lunches

We all know about the “morning madness" of getting our kids ready for school in the mornings, not to mention traffic! Making sure our little ones have a healthy lunch packed for school is part of that morning rush. A great idea would be to pack their lunchboxes the night before. An even better idea would be to get your little ones involved. Next time you’re busy with this prep, why not ask them to help? This could be a fun activity to do together. You could make this fun by talking to them about healthy eating and why you’re choosing to add certain foods and snacks to their lunchbox. Not only is this a great bonding opportunity, but you’ve also snuck in an educational lesson at the same time!

Oh, and while you’re at it, remember to pack a healthy lunch for yourself too!

Prepare your meals

We know how exhausting it can be to cook a different meal every night. Even if you love cooking, sometimes you just need a break. A great way to save time is by setting aside one afternoon a week, usually a Sunday, to cook all your dinner meals for the week and freeze them. Each day, you take one meal out and let it defrost for the day so that when it comes to supper time, all you need to do is pop it in the oven and maybe make a fresh salad to go with your meal. It’s really easy and will definitely save you heaps of time. Alternatively, you can order your ready-made meals online. There are quite a few ready-made meals available through Facebook or Instagram or you could sign up for dinner kit services like UCook or Daily Dish.

Time-block your day

When you time-block your day, it will help keep you on track with your to-do list so that you don’t feel overwhelmed by all the things you need to do each day. Write down your to-do list, and then allocate an hour or two to complete each task on your list.

Planning your day, week and month will save you loads of time and effort and will definitely help reduce your stress. You could either use a whiteboard to plan your kid's activities, your shopping list and your ME time or use a free and easy-to-use app like Trello on Google Keep.

Be productive with your downtime

As a working mom, you need to use your downtime to your benefit by making it productive so that you have more quality time to spend with your family.

When you have a few minutes to spare, while you’re waiting in the car for the dance class or the cricket practice to finish, check your emails, do your internet banking or check your social media. 

It’s okay to spend time on Facebook and Instagram, but as we all know, you can get carried away with this, and before you know it, hours have passed. Set a timer while you are on these platforms, and once the timer goes off, you know that your time is up. This is a good tip to pass on to your kids as well – they don’t need to be on their phones all the time to be entertained.

Enjoy some ME time

Now that you’ve organised your life a little bit better, you’ll be able to schedule some ME time for yourself. Yes, it is possible. As a mom, you give so much of your time to your family and your career, so it is vital to include some time for yourself to breathe, watch Netflix, go to a movie, have a glass of wine, take a relaxing bath or enjoy a cup of coffee in peace. ME time is imperative, not only for your mental health but also for your general happiness. You may need to wake up a bit earlier to do this but you know what? It’s so worth it!

Just remember, you are not alone. There are many moms going through the same things you are, and we’re in this together. You’ve got this!