We are all feeling the pinch as parents and when we are struggling to make life become more convenient because of mounting bills (and ever-mounting tasks), we’ve got to work on structuring our week better. But what can we do to make sure that we really do structure our routines in a better way so that we and our family benefit?
The Fine Art Of Meal Prep
Meal preparation is one of those things that seems to take forever. And if we are looking to structure our week better, meal prep can be done at the start of the week which we can then portion into Tupperware boxes and cook accordingly. Because a lot of cooking can be done in the oven with minimal prep, such as this unstuffed bell peppers recipe, if we start to get into the mindset of making foods that are easier to prepare but are also healthy we won’t have to be slaves to the oven! Meal prep is all about tackling that notion of time and figuring out the best ways around it. For example, rather than making potatoes that take forever to boil, can you use rice as a substitute? Automatically, you’ve saved yourself about 20 minutes in cooking time!
The Benefit Of A Great Morning Routine
If running around in the morning getting everybody ready is the very definition of normality the best thing for you to do is to implement a good morning routine for everyone. But first, you need to make sure that you are prepared. It’s a little bit like when the breathing apparatus comes down in an airplane; if we have our mask on first we can help others. Think about the time you need to get up versus the time you normally get up. If you can get up 20 minutes before the first child does and have that cup of coffee, give yourself some time to come around, but also have a wash you’ve already tackled the bulk of getting ready.
Making The Most Of The Little Moments
We have to remember that we can be incredibly busy throughout the week and so if we can structure everything between Monday and Friday appropriately this gives us better opportunities for downtime. But one of the big things that we can struggle with during the week is the notion of little opportunities for time to ourselves. If you’re one of those people that is continually stressed and you feel that you have to be on the go, if you have 5 or 10 minutes spare, you can use this opportunity to prepare your mind by doing something like deep breathing or actually having an opportunity to just slow down. Many parents work better when they are forever on the go but after a while this isn’t good for us! So instead if you start to think about the little moments where you can recharge or do something to save yourself time later on, do it!
We all feel that pressure but we have got to remember that structure is crucial. Start to think about these three components and you will see a big difference in your life.