5 Things moms need to delegate
Most moms are simply doing too much. Our days are not 9-5. Our days are from the minute we open our eyes until the minute we close them at night. Playdates, laundry, cooking, cleaning, driving, and maybe you were working too. What do you think of when you hear that word delegate? That you don't have anyone to delegate to? or You don't have time to teach someone to do what you need to? Or you can’t afford to delegate? or maybe you think that delegating needs to be to a staff member or an assistant.
Cooking
See if you can have someone come in and cook for you. There is nothing wrong with outsourcing cooking to someone. They don’t have to cook all the days of the week If you have a partner or a family member make sure you take turns to cook. Plan for some take-outs now and then. If you cannot afford to get a cook then pre-plan your meals. If you are in a mood to cook elaborate meals, go ahead, but do plan to keep some of the meals simple on hectic days. Cook for two-three days or make some really simple dishes. I usually block 7:00 AM- 8:00 AM to cook for the day. Sometimes I cook in the night and pack the lunch boxes ahead so I don’t have to worry about them in the morning.
School Volunteering and Carpool
Volunteering at your kids’ school is a great thing. But if you are overwhelming yourself with too much commitment it's something you should give a thought. Pay for the volunteering time or ask someone to volunteer for you. I am pretty sure the school management will understand. Driving and Carpooling. Half the time I can see my time go towards pick-ups and drop-offs. It would be great if you can sync up with other moms and see if you can carpool their kids and vice versa. If not check for any carpool or baby sitter (who can pick up kids)services available and use them. It will save you tons of time!
Cleaning & laundry
How long does it take you to clean the whole house? More than an entire day. Is it worth it? absolutely. But not every month. If you didn't spend the day cleaning could you do something more valuable? of course, you can. So hire someone if you can afford it. It is worth giving up a cup of coffee or tea to get your house cleaned up for you. Laundry! It’s the number one thing that a mom wants to delegate to someone if given a choice. See if you can, outsource your laundry. It takes so much of our time putting the clothes in doing the laundry, folding the clothes again and putting them back on the shelves! Look for services or people who can do that for you. It will definitely save tons of time. If you cannot take Marie Kondo’s advice and clean up! I only have like 12 pairs of clothes for my kids. Every 6-8 months I completely take those clothes out and buy new ones. By 6-8 months kids would have either out-grown or the clothes would have completely torn! I do keep 2-3 pairs for special occasions :)
Grocery Shopping & Online shopping
Take as much advantage as possible to take advantage of the online and grocery shopping apps and websites.
Mom Guilt
Finally, Delegate your Mom- Guilt to someone else, please!. You have to put it aside! We moms are so bad taking care of ourselves and asking for help. All this stems from our mom guild. Take as much support as you can from your family. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. You can most definitely help them out when they are in need. You do need some downtime, don't stress yourself too much. Also understand that no matter how much you plan, there will be times when motherhood will take over and other times when work or life will dominate. Learn to let go of a little of each of these for a more balanced life.
The ultimate thing you need to do to manage your time better is to stop trying to be super mom, let go of the guilt, let go of feeling inadequate. Don't worry if things aren't done just right or your way and you will give yourself The Ultimate Gift - a little bit of time. Be Purposeful with your time.
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