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| What would I do without coffee? |
Everyone is busier than ever these days. We’re connected 24/7 to our devices, so we
rarely have an opportunity to be blissfully unaware of our obligations. Plus, we’re all trying to balance busy
schedules with family and/or free time, while not letting any of the balls we’re
juggling drop. Personally, I’m trying to
manage a family that includes two teenage boys who take challenging classes and
participate in multiple sports, plus my husband’s frequent business travels and
the needs of our rescue pets. Then there
are my jobs: I teach fitness classes every morning, teach a writing class in
the evenings, and somehow find time to write romance novels for a New York
publisher.
It’s a lot to balance, and I’m always looking for
ways to save time. I’ve become very
efficient through the years—doing two things at once is my specialty! So I was inspired by the Dollar Shave Club’s "Shave Time/Shave Money" motto to come up with a post dedicated to the ways
I shave time off of the stuff I have
to do to make time for the things I want to
do.
For me, trips to the grocery store are the biggest
time suck. My boys eat a ton, and I
always seem to forget something. That’s
where the Dollar Shave Club comes in, because razors are not something
on my radar when I’m shopping for lunches and dinners for everyone. But three out of four of us in this family
shave--with the fourth to likely start soon--so it’s a literal pain when new
blades are needed and the package is empty.
I’ve linked the website—you can get new razors monthly, or every other
month, for as low as $1.00…one less thing to think of!
But, the grocery store is inevitable, and I really
try to minimize the amount of time I spend there. I write my list beforehand, organizing the
order in terms of the layout of the store aisles. I also keep a recipe box of coupons filed in
the same order. That way I can quickly
pull out what I need to save money! I
also check the store’s website for the weekly sale items and try to plan meals
around those offers.
Making dinners is another task I try to approach
with as much efficiency as possible. I purchase
value packs of meat whenever possible and prepare several meals at once. For example, I’ll cut up chicken breasts into
smaller pieces, store them in a ziplock bag, and add a marinade. I freeze that for a future date, and as it
defrosts, it marinates. Then I do one of
my quick go-to meals for that night…one of my family’s favorites involves just
putting sliced chicken breasts in a baking dish, smothering with bar-b-que
sauce (I use Stubb’s – all natural and no corn syrup), and baking. Easy!
I can throw some foil wrapped potatoes into the oven a little earlier as
well to have everything ready at once.
The crockpot is also my friend. Another favorite involves putting chicken
breasts in along with a jar of salsa in the morning. By evening, you have Mexican shredded chicken
to use in tacos or on nachos. You can
see some of my time-saving (and fairly healthy!) recipes on my Pinterest board.
For makeup and skin care items, I look for items
that do double duty. For example, my
foundation is a tinted, mattifying moisturizer that contains sunscreen. I get coverage, sun protection, and shine
control all in one. I brush on loose
mineral power that minimizes lines and absorbs excess oil, sweep some bronzer
or blush over cheekbones and eyes, and add lip balm that contains both shimmer
color and SPF. Ready to go in less than
5 minutes! For my husband, I get the Dr.Carver’s Post Shave, as it serves as an aftershave, a moisturizer, and
contains antioxidants to fight aging.
Some of my favorite products are on my Health and Beauty Pinterest board.
I also spend A LOT of my time acting as a chauffeur
for my kids. When they are actually in
the car with me, I use the time to get conversations going. But of course that’s only possible for one
direction—otherwise it’s just me in the car, headed to pick them up, or driving
back home after dropping them off. Since
I absolutely love to read, I decided to use that time to find another way to
enjoy books. My to-be-read list is
enormous, so any book on the list that’s available as an audio download comes
with me in the car. That means I’m reading
one book at home and listening to one book in the car, but as I said, I’m used
to doing several things at once. Often I’m
reading up to three books at the same time.
Studies have shown that reading is one of the best stress-reducers there
is—what busy mom doesn’t need that?
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| My favorite reading spot...can't you just feel the stress melting away? |
