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Hi Reader,

Sometimes when you’re busy and tired, lowering the bar for yourself is the best thing you can do.

Life gets easier as the kids get older, and in the meantime, you can take a few shortcuts here and there to give you more balance and more down time between To Do’s.

Here are some of my favourite ways to reduce the daily workload at home:

Run a sink full of hot soapy water whenever you cook so you can give up scrubbing.

As you cook, drop dirty dishes and utensils into the sink to soak, then when you have dinner in the oven or bubbling away on the stove top, wash the dishes in the sink. By that time, they’ll be quick and easy to wash with hardly any effort.

Air dry your dishes so you can give up hand drying.

Hate drying dishes? Ditch it. Just stack your dishes on your draining rack and leave them there until they dry. If I’m doing dishes in the evening, they dry overnight and I put them away in the morning. If I’m doing dishes after breakfast, they dry during the day and we put them away before we start cooking dinner. We’ve done this for more than a decade in my house with no issues.

Only wash dirty clothes so you can do less laundry.

If you’re clothes aren’t dirty after you wear them once, it’s ok to wear them more before washing them. If you’ve worn an item but it doesn’t smell or have any stains on it, it’s fine to wear it again. Pyjamas, jeans and jumpers in particular can be worn a few times before needing a wash.

Use technology so you can do less around the house.

If you have a dishwasher, you should always check items when you buy them to make sure they’re dishwasher safe. Over time, curate your kitchenware so that most of it can be put in the dishwasher instead of needing to be washed by hand.

If you need to buy a new vacuum, get a robot one and run it when you’re not home - most of the good ones have apps that let you choose the time of day and area to vacuum so you can come home to clean floors. Some even mop as well!

Do your shopping online and have it delivered at the same time each week. Create a regular shopping list on your grocery / supermarket website and just tick off what you need each week. Use my 31 day cyclical meal plan so you don’t have to think about what to have for dinner ever again.

Give every item a home so you don’t have to look for things anymore.

Put a cute little dish on a table or counter near your door to drop your keys and wallet into when you get home.

Have a designated spot for everyone’s shoes.

Pop a hook on the back of each bedroom door for school bags.

Keep a spare hairbrush in the bathroom drawer.

Don’t put small things aside for later.

Open your mail next to your recycling bin, throw away anything you don’t need , and action the rest (pay bills, fill out forms etc) before putting the papers away.

Call to make that appointment as soon as you think of it.

Schedule To Do’s in your calendar instead of writing a long list, and do them when the reminder pops up on your phone.

Have theme days and simple meals for dinner.

For example, Monday is pasta night, Tuesday is taco night, Wednesday is slow cooker night, Thursday is fake away night, Friday is meat and veg night, Saturday is BBQ night, Sunday is tray bake night.

I hope you found these ideas helpful! If you’re ready for next steps in organising your home and life, you might want to check out my popular House & Family Binder. It’s a simple set of prints to help you get organised and run your household without stress and overwhelm.
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​Check out the House & Family Binder here >>​
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x Marissa

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Marissa Roberts

Organising tips to make life easier for busy parents

​www.beautifullyorganised.com​

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