Time Saving Tips for Moms who Work & Homeschool

Today’s topic is about time – again! I’ve written about time anxiety and time confetti, to name a few posts. But today I want to give you my top 3 time saving tips for moms who work and homeschool.

You might be thinking that I’m time obsessed. And you’d be right! The reason I love thinking and writing and speaking about time is because it’s so important in my life.

I want to do a lot with my time. I’m sure that you do too! I bet that you want to make the most of this precious, precious resource, even though it feels like there’s never enough. Let me show you what works for me.

1. Prioritize

The first of my time saving tips for moms who work and homeschool is to prioritize – and I mean properly! You might think you’re prioritizing. But if you don’t have enough time for what’s really important to you, then you’re probably not.

The easiest place to start is to write down everything that’s important to you. What are your values? What are you goals? Get crystal clear on these points because they will help you live a life that feels aligned.

So what does this look like? Let me use myself as an example…

What’s Important to Me: family, health, my marriage, my business, homeschooling
My Values: freedom, ease, abundance, health, service
My Goals: have time to exercise every day, help people through my business, educate and raise my kids to be decent humans, spend quality time with my husband regularly, make my life as easy as possible

So once you have a clear idea about what you really want and what really matters, then you can decide what you don’t want. It helps you to make decisions about how you spend your time, money and energy.

I’ve shared this post from Mind Tools before, but it’s so good for figuring out your values.

Once again, what does this look like? Here are some examples…

swapping scrolling on social media with doing yoga
working on my business rather than attending a social event
scheduling non-negotiable time to homeschool
outsourcing cleaning my house to someone

You’ll find that when you’re doing things that light you up, time will feel much more enjoyable and effortless. As a human, your concept of time is subjective. So when you feel like you’re spending it in a worthwhile way, you’ll feel less like you don’t have enough of it.

I have created an eBook that goes into detail about how to prioritize effectively.

2. Simplify

I don’t know about you, but I was taught that hard work is the only way to succeed. I internalized the idea that things gained with ease, are not actually worthwhile.

This resulted in:

striving for perfection,
continuing to do things that no longer serve me,
and feeling guilty when things are easy and enjoyable.

And often, these things take a lot of time unnecessarily. In fact, they can be a downright waste of time, if I’m honest!

I’m here to tell you there’s another way! You can choose the easy option or take the easy way out. You can feel like something is easy as pie or go easy on yourself! I’m running out of idioms here, but you get the idea.

Let’s look at this in practice, once again. How does making things simple and easy save time?

Decluttering is a great place to start. When you have less stuff to clean and clean around, then you’re going to save time. It can also help to simply your life when you have less to choose from. Your mental load is diminished significantly!
Rethinking your systems can be a game changer. It’s often easier to do things that you’ve done before, even if they’re not efficient or working anymore. But regularly rethinking and tweaking how you do things, can help you to find the most effective way.
Letting go can help you to simplify your life so much! Having a less than spotless house most of the time (unless it’s been cleaned by someone else) and unironed clothes have made my life a whole lot simpler! And whole lot less stressful too!

3. Outsource

Much like simplifying, outsourcing also used to make me feel uneasy. I always prided myself in the fact that I can do anything! And if I don’t know how, I’ll learn and figure it out. Can you relate?

Learning about my Zone of Genius really opened up my eyes. I don’t have to be good at everything. I can let others do what doesn’t come naturally or what I don’t enjoy.

As a working homeschool mom outsourcing will be a great help to you. I know it has been for me. Once again, you’ll save so much time!

So what are some things you can outsource?

Homeschooling is definitely right up near the top of the list! If you’re worried about your ability to homeschool, if you don’t have time to plan lessons and if you just don’t want to, then outsource! There are so many wonderful options out there that can give your child a fantastic education.
We live in a time when there is so much convenience. I say, use it when it comes to cooking and groceries! Get your groceries delivered, order in if you need a break from cooking, or opt for a meal kit service.
Having your house cleaned by someone could be something that you prioritize. I certainly do! I don’t want the stress of cleaning a house for hours just to have it messy a few hours later. No thank you! I have someone who comes in twice a month so that my house is clean at least sometimes. 😁

Final Thoughts on Time Saving Tips for Moms who Work & Homeschool

A lot of these tips might sound easy to do. But they might be hard to implement. There’s so much guilt and judgment about how we raise and educate our kids, run our homes or do our work.

So if you’re looking for ways to incorporate these time saving tips for moms into your life, then please reach out! I’d love to help you to prioritize, simplify and outsource.

In that way you’re going to be able to make the most of the time you have! And fill it with things that bring you joy!

Follow me Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for more homeschool shenanigans, advice and resources. And please check out my working homeschool mom coaching if you need some extra help and support.