I’ve compiled a list on my phone of each time I do something that helps me as a Mama. I’m busy all the time – Mom life, wife duties, dog mom life, taking care of the house, being a daughter, a sister, friend and, of course, working on my own goals and being a Mompreneur. Here are things that have helped me make life a bit easier through all of this!

• Habit Stacking / Stacking Your Tasks ~ I do this all the time and it’s now just second nature. Add a task to an already-made habit you do regularly. For example, when you go make your coffee every morning, empty the dishwasher while the coffee is brewing. That way you’ve knocked out a chore already! Another example, when you make your bed in the morning, clump that action with another task in the bedroom. Take out the diaper genie trash? Bring out the dirty laundry to wash a load of laundry? Clean off the bathroom counters? You get it. Stacking your tasks like this assures you’re getting things done even if they’re smaller tasks. Stacking two habits together is a good idea also because it helps you create a good routine.

• Color Street Nails / Doing Your Nails In The Car ~ One of my greatest discoveries as a mom is Color Street Nails haha! My friend introduced me and there was no looking back! They are perfect for the busy mom, on the go, and getting a salon look for less! If you’re in any of these categories or want to be bougie on a budget, check out the amazing selection and great quality here: https://www.colorstreet.com/naileditwithrashi 🙂 I can literally do my nails and look like I walked out of the nail salon IN 13 MINUTES! Perfect for my lifestyle and the way I like my nails to look! If you choose nail polish and are struggling to get the time, try painting in the car while out on an errand and dry them faster with the AC! Lol it’s worked for me in the past.

• Meal Prep & Meal Plan ~ It might seem like a bigger task the day you have to prep and plan everything BUT it all depends on what you’re planning to make, your future self will thank you and that prep/planning time can be therapeutic! You can do things like prep overnight oats for your week’s breakfasts, you can do protein shakes for meal replacements, or cook meals plus snacks and have them all ready to go for the week. Just pick a day (like Sunday) and plan out your week’s meals. Having to not think about what to make during your busy week AND ensuring that you will have something ready to eat is such a big help! I understood the value of this as a new mom after having to skip meals because I was so busy with little time and no help. This became a huge help.

• Email While at a Pedi ~ If you are able to treat yourself to a pedicure…do you! You deserve it! If you feel like that is time you could use doing something else, respond to emails during that time. Do work online or whatever tasks you can do from your phone to maximize that time … but still get your pedi! As a mama, you’re on your feet a lot. Your feet are holding you up to do so much. They deserve to be taken care of. (Extra tip: get an extra 10 mins of massage, a sugar scrub or hot stone if you can! It usually costs only like $5 extra. Those are my favorite parts).

• Go Into a Room With Something, Come Out With Something Else ~ This one is probably self-explanatory. To help eliminate clutter and some future tasks, if you find opportunities to take something that belongs in a certain room that you’re already going into, just remember to try and grab something else that doesn’t actually belong in that room to bring out.

• Pocket Sheets – I love great, cozy, beautiful bedding. But, something else I love is fitted sheets with pockets! I use it to slide my phone into easily, put a book in there, remote, etc – it’s great! Here’s some that I use and found off Amazon: https://amzn.to/40rK0dD

• Time Blocking ~ This is something that I enjoy doing and truly helps me when I am going to have an exceptionally busy day. You basically block out chucks of time (I do mine for every hour) and assign the task you’ll be taking care of during that time. For example: 7a – 8a Morning Routine // 8a – 9a Paying Bills, Responding to Emails, Important Phones Calls // 9a – 10a Take Children on a Walk and Play at the Park // 10a – 11a Workout … you get the gist 🙂 This way of organizing your day and time allows you to be focused fully on each task in that block of time and know you have a dedicated amount of time to work on or complete things. It’s harder to forget things this way and easier to get things done!

• Keep Baby Essentials By The Door ~ As a busy mum, your hands are probably always full when you’re leaving the house… or you’re in a rush to make baby’s appointment… or you keep forgetting stuff! Keeping things like baby’s shoes or socks, masks (if you wear them), your diaper bag etc. close to the door or somewhere in that are when you can see it and it’s easier to grab on your way out can definitely help you be more prepared when you’re leaving with your child.

• Random Things Bin to Help You De-clutter ~ I sometimes keep a medium to large sized basket for “TO – SORT” items in when I’m de-cluttering the house or a certain space. If I have a handful of things that go in the garage, in a storage box, in the bathroom, in laundry, all on the kitchen counter …(don’t ask me why these are all on the kitchen counter in this example XD just go with it)… if you don’t want to run about putting those items away in all different spots and would rather do it after the task is done, you can temporarily keep it in a bin to sort right after, in down time, or at the end of your day. *If you see yourself piling up things in this bin, putting off sorting it or not using this Random Things Bin for its purpose then just skip this one lol.

• Do Something Your Future Self Will Thank You For ~ You probably already get this one too! I am ALWAYS thankful when I’ve done this for myself! It can look different everyday. One day, I can choose to set everything up at my coffee station so that the next morning all I have to do is pop in a k-cup since I’m bound to have a busy morning! Later on, it can be that I take out Prisha’s dirty laundry basket full of clothes and place it in front of the laundry room door as a reminder that I need to do it tomorrow. This way there’s no way I forget. One day, it could be that I take out all the essential documents and keep that out and ready for my appointment the next day. Another day, it could be that I worked on my goal in some way today that will help me down the line. It could be anything! But, do something that helps the future you – you’ll always come out ahead!

• Vitamins by Bedside Table ~ If you’re taking supplements or vitamins and you tend to sometimes forget to, then beat yourself up about it. Try keeping them somewhere you see first thing in the morning and then take them right away! I’ve kept them on my nightstand before to help me remember to take them first thing in the morn.

• Blow Dry or Style Your Hair For Days ~ I love blow drying my hair because it lasts for like 3 days. I also do certain styles that will keep for a few days because as a tired mom you don’t want to feel like a tired mom. And as a busy mom it brings you one step closer to looking and feeling ready. Trust me, it feels good when you look more put together ❤

• Walk & Workout With Your Stroller ~ If you’re trying to get back into working out but can’t find the time away to do it, just workout with the baby! Go for walks and take the babe in the stroller. Getting out and doing this is great for mental health as well. I used to also do little stroller-safe workouts with the stroller. It’s entertaining for baby and you get some exercise in. I did lunges while slowly and walking with the stroller or squats, walking, jogging – things like that. Prisha loved being part of it!

• Ordering Groceries Online or Do Pickup Orders ~ Do you have a grocery delivery service available to you where you live? If so, use it! If you use it enough, get the most cost-effective membership. This definitely helps me and I know my mom friends love it too. Similarly, the “Pick Up” option at stores you may shop at is also great. If you need a breather but don’t want to deal with the shopping rush or if you don’t have much time and need to take baby out to grab some essentials, this pickup option is great! In my experience, pretty quick too! Another great reason why you should order groceries online and then pickup/get delivered is because when you’re selecting items from home you’re more likely to stick to what’s on your list and not get AS distracted and tricked into buying other things your eye catches that you don’t really need.

• Rotisserie Chicken/Trader Joe’s Chicken Strips ~ I can’t tell you how many times these two options have helped me cook up dinner for me and the family when I’m exhausted. They’re cooked so you pretty much heat it up with any additional seasoning you want and prepare and serve it the way you want with whatever sides and dinner is ready! Being that this is usually the main dish, it just made your #momlife a lot easier already being cooked! Plus, they’re pretty delish to begin with!

I really hope these hacks help other mamas out there (or just busy parents in general). I have done all of these and they have definitely helped me. So, I just want to share what’s worked for me in case they might help you too! If you haven’t heard my Mom Hacks podcast episode where I interview 2 other moms who are special to me, check out Catwalk Through Life anywhere you listen to podcasts!

❤