You know the drill: it’s 5:30 p.m. and the kids are yelling that they are starving and you are frazzled from the hella day you had at work, and your husband is…where is he? Huff. You look around and realize your house is in disarray and you forgot to defrost dinner, again. You have got to get it together. But when will you ever have the time to do that!?
Here is a little trick that can help save your kids from the brink of starvation, bring your husband back from wherever the heck he is, and can have you relaxing and enjoying your evenings to yourself.
It’s called routine, baby. And it works!
Step 1: Get yourself a slowcooker. They cost less than $100 and can be a life saver when it comes to frantic family weeknights. You can literally use it every single night of the week. And, in fact, you can probably get away with using it 3-4 nights a week if you make lots and like leftovers. It takes less than 5 minutes to prepare a meal in the slowcooker and it cooks while you are away from home all day. Get one. Just do it.
Step 2: Before you go to bed at night, defrost any meats or vegetables you need for the slow cooker meal you are going to make the following day. And lay out all the pantry items you need for lunches in the morning. This takes 5 minutes. Tops.
Step 3: A few nights a week you can take 5 minutes and mop your floors. You don’t have to do this every single night: but get into the routine of taking 5 minutes to clean your floors. Check out Clean Smarter | Best Steam Mop Reviews of 2017 if you are stuck on which mop can help you get to the finish line faster!
Step 4: Before you go to bed, lay out the clothes you are going to wear the following day. If you absolutely have to decide on your outfit the morning of, then at least lay out your undergarments and accessories. 5 minutes people. It helps a lot.
Step 5: Get up a few minutes earlier in the morning to catch your breath and start your day off on a quiet note. You need 5 minutes to yourself in the morning to get your head wrapped around the day you are able to take on. Don’t leave it to chance. Get up and spend 5 minutes with yourself. You are worth it!
Last Step: Make sure you eat breakfast first. If you are fed and well nourished, you can take care of all of the other people in your life. If you are feeding everyone else and rushing out the door with a half done piece of toast hanging out of your mouth, you aren’t going to be very effective to anyone. Make sure you take care of you. Now, go be awesome at implementing a routine into your life that only takes 5 minutes and will help you be an even bigger rockstar in your own life!
Written by Jen Brenner
