Make planning a habit

Sitting down to plan can seem like something you don’t have time for. But do you have the time and mental energy for the chaos of not having a plan?

Carving out a quiet twenty minutes each week to plan meals and check what’s coming up for the week ahead can easily save you hours of wondering what to cook, last-minute panic buying birthday presents, or discovering you have to craft the solar system out of recycled materials by tomorrow morning.

If you really want to save stress, consider family planning. No, not that sort! Whether it is using a printed family calendar or an online app, sharing everyone’s schedule helps you spot clashes and coordinate things in advance.

Do it in one go

Another way to reduce mental strain is to take action straight away on minor admin – those bits of paper that pile up, get lost and cause a lot of stress. Whether it’s a school note about silly sock day, an invoice for after school club or an appointment you need to make, if you can do it in under five minutes, do it there and then.  

Party invite? Text your RSVP then head to Amazon to order a gift. Pick a birthday card out of your collection and set an alarm to remind you the day before the party.

The aim is to get to the point where you can mentally let go, either because the task is complete, or you’ll get a reminder when you need to think about it again. You’ll feel lighter without carrying around all that ‘what did I have to do again?’ worry.

Know your best hours

Early bird or night owl, we all have times of the day that we prefer. Try to build your daily routine around your most energetic times.

If you’re up with the dawn chorus and flake out after 5pm, make sure you frontload your chores first thing.

If you’re like a bear with a sore head in the mornings but come alive after five, use the evening to prep for the day ahead.

15 hacks to make family life smoother

Cooking

• Plan your meals and make too much – put your leftovers in the freezer for an easy dinner later in the week
• Create cooking kits – Store food together as meal kits, so you can just grab a box and start cooking
• Frozen veg is your friend – with frozen onions, garlic and peppers in your freezer, your only ever a tin of tomatoes away from a delicious pasta sauce. Bonus: frozen veg holds vitamins just as well – and sometimes better – than fresh!

 Shopping

• Stop queuing and start clicking – cut out the queues at the supermarket, pharmacy or bank. Groceries, prescriptions and banking can all be ordered and organised online
• Set up regular orders – use the same stuff every month? From flea treatment for furry friends to period packs for self-care and sanitary products, monthly subscriptions take a weight off your mind
• Bulk buy birthday gifts – start a stockpile of presents and cards to match your kids’ ages, so you always have a gift when a last-minute party invite is produced from the school bag

 General

• Start a ‘to do’ jar – whenever you see something that needs doing but you haven’t got time for, write it down and put it in the ‘to do’ jar. When you next have a spare half hour, pull one out and get cracking!
• Don’t leave it to the weekend – finishing a week at work, only to spend the weekend doing chores, is no way to live a life. Try to stagger your housework during the week so you can have a well-earned break at the weekend
• Incentivise kids to help with the chores – The Go Henry app is a great way to manage pocket money. Simply set up their chores and tick them off when they’re done. The kids get the money on their card, which they can spend online or in-store