So much to do, so little time

juggling-life

We know, life can feel like a juggling act. Working, cleaning, cooking, getting the kids to and from football, fixing packed lunches, fitting in the school run……the list goes on and on. It’s not surprising that we feel stressed. We live in an age where we’re lead to believe we can have it all – and we can. But what they don’t spell out is that it comes at a cost; often our sanity!

stressed-woman

I’m a mum and I know how hard it can be. I do the whole working, cooking, cleaning, school run, grocery shopping and packed lunch thing. I feel your despair when there just aren’t enough hours in the day. I want to share with you some of my tips for keeping all my balls in the air.

Make time for yourself. As a parent we give so much; physically, mentally and emotionally. Think of yourself like a jug, refilling family members and work colleagues when their cups run dry. How can you refill everyone else if you allow yourself to run dry? You can’t fill from an empty jug and you can’t support your nearest and dearest when you’re exhausted. Invest in yourself so that you are strong enough to do what needs to be done.

lady-chilling-with-coffee

Encourage everyone to do their bit. It’s so easy to fall into that trap of doing it all. It doesn’t have to be that way – young children can tidy their toys away, older children can fill the dishwasher or vacuum. The fact you can do it all, doesn’t mean you have to do it all. Do you hate ironing his shirts? Do you want to throw the iron at him when he mumbles something about them being ‘not quite right’? Give him a nudge in the direction of our Shirt Service and cross something else off your list.

child-washing-dishes

Keep it simple. Have basic routines for household chores so that other family members know what is expected of them. Figure out the meals everyone in the family enjoys and draw up a weekly meal plan. This really reduces waste and makes food shopping so much easier. Buy your groceries online and avoid getting stuck behind the slowest trolley pusher in the place, or delayed in check out queues. If you need some help, be it laundry, gardening, decorating, dry cleaning etc, choose a reliable provider who makes life easy for you. At The Laundry Co you can organise and pay for your laundry and dry cleaning online, 24/7. You choose your collection and return slots just like placing your supermarket grocery delivery.

Most balls bounce. You’ve dropped a ball and it feels like a disaster. Chances are that given time you’ll look back and chuckle. Don’t beat yourself up – pick up your balls and keep on juggling!