From managing a job, home chores, and childcare-related duties, as a parent, it’s common to have numerous responsibilities on your plate at all times. Juggling these responsibilities daily can take a tool in the long run if not managed properly. This is represented in recent findings published by the BBC which states that struggling to find time for kids is a major stressor for parents in the UK. But don’t fret as in this article by Byebye, we’ll explore a host of simple strategies parents can utilize to stay on top of daily responsibilities in a cost-effective fashion.

Create a Family Calendar

A family calendar is a great tool for keeping track of everyone’s schedule. This is especially helpful for parents who run businesses or work as freelancers, as they can adjust their daily responsibilities based on their child’s schedule. Depending on preference, you can choose to create a physical schedule using a notebook or utilize an online list-making tool. The best way to set up your calendar is to create it at least a week in advance. This should include major appointments, events, and deadlines for all members of the family. While things can pop up at the last minute, having a calendar provides clarity regarding everyone’s availability, making it easy to find time for family activities.

Learn to Meal Prep

Buying groceries, prepping for dishes, and cooking the food can easily take up hours of your time daily. However, this commitment can be significantly reduced by practicing meal prep i.e. cooking food in bulk that can feed your family for at least 2-3 days. In addition to saving time, meal prep can keep more dollars in your pocket. This is because purchasing things in bulk once will help overcome the need for making multiple visits to the store and making frequent purchases.

Moreover, meal prep can become a family activity where each member pitches in. For instance, your partner can purchase groceries, while you can prep and cook the food with the help of kids. Depending on their age and familiarity with kitchen utensils, they can be given the tasks of washing, peeling, and cutting produce.

Make Decluttering a Priority

According to research by the RACGP, clutter negatively affects one’s ability to focus, and make rational decisions and increases anxiety levels. Hence, decluttering regularly can help parents stay organized and maintain a peaceful and happy household.

The basis of decluttering is as follows:

• Identify cluttered spaces in your home and take note of all excess items you can get rid of such as furniture, decorations, and more.
• Depending on the item’s quality you can choose to donate, sell or discard them.

But, decluttering a space is just one half of the story, as it can quickly fill up with unwanted items if let it. The best way to keep spaces tidy is to regularly clean (ideally weekly or bi-weekly) and make informed purchase decisions regarding whether you actually need additional furniture, appliances, or decoration in the room.

Start Digitizing Documents

Schools, doctors, jobs, and banks are a few of the many entities that expect you to keep a list of documents handy at all times. For instance, during your child’s next doctor visit, it’s best to carry documents outlining their healthcare history. However, storing paper-based records is tedious and can easily be misplaced.

A good alternative is to scan and digitize your documents as PDFs. Not only will you be able to access them anytime, anywhere through a cloud storage app, but they’ll never be lost or misplaced. If files are getting too large to upload, consider reducing your PDF file size through a compressor.

Staying on top of multiple responsibilities daily can be a challenge for any parent, however, it is not impossible. By creating a family calendar and practicing meal prep you’ll be able to save hours daily that can be dedicated to family activities. Additionally, decluttering and digitizing important documents as PDFs will help you create a happy home and stay organized at all times.