7 Ways to Stop Wasting Time at Home

Inside: How to make your home days count instead of wondering where the time went. Simple ways to get more done without the stress, plus why mastering this now will save you later.

You could spend all day cleaning up after your kids, running to the grocery store for that thing you forgot for dinner, and looking for lost paperwork. Or you could, you know…not.

Let’s be clear: this isn’t just about squeezing more tasks into your day; it’s about doing the most with your time so it isn’t wasted. Sounds simple! It’s not.

For everyone who’s ever felt like they were busy, busy, busy, and accomplishing precisely nothing, I’m here to help.

Why Bother With Any of This?

I get this! Why worry about a time when you don’t feel too busy, right?

When I first started staying home, I had a lot of time. I felt like I didn’t need to worry about doing things efficiently. I could react to things as they came up. Freezer meals, schedules…whatever. I didn’t need that. I could float through the day.

But! This is a terrible idea. Even when you have the luxury of lots of time, believe me when I say it will not always be that way.

As you have more kids and they become busier, you will wish you had mastered time management before you needed it. Plus, being smart with your time lets you have breaks and flexibility in your schedule, and even if you think you don’t need that either, you do.

Just like it’s foolish for a wealthy person to waste their money, it’s foolish for someone who doesn’t feel busy to waste their time.

So What Does This Look Like, Exactly?

I’m glad you asked! In fact, I hate vague terms like “time management.” What we are really talking about are strategies to make sure that your time at home is not wasted. These strategies include:

• Batch work
• Smart use of technology
• Daily routines
• Delegating
• Eliminating busywork
• Time blocking
• Staying motivated and on-task

I know this sounds like boring business-speak. But we will go through each of these, and you’ll see how they directly apply to your home life and truly work.

1. Batch Work at Home

You can designate a day of the week for each of these, but you don’t have to. Just get into the habit of doubling or tripling your work when it makes sense.

Meal Prep: This can be a freezer cooking day, but it doesn’t have to be. Just double what you’re making and freeze half, whether cookies or a lasagna. Putting chips in a snack bag? Go ahead and do the whole package.

Laundry: I like to do a day’s load, but we’re all different. If it makes sense for your schedule, you might like to knock out all your laundry in one go.

Menu Planning: Think of your week ahead. Instead of deciding on meals daily, why not sketch out a week’s worth of dinners on Sunday? If you’re feeling super organized, you can even plan breakfasts and lunches, too.

Writing Cards: Don’t write cards one by one on the day. Instead, set aside a quiet hour to get all your cards, a pen, and perhaps a cup of tea. Write them all together, addressing and stamping them too. Store them chronologically, and you’ll never miss sending out a card on time again.

Wrapping Gifts: Gather all the gifts you’ve accumulated over a month or before a holiday season, put on some music or a podcast, and get wrapping. With all your paper, ribbons, and tags out, you’ll get into a rhythm and it’s wya faster than doing them separately.

Of course, there are many, many more ways to do this. Think of tasks where getting ready is the hardest part, and make use of all that hard work.

2. Put Your Phone Away (I’m Serious)

Your phone is stealing your time. You know it, I know it. You start folding laundry and somehow end up watching videos of someone’s morning routine for 20 minutes.

Here’s what works: Put it in another room. Charge it in the kitchen, not your bedroom. Check it twice a day – morning and evening. That’s it.

You’ll be shocked by how much you actually get done when you’re not constantly picking up that little time thief. Your brain will thank you too.

3. Daily Routines

The beauty of a routine is that it becomes, well, routine. You wake up, brush your teeth, get dressed. You don’t have to plan or think. You just do. You aren’t overwhelmed by brushing your teeth and how much time it takes. It just…happens.

This is a good thing! And we can use the power of routines for so much more.

Morning Routines: A well-structured morning sets the tone for the entire day. I think everyone deserves quiet alone time first thing, but if you aren’t an early riser, that’s okay, too. I personally unload my dishwasher and start a load of laundry every morning.

Dinner Routines: Have dinner at the same time every day. At the same time. Every day. You now never need to think about when to serve dinner again. Congratulations! Beyond the serving, know what time to start it. And maybe get into a little mini-habit of double-checking every morning to make sure you have everything you need. (And yes, I believe you should be eating at home just about every day.)

Bedtime Routines: Tidy up the house, get yourself settled and run the dishwasher. Maybe pack lunches for tomorrow and set the coffee maker. It’s up to you what this looks like, but make it automatic.

Brief Daily Clean: The idea here is ‘little and often.’ This could be as simple as a quick vacuum, wiping down surfaces, or decluttering a specific area. The key is to do it every day and make it automatic.

The beauty of routines lies in their power of repetition. Doing something daily not only becomes a habit but also second nature. Try it, and you’ll see ❤️.

4. Delegating

You can’t do it all. Or at least, you shouldn’t. Trust me when I say no one cares if you do everything yourself. There’s no medal at the end of your life that says, “And she never asked for help.”

Assigning Chores: Little ones might be responsible for putting away their toys, while older children can help with dishes, vacuuming, or even cooking simple meals. Above all, do not give your children dumb “fun” chores. These chores should be actually useful to you. Okay? Okay.

Outsourcing Tasks: Consider grocery delivery or curbside pickup services. And while regular cleaning might be manageable, occasional deep cleaning or specific tasks like carpet cleaning can be outsourced to professionals. I’m not saying everyone can or should do this. But maybe you can. I used to ask for professional window cleaning for my birthday. It was a gift of time to myself.

Trading Skills with Friends: Think of it as a skill swap. Maybe you’re great at organizing wardrobes, while your friend has a great meal prep system she can teach you. Consider trading tasks for a day. It can be fun to get things done and learn something new.

You can use all these strategies or just one. But please stop doing everything yourself.

5. Eliminate Busywork

We’ve all been there: spending hours on a task and then wondering if it genuinely added value to our day or household. It probably didn’t. Here’s a bunch of stuff to stop doing.

• Over-organizing: Spending hours color-coordinating a closet when a simple sort would suffice. No one cares.
• Redecorating: Constantly changing home decor without a particular reason. Also a huge waste of money.
• List making: Creating lists without referring back to them. Just…stop.
• Buying organizing stuff: Buying countless bins, containers, and gadgets.

I’m sorry! I’m trying to help.

6. Time Blocking

Nothing kills productivity like indecision. If you spend the whole afternoon thinking of dinner ideas or bouncing around from room to room, you’ll feel busy and stressed, but you won’t actually have done anything.

Anytime you can decide ahead of time and make your work automatic, you become more productive. No multitasking, no wondering what you should be doing.

Want to know exactly how to make this work for you? I’ll hold your hand, show you many examples, and give you a printable in my time-blocking for homemakers article.

7. Staying Motivated and On-Task

The work never ends; it all feels the same sometimes, and no one ever seems to really appreciate you. How do you stay motivated instead of resorting to sitting around eating snacks?

• Set a timer. Mopping is a pain. But I bet you can do it for just 5 minutes, right?
• Enjoy your space. You’re cleaning for yourself, too. If the house looks clean, relax and enjoy it.
• Reward yourself. Set a reward for completing a task you didn’t want to do.
• Work first, then relax. If you’ve been efficient all day, the free time you get feels genuinely free.

Remember, this is a job. You don’t get paid, but it’s still a job. Sometimes, you have to push through.

Here’s the thing…you already know what you need to do. Stop making it harder than it has to be. Your time matters just as much as everyone else’s, so quit wasting it. You deserve to feel accomplished at the end of the day instead of wondering where all your time went.