My “Never-Enough-Time” Time Hacks

time hacksThe weeks fly by and there just never seems to be enough time. My children are growing older and my business is gaining momentum, therefore the days pass more and more quickly. As an entrepreneur, I am keenly aware at this stage of my career that I’m in a “dig in and give it all you got” phase as opportunities grow for my team and we see the potential in our work. This brings up the battle of work vs. home life and which areas get more of my time. Some weeks it’s just A LOT to manage and get done.

No complaints here – my kids are healthy, happy, and thriving. My work is like another family member, and I love what I do. I just want to make it all work a little bit better! And I want more time in my week (to think, to plan, to exercise, to play). I try to keep on with a podcast or two about women in business, mom life, life hacks, and time management … maybe even read a book now and then!

I came across the Lazy Genius podcast by Kendra Adachi, and while I don’t love the name (lazy is a turnoff for me), I do really appreciate the concept: make a few small things a tiny bit simpler. It all adds up. A few minutes saved here, a few tasks completed there, you’re on your way to having some actual open time in your week!

After thoughtfully assessing the areas of my life where I need the most help and determining exactly which things I could pass off, plan better, or hire out, I’ve decided to give a few of these #momhacks a try starting NOW. The point is that each family is different, and everyone has a different need. But you stop and consider which elements you need to adjust and how you can move the needle just slightly to make life work better.

Life Hacks I’m Implementing Now

  1. Master of the Schedule. My work schedule consists of many daily meetings, a lot of traveling/driving, and too much time spent away from my computer. This is so simple, but I’m now marking travel time and thinking/prep time into my calendar two weeks at a time. This helps with punctuality and gives me some space to take notes, decompress, or get to where I am going before and after meetings. It sounds so trivial but it’s already helping a ton. I’m also trying to eliminate meetings on Mondays and Fridays as much as possible so I can plan for my week better and spend time doing the business side and administration work of what needs to get done.
  2. Grocery Delivery. I don’t know why I was so resistant. The fees? Selecting a delivery time? The do-it-all-yourself mentality that I know I struggle with. I don’t know, but I leaned into Instacart, and wow! I polled the New Orleans Mom writers and decided it was worth the small fees and that just maybe, I could trust another human to pick up groceries. (Eye roll here: I’m a control freak, ok?!) We don’t seem to have enough food in the house no matter how often we grocery shop and we aren’t the best meal planners (beyond 2-3 days in advance). So having the ability to decide what needs to get delivered that very night to prep a quick dinner is well worth the time savings of driving to the grocery, shopping, and unloading. Plus I didn’t have to drag any kids along with me! Worth the $10-15 bucks extra! (You also eliminate the extra off-the-list purchases, and promo codes are available for your first few deliveries.)     grocery delivery is a time saver
  3. Hire a Chauffeur. Just kidding, but I really did reach out to my community and hired a college student who was available to do an occasional after-school pick-up for some of our kids so that I could be available to work later into the afternoon or be able to pick up our other kids. It takes a village, y’all, and I needed the help!
  4. Learn a new tech skill! I finally got brave enough to change up some of the software/tools I was using for work, invoicing, timekeeping, and file storage. It sounds so boring and trivial, but it was a really hard transition. I spent a few weeks doing research and dedicating entire days to learning a few new systems. This was a major stretch for me (and time commitment), but I’m already seeing how helpful changing tools can be. Totally worth the investment!
  5. Find the me time. I have such an on-and-off relationship with exercising, but I know how good it is for my body and my brain. I need the stress relief, the endorphins, the serotonin, all that goodness! I was really struggling to get myself to a gym or to even get motivated lately. With summer coming, I promised myself I would spend even a few minutes three times a week getting active again. A friend shared a YouTube workout by Sydney Cummings that she enjoyed. Each session takes 30-40 minutes and can be done with light weights at home. I’m giving that a go and doing my best to apply myself a few days per week. Basically, do whatever you can do, for as much time as you can do it. Working out at home means you don’t have to find a babysitter or get dressed for the gym or leave your bedroom, so there is no excuse! Plus it’s free to use YouTube!

I hope some of these tips help you step into your “lazy genius” and figure out a few shortcuts to work smarter, not harder in your week. Juggling all of life, home, work, and kids is overwhelming for any mom most of the time. What quick fixes have you implemented to help manage your week?

Rachel Harris Ledet
A New Orleans native and entrepreneurial mom, Rachel maintains a daily balance of running her own marketing firm, 30|90 Marketing, managing her kids’ schedules, and maintaining an active extracurricular life including teaching dance, volunteering, and instructing a digital marketing class at UNO. Rachel lives in Mandeville with her best friend and husband Lenny, daughters Addison and Amelia, stepson Luke, and new baby Tucker. With a growing family and a million balls in the air, Rachel keeps things light by continuously learning, spending time with amazing friends, blogging, finding any route to a concert or outdoor festival, and planning her next getaway with her husband. A sense of humor can get you through almost anything, so she tends to surround herself with fabulous and very funny people.

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