5 Mom Hacks to Try When You're Pressed for Time

Whether you're a working mom or a stay-at-home mom, the challenges of using your time efficiently to manage the household are the same and you will need the best hacks to streamline some chores or activities when you're pressed for time.

Here are five easy mom hacks to try and adapt to your daily routines:

1. Avoid multitasking.

Multitasking makes mothers 40 percent less productive, according to a study published in Human Psychopharmacology. It's better to focus on one task at hand and finish this before moving on to the next. If you're folding laundry, resist the urge to get up and then start preparing dinner or organizing the kids' things.

Focus on the chore in front of you and observe how it will help lower your anxiety or stress levels. Multitasking actually takes up more energy that's why some moms feel more tired than normal at the end of the day.

2. Use mesh bags for some of your laundry.

How many times have socks and handkerchiefs gone missing among your children's pile of clothes? How long does it take for you to mix and match pairs of socks? One of the best ways to cut this task short is to use a mesh bag when washing socks, underwear, handkerchiefs and other delicates.

Mesh bags are very affordable and come in different sizes. You could even assign a bag per family member and wash these all in one go. At the end of the wash, you can simply set aside these delicates in your closet or the children's closet, without sorting them out since it's already in their own bags.

Moth-Prevention has some additional tips on using mesh bags for laundry properly to avoid ruining your clothes.

3. Streamline the children's school lunches.

Every week dedicate Sunday evenings to preparing the children's school lunches ahead of time. Set aside a section of the fridge for these packed lunches and make the arrangements accordingly.

Store these sandwiches in non-bulky containers, which can be categorized into sandwiches, chips, snacks and desserts. Don't forget to include the juice boxes.

Every morning, check if these packed lunches are completely ready to go before grabbing a pack or batch for school. If your kids are old enough, they can be relied upon to help with preparing their school lunches.

Spending an hour a week to prepare school lunches will give moms more time to prepare healthier meals for dinner time for the rest of that week. Along with this hack, mothers may also look at planning easy, tried and tested dinners that will still be nutritious for the children even if it's easy and simple to cook.

4. Enlist the older kids for the chores.

Families with school-age kids must always help out with the chores around the house. To ensure that they do their roles, without having to argue with them, shut down the WiFi temporarily and don't turn this on until they have completed what they are supposed to do.

Per Kidlo, internet activities distract the kids from doing their chores so end this distraction by switching their access off. Make sure to establish this rule in the house. This mom hack is most effective during the weekends or summer season when the kids do not have school work to do.

5. Never procrastinate to avoid a snowball effect.

Laundry, washing the dishes, or cleaning the house are menial tasks that you should not procrastinate for another day because it will create a snowball effect that will take longer to undo. If you're really pressed for time, outsource the services if you can afford it or if it's more practical to let someone do it so you can focus on the other needs of your kids.