Life Hacks for Busy Writers & Moms

Who wants to make life easier on themselves? I do! Between deadlines and soccer practices, making life easier on myself is a must. Below are some hacks for meeting your deadlines and your obligations without going crazy.

1. Amazon Prime is your new best friend. Sure, a trip to Target by yourself can sometimes be a vacation, but when life is busy it can be a chore. Cut out the trip and shop on Amazon Prime or Amazon PrimePantry (check out my post about Amazon PrimePantry here). Need a gift for a kid birthday party? Amazon Prime it is! Running low on toilet paper? Amazon PrimePantry to the rescue! You can knock out your shopping list in a matter of minutes and have everything delivered to your door without even getting dressed. Take advantage of these time saving services to make your life easier.

2. Automate, automate, automate. Can you automatically pay most of your bills each month? Then do it. Can you set up automated retirement or savings contributions? Then set them up. Put things like porch lights and plant watering on timers. If you can make things happen without you being involved then do it. It will also stop you from forgetting crucial things like paying bills or contributing to your IRA.

3. Cut corners in the kitchen. The Crock-Pot is my favorite appliance because I can cook a healthy meal with just a few minutes of effort in the morning. On busy days when this practice and that practice are back to back, and I have a deadline, I use the Crock-Pot so I don't have to worry about cooking a healthy dinner when I get home. A Crock-Pot dinner is a much better option than fast food.

4. Get up earlier. It's amazing what you can get accomplished in the quiet of morning. Early morning is my workout time. I get my exercise out of the way early so I don't have to try and jam it into a busy day. Also, when it's quiet in the AM, I can send and answer emails and take care of small things so that they don't intrude on my writing time later in the day.

5. Go to bed earlier. You will get a lot more accomplished during the day, and it won't be as hard to get up early if you're well rested. To get your beauty sleep, establish a bedtime routine. Turn off your electronic devices at least one hour before bedtime, read a book (this well help whittle your to-be-read pile, too), then turn off the lights and drift off at around the same time every night.

6. Plan ahead. Take an hour one day a week or early one morning to get out your calendar and write down everything that is happening this week or even this month. Write down deadlines, appointments, practices etc. I like to do it on a Month at a-Glance calendar, then I can see when everything is happening and what days will be the busiest. It allows me to plan ahead for Crock Pot dinners, gives me an idea of when I need to order the birthday party gifts from Amazon, and it keeps me on track to meet my deadlines. Being organized can help takes the stress out of a busy life by eliminating surprises.

I hope these tips help make your life as a writer and a mom a little easier. If you enjoyed this post then you will enjoy my books because I wrote them while using many of the above suggestions.

For more writer and mom life tips click here and here.