Life Hacks for Busy Writers & Moms

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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.

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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.

Crock-pot3. 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.

10 comments:

Angie Rose said...

Hi Georgie! These are such great tips. I love my Amazon Prime, but have yet to give Amazon PrimePantry a try. I just might have to now that I've read this :) Thank you for sharing with us at Dishing It & Digging It!

Joanne said...

Awesome tips! I definitely use Amazon Prime a LOT. But I sure could get more done if I got up earlier. Thanks for sharing with us at Together on Tuesdays.

Lisa Ehrman said...

This is a wonderful post! I love your suggestions, especially the gong to bed early. I'm trying now to do that, and haven't quite done it yet. I'll keep trying :) Thanks for linking up at Together on Tuesdays!

Teresa B said...

I agree with all of them. The hardest for me is getting up earlier...Thank you for sharing at The Really Crafty Link Party this week.

Rebecca Sunshine said...

Hi, Georgie. All of these tips are great for all moms. ^_^

I know the value of Prime and keep hearing about the Pods (not sure what they are exactly). I guess you can order soap and push a button and it reorders it.

My dad uses his echo to order things.

Crazy how fast our world is advancing.

Shared this to my Pinterest productivity board for you.

Enjoy your day,


Sara @SaraDuggan.me

Unknown said...

Great Tips! I have never used Amazon but plan on trying it this year! I agree with getting up automating the bills! Makes life SO much easier!

Janice Wald said...

Hi,
Thanks for bringing your post to last week's Blogger's Pit Stop.
Janice, Pit Stop Crew

Janice Wald said...

I write about productivity hacks too.
Janice

Anonymous said...

Automating stuff so I don't forget...I should try to remember to do that! ;) Thanks for linking up at the Healthy Living Link Party!
Blessings, Leigh

Paulina Cameron said...

Moms are the most powerful women I know. They are the people who are doing a lot of jobs at once. Every Job Searching Mom should be aware of the tips and tricks that will help working women in everyday life. The pictures you shared are just great, they totally complete the message you want to send with your post. Thanks for your tips and your story. It’s now easier to look at things when you know somebody is going through the same challenges as you.