The Fab Mom On 2: Best Multitasking Tips For Moms
With the end of the school year approaching, life is busier thanks to added activities and responsibilities. How to make it all work? Here are a few of the best multitasking tips for moms.
Go to bed at 9 p.m. at least once a week. It sounds counterproductive to go to sleep early, but getting a good rest promotes effective multitasking for the following day. Studies show that women need 20-30 minutes more sleep per day than men because their brains use more energy and become tired faster thanks to multitasking. May is National Sleep Better Month, and scientists have long warned of health risks, including heart disease, ability to fight infection, obesity and decreased cognitive ability and memory without proper sleep. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults 18-65+ should strive to get eight hours of sleep per night. How to do it? Set a do-not-disturb feature for certain hours of the day, every day (during lunch, during kids' after school activities, dinnertime); create an out-of-office reply on your email that says "I don't respond to messages after 7 p.m." Limit electronics at least an hour before bed and dim the lights after dinner to kickstart your body's natural wind-down mechanisms.
Aside from the latest, on-demand food delivery, gas and laundry services, how do Southern California moms make multitasking work for them? We asked and found out.
Los Angeles mom of two Effie Braun grocery shops during her lunch hour at work. Keeping a cooler in the trunk of your car can keep perishables fresh and eliminate that extra stop after work.
Yvonne Condes of MomsLA opts to exercise while her kids are busy at activities. "My son goes to tae kwon do in the evening, and I drop him off and go running or go to Crossfit at the same time instead of sitting and waiting. I used to run during baseball and basketball practice. I missed socializing with other moms, but I was able to use that time to get a workout in when I otherwise wouldn't have."
Calabasas pediatrician and author of the new book "What To Feed Your Baby," Tanya Altmann makes a quick, healthy breakfast for her three kids the night before and also sleeps in workout clothes so she can wake up dressed for school drop-off and exercise.
Mom of two Susan Tosounian suggests doing one task at a time because it actually makes her more productive faster. "I found that doing many things at once is not efficient at all. Impressive, yes. But efficient, no."
Other multitasking tricks from Los Angeles moms include food pooling (where a few families each make one big meal and then split up to distribute to eat throughout week), finding a gym that also offers childcare, pumping during conference calls (for nursing working moms) and using apps like Sitternote to pay childcare electronically and eliminate trips to the bank during the week. In one Los Angeles based Facebook group for moms, one woman shared how she's built a relationship with her local nail salon and grocery store so that she may do "drive-throughs" for services while her young children nap in the car. "I call the nail salon and the lady does a change color in my car. I give a list to the grocery store, and they bring the bags to the car and I pay."
What are your best multitasking tips to help moms get everything done?
Jill Simonian is a Parenting Lifestyle Contributor, appearing on CBS Los Angeles every Wednesday on News at 5pm and Friday mornings at 6:30am. Her personal blog is TheFabMom.com. Follow Jill on Twitter @jillsimonian and connect with her on Facebook.
