Ways for Moms to Save Time This Summer

I have a book on my shelf titled More Hours in My Day written to moms who want to save time and organize their life. The cover makes me laugh, not just because it is a shade of purple that wouldn’t go over these days but because it has a little subtitle that says “updated for the 90s”.

Glancing at the introduction, I see the original version was written in 1982. The year I was born.

The author, Emilie Barnes, was an author and speaker; at the time the edition I own was published, she was speaking to over 8,000 women each year at conferences, retreats, and her “more hours in my day” seminars to help women save time, especially moms.

Emilie Barnes has an interesting story. She had a “thrown in the deep end” start to parenting, when, at the age of 20 with her daughter a few months old, her sister-in-law walked out on her husband and three preschool children. The father wasn’t able to take care of them for several years, so Emilie and her husband Bob brought the children in.

At 20 she was a mother to four children under the age of four. A few weeks after welcoming the three children into her home, she realized she was pregnant. At 21, she was the mother of five children under the age of five. This was 1960, and needless to say, she learned how to save time, organize her house and schedule, and make more hours in her day out of sheer necessity.

Basically, before Marie Kondo and the life-changing magic of tidying up, there was Emilie Barnes teaching women how to have More Hours in Your Day, how to Clean out the Clutter, and offering Simple Secrets to a Beautiful Home. She wrote 14 books solely on the topic of organization and time-saving.

I read the book several years ago and plan on reading it again. One chapter has some great tips on saving time by not wasting motions. Here are a few of her tips, along with some personal insights on how these tips can be updated (not for the 90s but for the 2020s).

Save time by using a to-do list:

“Each evening before going to bed or before leaving the office, I make a list of what I need to do tomorrow. Then I go one step further. I rank items according to priority: one, two, three etc. Tomorrow morning, I start working with #1, then go to #2. It’s not long before I’ve made a real impact on that list.”

Emilie Barnes

Update for Moms Saving Time in 2023:

I used to be far more consistent in keeping a To Do List. This is something I’ve kind of gone back and forth with, because in embracing the mom I am now, I like not being bound to too specific of a list of things to do.

And as a writer, I also like to have flexibility in the writing that I’m focusing on or the areas of interest I want to pursue on any given day.

At the same time, sometimes I feel like the entire morning goes without me accomplishing anything important because there’s always other stuff that needs to get done. Laundry, taking care of the pets, responding to messages on Facebook marketplace, answering a few texts … before I know it, it’s afternoon and I haven’t finished any editing or writing.

So, there’s a balance to be found. A priority To Do List is helpful in jotting down the things you know you have to do that day, so you don’t forget about the important things, and then an ongoing To Do List of things that you would like to get done that week but don’t absolutely have to be done that day.

That way, you can focus on the most important things and then if you have extra time, you have the flexibility of deciding what you want to focus on.

Plan on doing more than one thing at a time:

“Most women can do more than one thing at a time very easily with a little training. I find that a long phone extension cord in my kitchen is a must. I can do any number of things while talking to a friend or relative. … If you’re into exercise and you have an indoor exercise machine, this is a great time to read your favorite book as you walk on your treadmill.”

Emilie Barnes

Update for Moms Saving Time in 2023:

Technology has made it so easy to multitask and thereby save time.

I had a client who I worked with as a freelance writer and editor, and this was a high-level guy who was always busy. Whenever we had calls, he was either walking for exercise or on his way from one place to another in his vehicle. He used that time wisely.

Multitasking is something that takes practice because not everything can be multitasked.

Usually, you need to do one focused thing at a time; the other task you take on should not require focus. For instance, listen to an audiobook or podcast while folding laundry or doing the dishes. But don’t try to listen to an audiobook while trying to decide how you’re going to reorganize your closet. That takes more focus, and you will either tune out of the audiobook or you’ll have a hard time making decisions about the task before you.

Group your shopping trips together:

“Keep a list of items you need to buy: books, videos, Christmas gifts, clothes, cosmetics, housewares, birthday and anniversary gifts. When you see a sale or go to a store, you can acquire what’s on your list. This will save time and a lot of money later.”

Emilie Barnes

Update for Moms Saving Time in 2023:

A lot of stores have apps where you can keep an ongoing shopping or grocery list. Then, you can simply check out and plan your pick-up time. By shopping online—whether it’s Whole Foods via Amazon or using the Walmart app, you will find it easier to stick to your shopping list and not get distracted by items you don’t need that are waiting at the checkout line (i.e., candy bars and chips).

This also saves time; if you pick up from a store that’s 10 or 15 minutes away, it’s a half hour round trip rather than hours scouring the aisles, and (if you’re a parent) contending with young children who want this, that, or the other added to the shopping cart, then waiting in line, dealing with the stress of bagging your items or struggling to find the right change (or credit card) with people waiting in line behind you.

In short, pickups can save both time and money as many of them also offer pick-up service for free.

Read or write while you wait:

“I have a ‘to read’ folder that I take with me when I know I’m going to have to wait. I get caught up with all my junk mail, letters, correspondence etcetera. I even carry along a few thank you notes so I can write a friend.”

Emilie Barnes

Update for Moms Saving Time in 2023:

Now that we have smartphones, there is plenty we can do when we’re waiting at a doctor’s office or kids appointment, but it involves some intention. In short, it involves deciding not to mindlessly browse social media but to do something constructive instead.

When you’re waiting to pick up your kids from school or practice, it’s a perfect time to catch up on backlogged emails, delete the ones that you don’t need, respond to the ones that you can answer quickly, and then save the ones that require more time or attention for later.

As a writer, I also use time waiting to jot down ideas for blog posts, or use it to craft a creative post on social media.

I often use my driving time (when alone) to record my journal using voice-to-text on my gmail. I send it to myself, then when I’m on my laptop later, I copy it into my journal document.

I also love the idea of keeping thank you cards or blank cards in your purse. As we so rarely send and receive “real” mail these days, time waiting is an ideal opportunity to think of someone you might want to jot a note to or someone who you’d like to thank with a card they can hold in their hands. Elderly people in your church or community, relatives, and young people away at college are ideal recipients for notes if you can’t think of anyone to write.

Hopefully, these ideas on saving time will help you on your way to creating more hours in your day. Hint: it’s actually impossible to do so; what we must do then is redeem our hours by using them wisely.

An important final note on saving time:

While it’s an important practice to learn how to save time and multitask and make the most of the hours in your day, you don’t want to make this too important.

There were ongoing stages in my life where I felt like if I wasn’t doing something constructive, something useful, that I was completely wasting my time. I felt guilty. I believed I always had to be doing.

But there’s something to be said for just being.

For taking a day off. For sitting outside in the evening and watching birds fly overhead. For catching a matinee on the weekend without feeling guilty.

So, in practicing ways to save time, don’t become a slave to time-saving methods.

Whether your schedule is tight with every hour slotted in or more flexible, allow yourself time to just be. Time to discover, time to play, time to breathe.