How To Manage House Work: Best Hacks For Working Women
Working from home means spending more time with friends and family, right? Well... that's not always how it works out. Working from home can be challenging because you must manage many different things simultaneously. Add a busy life and other obligations, and working from home can become more stressful. We don't always have time to cook, grocery shop, and clean our house simultaneously. As a result, most working women end up spending their entire day running errands and trying to squeeze in some time for chores. Working from home might be less stressful than going into an office daily, but it's not necessarily easy either. To make the most of your time and responsibilities, here are some handy tips on how you can work smarter and not harder when it comes to cooking and cleaning as a working woman:
Weekly Meal Prep
One of the best working hacks is to meal prep every week. People usually think of this as something that is done by fitness enthusiasts who are preparing for fitness competitions or training. However, the truth is that it is just as important for people who lead a hectic lifestyle and have to deal with a lot of stress. Working from home can be chaotic, especially if your living situation is less than ideal. You might have roommates or family members who make noise when they're home and hamper your productivity.
Or maybe you have a house with small children who don't understand that mommy needs a quiet environment to work. Whichever scenario you find yourself in, it's important to keep yourself on track. Meal prepping can help you stay on top of your diet goals and save time and money. If you spend an hour on Sunday prepping food for the upcoming week, you can save yourself from making an extra trip to the grocery store or two extra trips to eat out.
Dine-Out Mondays
Dine-Out Mondays are a great way to save yourself from having to cook and clean all the time. However, restaurants can be very expensive, so you need to find a way to save some money while still enjoying the experience. Start by ordering water or sparkling water (since the carbonation in tap water can affect the taste of wine and cocktails).
You can also ask to replace the ice in your drink with room-temperature water. Since water is free, you're saving yourself a few bucks right there. Another tip is to split meals with a friend. This way, you're only paying for half of the total cost. If you're dining with co-workers, they might be happy to chip in or even pay for their half. Another thing you can do is order the kids' menu. You can get smaller portions and dishes that are meant for younger palates.
Keep a Clean Kitchen
Some would argue that a clean kitchen signifies an efficient and organized person. However, for many of us, this is a huge challenge. Working from home means you don't have a boss or colleague for whom you can make coffee or tea. You don't have customers coming in and out of the office at all times of the day or your housemates or family members to impress. For this reason, keeping your kitchen clean and organized might seem like the least of your worries.
However, the kitchen is one of the most important rooms in your home. A messy and dirty kitchen can be very unappealing, especially if you have guests over. A clean kitchen will also help you save money and time. According to a survey, a messy kitchen is a common catalyst for arguments between couples. In the long run, a clean and tidy kitchen can save you from fighting with your loved ones.
Go to the Grocery Store Weekly
This might sound like a no-brainer, but many people don't have the time to go to the store weekly. Working from home has many benefits, but getting out of a routine is easy. Going to the grocery store once a week is a great way to stay on top of your spending and keep your fridge stocked with fresh, healthy food. This can also help with meal prepping, which is helpful for those who work full-time and have families to take care of.
If you shop once a week, you'll have time to look at the sales and plan meals around the items on sale that week. If you don't have time to go to the grocery store, there are services like Instacart that can help you "shop" without ever having to leave the house. Another great thing about ordering groceries through an app is that you can get a discount on your first order if you use one of these services.
Don't Forget: Change Your Bedsheets
Changing your bedsheets once every two weeks or once a month is recommended by many experts. However, many of us don't have the time to do so, especially if we work from home. For this reason, working women usually forget to do this simple task. This can lead to nasty allergies and even skin rashes. Bed bugs thrive in unclean conditions and are a common problem in dirty sheets and mattresses.
If you don't have time to change your sheets once a month, you can use a safety pin to make a small hole in the corner of your sheet. This way, the hole will allow any moisture to escape. This will prevent your sheets from getting moldy and smelling bad. If you have pets, you might even want to change your sheets more often than once a month.
Don't Forget: Declutter Your Kitchen
It might sound odd to clean your fridge and cabinets before you clean your house but believe it or not, it's a great way to clean up your kitchen. Working from home can be tiring, especially if you also have a full-time job and a family to take care of. This can often result in you not having enough time to clean your kitchen as you wish to.
Working smart means that you need to find ways to save time. A great way to start is to declutter your kitchen. This can be done as part of your daily routine. For example, when you finish your coffee, put the mug in the cabinet, clean any dishes in the sink, and put them in the dishwasher, etc. Doing this daily will allow you to take a few minutes out of your day to declutter your kitchen and make your working experience even better.
Conclusion
Working from home has many advantages. You get to save money on gas, and you can spend more time with your loved ones. However, managing a full-time job and household duties cannot be easy if you don't know how to work smart. Working smarter means setting realistic goals, prioritizing tasks, and having the right mindset. Working from home can be challenging, especially if your living situation is less than ideal.
You might have roommates or family members who make noise when they're home and hamper your productivity. Or maybe you have a house with small children who don't understand that mommy needs a quiet environment to work. These tips will help you stay on top of your responsibilities while you work from home. Follow womenwire.com for more life hacks and news.