6 Essential Hacks for Working Parents

6 Essential Hacks for Working Parents

[Published on 17 Jul 2019]

The life of a working parent is no walk in the park. Whether you run your own business or are working a 9 to 5 shift as an employee, you will be busy constantly, day in and day out. Trying to balance your work and your personal duties as a parent will take a lot of planning and getting used to. But not everything has to be difficult. To a smart and hardworking parent, there will always be ways to make your everyday chores easier to handle. Here are six simple hacks that will truly work wonders when it comes to getting things done as a working parent.

1. Learn to plan and prioritize

As a parent, you will always have something to keep you busy and occupied. It might feel overwhelming at times and you might wonder how other parents get to keep their sanity no matter how many kids and chores they may be handling. But one important hack that you should apply is planning and prioritization.

Apart from your daily chores, your kids might have a number of school activities that you need to attend to, and of course, you have your work. Everything is important. But there will always be a way for you to lay out everything and plan how you can get everything done on time. Break down every single duty that you have. Plan out your moves and plot everything on your planner so that you can have a better image of the number of tasks that you have at hand.

2. Make a list for your grocery runs

One of the many big tasks that any parent will have to take on is grocery shopping. Whether you decide to bring your kids with you or not, it will still require a lot of time and planning for you to get everything that you need in one go. A good thing to do to prepare for your grocery run is to make a list of everything that you need to buy. This will help you avoid picking up unnecessary items and will also help you save time.

Another time-saving trick for grocery shopping is to schedule it once a week at most. You get to save money on gas, too, if you have to drive your car to the grocer. So check your supplies at home, plan out your meals for the next few days and make a list of everything that your whole family will need for the whole week.

3. Prepare meals in advance

Meal preparation is another time consuming chore. Depending on the meal that you want to prepare, preparing ingredients and cooking everything may take you from at least half an hour to 2 hours. Then of course, you will have to clean up the kitchen and serve the food. But by planning and preparing your meals in advance can help you save time and energy. Cook at least three meals that you can easily store, pack and/or prepare. By preparing a batch of at least three meals in one cooking session, you get to save time on preparing meals for the next day or two.

Simply heat up the meals in the morning. If you have packed them for yourself and your kids’ school lunch, you can just pop them in the microwave to heat up, grab them and be on your way. But if you are not good at cooking, you can always hire a maid who cooks. Any way, to hire a maid in Singapore, it is a very cost-effective solution for most households who have kids as the maid will wear many hats, such as doing the household chores and even caring for your precious young ones too.

4. Create a family calendar

A lot of things can happen in one week. Having a lot of activities to think about and plan your schedule for can be daunting, but as a parent, it’s important that you find ways to spend time with your family no matter how busy you are. A family calendar can be a very helpful tool in helping you and your whole family make adjustments and figure out a strategy that will work to everyone’s advantage.

On your family calendar, plot each family member’s activities. Discuss with your partner and your kids how you can best accomplish everything and be able to attend to all tasks within a certain week. This way, you won’t have to worry about scheduling all on your own, and instead turn it into an arrangement that everyone in your family can be comfortable with.

5. Teach kids to be more independent

Nothing makes a parent prouder than knowing that their kids are big enough to handle a number of tasks on their own. Did you know that as early as two years old, you can already teach a kid how to do things on their own? Aside from teaching them to be more independent, you will also be able to make the most of your time handling a few other tasks at home.

You can start training your child to help clean up and pick up toys once they’re done playing. Or once they are done with their bottle, you can teach them to bring it to the kitchen so you won’t have to spend time looking for it later when it’s time to wash it. You can also help your child learn how to spoon feed on their own, which may turn out to be messy at first, but practice makes perfect! These little chores can help establish the idea of independence and help prepare them for bigger accomplishments and milestones as they grow bigger.

6. Hire a maid from a maid agency in Singapore

Sometimes, even if you plan everything in advance and figure out a strategy to accomplish all of your tasks, things can still be a little overwhelming. If you need help, you can always decide to hire a domestic helper from a maid agency in Singapore. With the busy life that parents are living in right now, many of them are now hiring domestic helpers to assist them in handling house chores and child care.

Whether you decide to handle parenting all on your own or opt to hire maids in Singapore, you should always keep in mind that there is nothing wrong with getting help when it comes to raising your children. Parenting will always be a difficult undertaking, but by implementing the right strategies, it can be easier and can be a very rewarding experience.

If you ever decide to hire a foreign domestic worker (FDW), do not hesitate to contact us at 6735 3456 to learn more about the process to hire a maid in Singapore.

Alternatively, you may also wish to first submit your requirements using our online form here and we will respond to you within 3 business days.

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