Guest Post: How to Manage the Household as a Single Mom
Today’s guest post is brought to you by Carrie from Tales of A Nursing Student.
How to Manage the Household as a Single Mom
Managing the household as a single mom is a duty where you must be organized and on your toes at all times.
Since I started back to school, I am finding time even more difficult to catch in a bottle but with effective scheduling, I am not only keeping up with the hectic thing we call life but also surviving.
Although there is no one answer to how anyone handles it, utilizing a schedule and being prepared for everything, as well as being able to adjust and keep moving along with your day when issues arise is priceless.
Inbox
I have an inbox in my office where I put all the important papers notes bills and anything else. Before the item is added to my schedule or to a file folder, it is dropped off here until the end of the day when I am ready to plan for tomorrow.
Schedule
Start on Saturday or Sunday going over the week to get a good glimpse of what the week is going to entail and make all necessary preparations.
Day Planner
The day planner is sacred! Your schedule and important phone numbers including the baby sitter and any other important thing you have going on should be recorded here.
Check Lists
I could not survive without having a daily checklist. The daily checklist of stuff that needs to be done from getting the kids up in the morning to cleaning the house to going to bed at night is a very helpful tool that I created so I didn’t forget anything. I even went so far to copy my grocery list to a checklist of the usually thing I buy, hung it on the fridge and circle the things I need as I run out.
Folders
Folders help tremendously! I have seven folders that I use that are labeled Monday through Sunday. Each folder has the checklist for that day. I get the kids involved as well and give them their own checklist although I think my son likes to use it to color more than anything. I give them stickers that they can add to the checklist and at the end of the week if they have done all of their chores I let them add the stickers to the calendar they have on the Refrigerator.
I use one folder for incoming bills until it is paid then I transfer the bill to the appropriate bill folder.
I also have another organized folder with the coupons that I have so when going grocery shopping I can easily find them when preparing my list.
Prepare for Tomorrow
At the end of the day go through your next day’s folder and the inbox to see what is going on for tomorrow and add anything that needs to be added to the day planner.
You may find yourself spending more time on planning, but the well organized planned out mom is at the top of her game and ready for anything.
Author Bio:
Carrie is a single Mother of two, works full time as a nurse, and attends accelerated rn to bsn online classes. With her busy schedule, Carrie is a strong believer in time management and being organized. She can be found blogging about her experiences at Tales from a Nursing Student.