Moms Need To Make Lists And Here’s The Most Efficient Way!
Being a mom is no easy feat. You have to juggle a lot of responsibilities on a daily basis. From taking care of your kids to managing the household chores, you need to make sure everything runs like a well-oiled machine. But how do you keep everything organized without losing your sanity? The answer is simple – moms need to make lists!
In this blog post, we’ll discuss why moms need to be the CEO of their homes and how making lists can help you take charge of your household.
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“We need more toilet paper, I need to sign Aiden’s field trip slip, tomorrow is Pajama Day at school, soccer practice is going thirty minutes later than usual”.
This is a typical mental list that mom’s make all day long in our head.
It is one of the main reasons why moms are exhausted and stressed.
Mom’s have so many things we are responsible for, it’s impossible to remember them all, and we need to stop trying to.
While writing everything down on a piece of paper is a START, it is not efficient or the best tool to use anymore.
This one big change has made all the difference!
I ditched paper lists and switched to digital lists and I am such a more organized mom for doing so.
I no longer rely on paper lists, but instead I use my phone as a tool to be more organized and more productive in my day.
Use the Calendar App, Reminders App, and Notes App on your phone to keep track of specific details. And here’s how you do it!
Why Moms Need to be the CEO of Their Homes
As a mom, you are the leader of your family. You have to make sure that everyone is on the same page and that things are running smoothly. Being the CEO of your home means that you are in control of everything that goes on in your household.
You are the decision-maker, the problem solver, and the one who sets the tone for your family’s daily life. When you take charge of your home, you’ll be able to create a sense of order and structure that will benefit everyone in your family.
And did you know that being an efficient list maker is a trait of a successful mom? I think it’s safe to say every mom wants to be considered a “successful mom”? Am I right?! So let’s learn how moms need to make lists so we can be on our way to being a successful mom today.
Related Post: Habits of a successful mom
Why Moms Need To Make Lists
One of the easiest and most effective ways to take charge of your home is to start making lists. Lists can help you keep track of everything you need to do and prioritize tasks.
They can also help you delegate tasks to other family members or assign tasks to certain days of the week. By making lists, you’ll feel more in control of your daily life and you’ll be able to accomplish more with less stress.
Here Are Some Of The Benefits For Moms Making Lists
If you are new to list making, here is how making lists can help you:
- Stay organized so you don’t feel overwhelmed and know what is needed of you
- Plan out your week and set priorities
- Create goals
- Get more done in your day and week
- Feel more in control with your day and week
- Will get to remember less
How to Make Effective Lists
Step 1: Start with a Brain Dump
Write down everything you need to do for the entire week, be realistic and specific.
To make effective lists, start by identifying your top priorities and breaking down large tasks into smaller ones.
For example, instead of writing “clean house,” break it down into smaller tasks like “vacuum living room,” “clean bathroom,” and “tidy up the kitchen.”
Once you’ve broken down your tasks, assign them to different days of the week (creating routines & rhymes ) or delegate them to other family members.
Writing down deadlines and crossing off completed tasks can also help you stay motivated and on track.
Make sure you don’t forget anything. Include:
- Errands, Meetings & Appointments
- Chores
- Tasks
- Projects (include big and small)
- Personal actives: books you want to read, girls night out, facial, date night
Step 2: Organize your Brain Dump
- Break down your list into similar task groups
- Group “errands”, “house chores”, “work”, “kids”
- Rank items in order of priority
- Assign dates to each item
- Do similar groups on same day for consistency, flow and to eliminate back tracking or duplicate work
Step 3: Prioritize Your Brain Dump
Items that are time sensitive should be done first.
Tasks that can be completed quickly I like to do next.
Items that are project in nature or not time sensitive I save for last.
Step 4: Create Routines
Routines are the backbone to mom life. It’s what helps busy moms get more done in Motherhood. Many of the chores and To-Do lists we have on a weekly basis can be more fluid and more efficient when completed as a routine.
Here are some of the weekly routines that are super helpful!
Reset Day – Pick a day in the week to reset your house, get caught up in laundry, prep meals for the week and rest!
Morning Routine – Start your day relaxed, feeling great with a positive attitude, movement / exercise and eliminate the chaotic mornings of trying to get out of the house.
Evening Routine – Close out the day with a routine that creates a home life of peace with everyone in the family.
Cleaning Routine – Instead of trying to remember what needs to be cleaned each day by reacting to your home and kids, have a cleaning routine that allows you to know your home will stay clean and smells amazing.
Laundry Routine – Do you constantly have piles of laundry and never feel caught up? A simple routine can take your laundry days from overwhelmed to managed, effective routine.
Routine for kids – Do you get home from school and the kids go in 3 different directions? Have a routine for your kids for their morning, afternoon and evening so they know what to expect. Weekend routines are super helpful too!
Meal Planning and Prepping Routine – Do you have a day in your week where you plan and prep all of your meals and snacks for the week? This is one way to save HOURS off of your week.
Step 4: Moms Need To Use Technology To Make Lists
Use digital tools like apps or online planners to make lists. There are a lot of different apps out there that can help you stay organized, from to-do lists to meal planning apps. Just find the app that works best for you and start using it to keep track of your daily tasks.
This is when the magic happens! I recommend using your phone as your technology tool.
Look at your list and decide where to add the items to your phone.
The best part about getting these To-Do items in your phone is you can assign alerts, alarms and reminders, so your phone will remind you to finish these tasks and they won’t get overlooked by distracting things, like social media or Netflix.
How To Use Your Phone To Make Lists
Use your Calendar App, Reminders App & Notes App to add important events and to-do list items to your phone.
- Events, Appointments, Errands, Routines get added to your Calendar.
- To – Do lists get added to your Notes.
- A future item gets added as a Reminder.
My Routines get added to my calendar too. I block off the time and day I plan to do these routines so other things don’t get scheduled during that time.
Color code your calendar by “family” event, a “personal” event or “work” event. So you can quickly see at a glance what is what.
Share your calendar!
Share your calendar with spouse, family, nanny, or anyone who needs to be aware or informed of the event. Then you all are on the same page.
Example: When you add a kids sports game to the calendar share all of the games with my family so they can decide which games they want to come to and know the details of where and when.
Add all recurring tasks & routines to calendar!
Meal Planning –
Add all of the meals you plan on making each night for dinner to your Calendar so you know what is being made and can block time out to make the meal.
Kid pickups –
Add kid pickup, drop off’s, activities and include transit time so you don’t over book yourself.
Block off a time each morning that you are going to get up and make yourself a prioirty!
Other items to add to your calendar:
- Sport practices
- Trash day
- Weekly routines – Sunday Reset Routine, Morning Routine, Meal Prepping Hacks
- Birthday’s
- Library day at school for kids
- Appointments
- Meetings
- Gym
- Events
Respond Immediately!
One of the benefits to switching to digital, is the ability to respond immediately.
When asked to bring snack to the next soccer game, do this instead.
- Pull out your phone, add to the calendar to “bring snack” on the day of the soccer game so you don’t forget.
- Add the snack item(s) to your grocery shopping cart app to your next online grocery delivery order.
Now in a matter of minutes it is taken care of you know you will not forget to bring snack because it’s already in your phone with an alert.
As busy moms there will always be stuff that will need to get done, so If you can complete something right in that moment, 100% yes, do it.
Use the Reminders App for future to-do items
If you have a future to-do item, set a reminder on your phone to do it later, either using a calendar event or the Reminders App in your phone.
Use the alert feature on the Reminders app so your phone will alert you of the upcoming tasks that needs to be completed.
Examples of Reminders:
- Register kids for Baseball
- Buy Birthday gift for friend
- Sign permission slip
Use your Notes App for planning, to – do list, meeting notes
My Notes App gets used a ton.
Moms Need To Make Lists To Stay Organized
Here are example lists I have in my Notes App:
- Master Grocery List
- Christmas list
- Birthday Guests list
- Future To-Do lists
- Errands lists
- Account logins with passwords lists
- Movies, shows, podcasts & books to read, watch & listen to
- Purchases that need to made
- Home projects lists
- Vacations, trips, places to visit, bucket list items, Summer Camps & Plans
- Kids birthday party checklist
You can Share Lists!
The best part about the Notes app is that you can share them with anyone.
My husband and I have several shared Notes. One for home projects that we want to tackle on the weekends, one for future vacations and trips we want to take, and one for accounts that we both need access to.
It is so easy to manage, both shared parties can make updates and the other person is notified and sees the update.
Other benefits of Notes:
- VOICE TO TEXT – Use voice to text get to get thoughts written down quickly, when on the go or in the car.
- TAKING NOTES – Jot down some details without needing a pen and paper when in a meeting or on the phone.
Moms need to make lists to stay on task
Are you one to get distracted? “I’m just going to hop on TikTok for a minute”. Next thing you know, 30 minutes have gone by and you didn’t get done what you needed to.
Time blocking is great to help you stay on task! Use time blocking for errands, home chores, checking email, even “Me” time.
You will be more productive if you stack “like” tasks together in larger chunks of time.
To get more done in your day, schedule or plan certain times to check email, get on social media or binge that Netflix series.
Use store apps for shopping
Once you get really efficient at using your phone as a tool, you will rarely write things down, as there is always an app or tool on your phone that can be used.
Grocery shopping and store purchases are no different. If you don’t know, I’m a huge advocate of switching to online shopping, especially for your groceries!
Related Post: Benefits of Online Grocery Shopping – Especially for Moms ( A MUST READ!! )
My weekly store apps that I use are:
With these three apps I get all of my store purchasing completed without having to leave my home or write anything down.
Online shopping is easy, convenient, and saves you time and money.
If you are a working mom, imagine how much time you will save each week having your groceries and purchases delivered right to your door?
If you are a SAHM, imagine NOT taking your kids to the stores anymore!! This was one of the big reasons I switched.
Taking four kids to the store was no longer efficient OR enjoyable. AND I’ve saved so much money switching because I don’t impulse buy or cater to my whinny kids.
DITCH GROCERY LISTS, TO THIS INSTEAD!!
If you switch to Online Grocery Shopping, you will no longer need to make paper lists since you can quickly add items to your online shopping cart.
The next time you check out the item will already be in your cart ready for purchase.
It is so easy to re-use previous shopping orders. Our Groceries are pretty similar every week (creatures of habit), which makes online grocery shopping so easy.
There are so many more options for online shopping, and I am convinced that every mom should switch to online shopping! If you haven’t tried online grocery shopping, what are you waiting for? Try switching today!
Moms Need To Make Lists To Be More Productive
Technology is such a blessing. Knowing that all of my lists, appointments, meetings, etc. are all organized and in my phone allows me to be more productive, more present, feel more motivated, and prepared.
So DITCH the paper and switch to digital list making today.
Write It Down The Night Before
Before going to bed I look at my calendar and to-do lists for the next day and make sure I have everything in my phone that I know I need to get done.
Make sure you have your top 5 to-do items at the top of your list and carry over any items that didn’t get done from that current day.
I often will think of things right before I go to bed as I’m walking through my next day in my head. I immediately will write it down and add it to the to-do list on my phone.
The Importance of Flexibility In Making Lists
While making lists is important to stay organized, it’s also important to be flexible. Life can throw unexpected curveballs, and you may need to adjust your plans accordingly.
Don’t get too caught up in adhering to your list that you forget to be adaptable and spontaneous with your family.
Remember, the ultimate goal is to create a sense of order and structure that benefits everyone in your household, not to stress yourself out with an unyielding schedule.
Moms Need To Make Lists Recap
Being the CEO of your home can help you take charge of your daily life and create a sense of order and structure that benefits everyone in your family.
Making lists is a simple but effective way to stay organized and prioritize tasks. By following the tips outlined in this post, you’ll be able to make effective lists and take charge of your daily life.
Remember to stay flexible and adaptable, and most importantly, enjoy the journey of being a mom and a household CEO.
What are some “moms need to make lists” tips you are going to start doing today? Leave a comment as I would love to hear how.
Looking for more genius hacks? Don’t forget to check out…
- 5 Meal Planning Hacks – How I save HOURS Each week
- Quick Busy Mom Cleaning Hacks That Will Transform Your Home
Want other amazing mom routines to help you stay on top of mom life?
Check out 13 Important Routines for Moms
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