Parental Time Hacks

Spending time with your kids is generally why we want to be focused on saving time, but there are some conversations that can be exhausting, like arguing with your kids to get them to do a task they don't want to. How do you save time and energy on those conversations without sacrificing very important outcomes? These tips are meant to help you achieve those goals. These tips were sourced from multiple different parents, and the items posted are ones that were universal or close to.

No shoes in the house

Why does this work?

The shoes will always be in the same place, right be the front door. So on top of keeping the floors cleaner, you won't need to have conversations about where your shoes are.

Assigning items to a kid so that they are responsible for those items

Why does this work?

Assigning a particular item like a glass to a kid, meaning this is the glass you use, forces them to clean their own glass, instead of constantly getting new glasses and creating an excess of used glasses in the house. There are other areas in which you can use this tactic, like plates, etc. This hack becomes more valuable the more kids that you have. It is also great for teaching ownership over an item and to teach them how to care for different items.

Turning things into a game, tricking your kid into doing something

Why does this work?

Creating a fun narrative for activities that your kids don't want to do saves time by preventing energy draining fights to get your kids to brush their teeth, put on their shoes, eat, etc.

Think like the choo-choo train when spoon feeding a child, or creating a fun narrative for why they should put on their shoes. The time it takes to create the narrative is often much shorter than arguing with the child on completing the task.

Prep, as much as you can prior to the activity

Why does this work?

You aren't going to have less things to deal with tomorrow, so items like what's for lunch, become harder to decide and pack for in the morning, when you are also trying to get them out the door and prepare for work. Take the time the night before to make the decision on what you actually want to have for lunch, so instead of trying to make that decision then, you can just execute.

Be honest with your kid on difficult situations

Why does this work?

This is much more discretionary but will save time in the long run. It shows your kid you may not have all the answers but are trying your best, and keeping their best in mind. This saves time because your kid will generally start having conversations around those for what might be best, versus them complaining you don't know and fighting. Basically you can start to have more mature conversations earlier.