Help! I Have A TeenagerA few weeks ago, on our parenting podcast This glorious Mess, we dove into the topic of end-of-year overwhelm, and so many listeners shared they were feeling the exact same way!
With endless to-do lists, days that feel too short, and barely a moment to breathe, finding time for yourself can feel impossible. That’s why we’ve put together some simple, practical hacks to help you reclaim your time. From clever apps to outsourcing tips and learning the art of letting go, we’re here to help you win back those precious hours in your week.
Like what you heard? You can listen to more of This Glorious Mess wherever you get your podcasts.
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CREDITS:
Host: Tegan Natoli, Annaliese Todd and Sarah Marie Fahd
Producer: Grace Rouvray
Audio Producer: Lu Hill
Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
You're listening to another Mia podcast.
Mamma Mia acknowledges the traditional owners of the land. We have recorded this podcast on the Gatagoul people of the Eur Nation. We pay our respects to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and torrest Rate islander cultures.
Hi, it's Annalise Todd, host of Mamma MIA's parenting podcast This Glorious Mess, and this time of year is a lot for all of us and the one thing that we're really lacking in is time. So I wanted to share this episode with you, and it's ten simple hacks to get your time back. And it was really born from a desire to cut corners and maybe just being a little bit lazy in nature.
But we also crowdsourced some.
From the Mamma Mea community with some really great life changing and time saving hacks. I hope you enjoy and I hope you get some time back. Hello, and welcome to this Glorious Mess. We are embracing the chaos together, ditching the judgment.
I'm tigging it, Tolly.
And if you haven't ordered your Cristy presence.
Yes, Snap Snap, chop chop. Sorry, guys, I.
Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it's the ninth of December and I'm Annalise Todd in denial about the impending festivities. Yes, you're the person I need to remind you. I'm a single mum, working full time and one thing I am lacking in this life is time.
Hm.
Well funny that, because today on the show, we're here to help. You are not going to help for once. We're going to try to. Yes, we'll do a bit of event first, because what's a TGM episode without a little event. But today's episode is all about getting you some time back. We had a lot of feedback on our episode a couple of weeks ago about the end of year overwhelmed, and it's clear that a lot of parents are feeling stretched thin. So we are not alone. You are not alone. The to do lists seem endless, the days or two short, The idea of having even a moment to yourself seems absolutely impossible. So we have put together some hacks on how to get your time back. We end our community. Yes, obviously it's not just us alone, because we needed You're needed to hear from the people and We're going to bring you all the golden juice, just game changing time, giving back, just life hacks. I love hack, same for anything that just makes time quicker, not quicker, but it gives you more time.
Mine is a shit to do.
Mine isn't so much born out of hack. I think I'm just inherently lazy. Yes, and I like to cut corners, so I've developed a few things just naturally like evolution. Yes, I agree I'm not lazy. But when it comes when it comes to domestic shit.
I hate it. It's the core of my anger.
Like washing, cleaning.
Do you know what I feel like?
Even putting clean clothes or wag?
That's the worst, don't.
I don't even mind washing it. I hate folding it and putting it away. I won't even fold it, won't even do that. But I've always said that I feel like I was born in the wrong life. I was meant to be royal. I would like someone to come in and dress me eighteenth century.
See, I'd hate that. I just want to put my arms up and just be Do you want to be cause ated? Yes? Iren't something to brush my hair?
Oh god, I want to do anythry She goes again for goodness sake. Yeah, and of course, amongst other things, we will also hear from our friends Sarah Maurice. But first here is what's happening in my group chat. Two mothers days ago, I promised my mum a little night away, like a holiday together, because I feel like with my mum, the only time we really see each other is like me dropping my kids to her or her swinging pass, like it's never really quality time. Or there's like the whole family there and seven grandchildren and my brother and my dad and my husband, and like, I can't remember the last time that my mum and I just had a nice time together, and there's always other people around, Yeah, like I can't. So finally, two and a half years later, because within the family, we've had a few deaths, she's gone on a few holidays, and I've gone on a few holidays, So it's taken us two and a half years to actually tee this thing up. One night, that's all I'm talking about. One night, So I took my mum for a little stay cake in a little hotel with just her and I. So I took her for lunch and then we had this little sleepover and it was so nice, you know, when you don't get a chance to talk to someone so much, like you go from conversation to conversations so quickly, and you're like, oh my gosh, we got to go back to that one. But remind me to tell you about this. You know, it was so nice just to have free rain, no children interrupting or asking for snacks or whatever.
And did you do like girly things. We did lunch, and then we laid by the pool. We went for a walk.
It was a little bit windy, but the people staying next door to us, Oh no, decided to have a four a m bender, didn't they. Oh okay, I was thinking maybe it wasn't just mother and daughter, it was more romantic. No, oh no, well God, like I did say to that would be all goodn't with you? I seemed to be paper paper thin. And I literally spent my whole night like here I am thinking, oh, glorious, like a night away from the kids.
I'm gonna be such a good sleep.
This hotel has the best beds and pillows, and I'm going to be in heaven. And instead I spent the whole night listening through the paper walls like I might as well have just joined them.
I should have not died. I would have said, you know what, here.
If I'm gonna sit here listening to you until.
Four am, you can't mean I'm a glass Okay, I.
Totally Where did Jargia.
The whole is?
And I brought this up because I was telling my group chat. It's definitely one to do if you've got your parents around, and if we're still so lucky to do that, make the most of it. Take them on a little night or a lunch or a date.
It's just so cute, and just maybe look into the wall down. Yeah, just make.
Show make sure you've got a non adjoining room, all right. So recently we had Lauren Thornborough from the Village on an episode and we've talked all about end of you overwhelm and it is just such a common thing for parents at the moment, like crawling to the finish line. Yeah, crawling like like I don't even know, can you.
Not even begged the feet?
Yes, it's a very very long couple of weeks when you hit December. There's so much on and there's so much to do. There's so much mental load present school things like, not just for yourself, it generally becomes everyone else's family things.
Everyone just tries to cram everything into December.
Yes, I'm such a January girl. I'm like, can we have our Christmas party in January?
Yes?
Yes, we thought, let's instead of just talk about the crap, let's come up with some solutions. Yes, and some ideas that might help, and some little hacks to help you through this period.
To give the gift of time.
We need to get time back.
Yes, so then we've got time.
To do.
We have to do.
I want to hear yours teaks. What are your time giving hack? Look, everyone knows that I'm an outsourcer. Look, and I know it's not for everyone, and I even understand financially it's not for everyone. But if there's any time to do it, now's the time. It doesn't have to be for forever, but it might just be. You know what, for the three weeks before Christmas, instead of doing two loads of laundry a week, I'm going to drop those two loads off at the laundry mat and then they're going to come.
Back to you, wash folded and ready to go.
And also, in your defense, you are a busy business woman, like you own two other businesses and run them yourself, and this is like one of your busiest periods.
You need that.
It's not like you're around. It's not. No, it's not as though I'm just not doing laundry because I don't want to do it. Because also I still do several loads of washing, but I take my kids, like all the undies and knickers and socks and pajamas, sheets, towels, the stuff that are annoying. I'll do like one or two bags a week, like just dump it off, pick it up, or sometimes there's you know, pickups and drop offs whatever.
It doesn't mean I'm still not doing washing a.
Week, but those two little loads of washing just save my folding a rainy day.
Then you got to leave it out.
And the gift of time is the gift of time saying doing it all the time, but I absolutely promise you'll if another one is if you're going on a holiday, if you've just come back from a holiday, you know when there's.
Like seven suitcases worth of washing, that's.
Another one where you just take it to the laundry mat, get them to do it, and then it comes back. It will save you hours, and no one likes to do laundry. No, how about you? What have you got for me? My first one is really it's a silver lining of having children getting older, and that is I no longer do school drop off?
Can we just have a preach?
Well, we definitely get at the moment in my life because school drop offs are not the greatest at the moment, especially being end of year, they get harder and harder.
There's lots of emotions I would love.
Can I them?
Can I outsource them? Is there a service? There is?
Actually there are ubers for children. That's something to look into. Sheba. Is that a sheba? I don't know what it's called, but it does exist? Oh my gosh, so I'm inventing that and it already exists. It does exist. They use like nannies and stuff googling. I'll google it and send it to you late.
Thank you so much.
So mine just I just pop them out the door on the bus.
Off you go.
The first time you did that? Now here we are, it's it's just a thing. Now, I don't just school drop off?
Oh how about the thick up?
Well, so I've got to like after care, like out of care, days where I have to pick them up late and unfortunately an adult has to do and otherwise i'd literally every second Friday they catch the bus home as well.
That is a game change.
It's a lot of time back, it's a lot of time age kids. Yes, done, send them on their way. Do you have like a navigation device on them?
Not yet, but I'm looking into it. Yes, I know.
I think one of those space talk watches. I am a little bit free range for my own good. Yes, what's your next one? Okay, I am all about a family calendar, but I'm not talking about digital. I'm talking about the old, old school school paper family calendars. So if you're a big family like mine, you've got five people to coordinate, get it out of your head, get it off your phone or device, and put it on the paper. I get mine from kikik. Is that what it's called. And it's got the month, but with for each person in the family, so per day, so like you can say, like, oh Sammy's got dancing on Tuesday, Oh Tiggan's got a meeting that day. Oh Jason's got Jason's got dancing that day too. But you can see everyone and you can just like, look at your week. Just get it out of the head, because I think that mental load of like, oh, what days that thing? Oh, I've got to check when that, things do for that or whatever.
Like I can just sing it in the kitchen, Yeah, I put in my kitchen. Yeah, put in my kitchen.
So as I'm packing lunches every morning, I'm looking at it.
Yeah, that's a good idea. I are real calendar.
But I tell you what I've been seeing on Instagram, those digital photo frames, but like for calendars.
And I'm like, that's guys.
We have our phones, we've got our devices, and now they're creating like the digital frames, but just for calendars. And I'm like, no, guys, ever heard of a pen and a paper old school? But that's just one less thing to get it out of your brain, because I think when you're always like, oh, when'sday?
What's that?
Oh?
Let me just check my calendar on my phone. You know what, No, it's there. Yeah, it's good to see every day and just go, oh, yep, that's right, I've got that appointment tomorrow or whatever. So I live alone half the time, and when I don't have my children, I eat like a cat and I don't have food in the house, so when I get my children back, it's literally kind of at box level, like there is nothing to feed them. So instead of going to the grocery store before they arrive back, I just get all the school snacks and all the food you know that they actually need to eat.
Just delivered to the door.
Yeah, cutting out they're getting in the car, oh parking as going to the shops.
I just get it delivered. Yeah.
I think it's like a five dollar delivery fee. Yeah, and that is worth all of that save time. I'm all for a delivery and I know, look, not everyone lives in wonderful deliverable accessed areas. My kids love up and goes so like I buy them in the dwelf back and I'm always like, I'm not carrying that shit. No, So it's so great it gets delivered to my door to the door, thank you, and like laundry detergent, yeah, all those big things. Yeah, I can't carry that same, same but different a meal delivery service for this time of year. Sometimes there's so much going on that you're not actually sure when you're going to be home cooking or what you need or when you need it, So maybe you do do like a Hello Fresh or a Muscle Chef, where they're already actually pre made and you just whack them in the microwave or oven or whatever, just so that you've got something there in the fridge if you need it. If you don't, you can pop it in the freezer whatever. I just think things like that. You've got to eat anyway, so it's not actually changing any scenario, just to make it a little bit easier and one less thing you have.
To prepare a line approved.
So circling back to washing, I don't have as much as you because no I can't because half the time it's just my washing silver lining. Half the time I have my children, So I still do need washing to get through. But I don't like doing washing on weekends. So what I do is that I'll do a load after work at nighttime only, and then I'll hang it up at night or put it in the dryer. I'm a nighttime ourl washer, and then first thing in the morning washer. No, because it's too happy annoying. Yeah, lifetimes it annoying because I'm like, oh my god, there's so many other things I've got to do. Yeah, that's why you do it at night when you just otherwise you're on Instagram's.
Some of the half of the shit I need for the next morning, you know. See, I don't know.
If I'm doing your school uniform, I'm like, oh, damn it. Or sometimes I wash it in the morning but forget to hang it out until the night, and I'm like, oh, I hate my past self. No, hang it out okay, well, or just take it down the road. Let's be realized a gill and don't do it at all. My other hack is, if you happen to be going on a family holiday over the next month or two, start slowly packing. Oh like, I know that sounds so neurotic and silly. Start a little area where you're putting the things that you won't need between now and then, like your sun screens and your Toiletry.
No, I'm a night before packer.
No, I bet you forget everything and you're very stressed the night before.
Not at all. Yeah, but is that for yourself or that's including that's including children.
Oh yeah, Well, I'm trying to light in your mental load so that if you just do little bits and pieces.
No, I don't want to think about it. That long.
No, you don't have to think about it, like do your medical box, do your sunscreen, toilet try box. Maybe put some undies aside.
Oh I don't have that many undies. No, well maybe you should.
This is just I like this. But if this is not what I'm aligned on, I'm packing for five people. I think I need to start now for July next year. Okay, I've got another one, teagus. I didn't know that I needed to vaccinate my soon to be thirteen year old who's heading off to high school for hooping cough again. Just didn't know because you know, like I'm past that stage of life and everyone gets so busy, there's so many things to remember. But there's actually a free National Immunization Program schedule and you can get it from the Health dot gov dot AU website, and it's actually does the mental load for you, so you can keep track of your kids vaccinations without having to think about it, and of course importantly, so you don't miss them. Well, we asked the people, because we're not the only ones with the great hacks, tips tricks we outsourced. We asked the mum and mea family Facebook and Instagram, and here's a few of what they recommended, don't buy clothes that need to be dry.
Cleaned or ironed.
That's fabulous. Yeah, that's a really good I hate ironing. Oh I don't even have an iron. I don't have one. And do you know what? Do you know what my mum told me when she had my kids one weekend that my kids looked at her eye in and said, Nana, what's that?
Hah?
They've never even seen one far out?
Yeah, like an old school phone. Like, okay, what else have we got?
So this one I like, and I do a version of this. They said, if you like to read, get an audio book. You can flip it on while driving, folding laundry, and showering. That's very smart because sitting down to read is usually reserved for holidays. Yeah, or aeroplanes in my life. And so one thing I do I like to listen to a lot of podcasts. And so when I met the Little Athletics, which is two to three hours standing around a field making small talk with other parents, I very very unapologetically wear headphones and listen to podcasts while standing on a field avoiding small talk.
You're welcome. That is a great idea, isn't it? An extremely recluse.
Yes, love it, I love it. Say look there's another outsourcer here hurrying a cleaner.
Oh yes, yes, oh my god. If you can, yeah, of course, I mean that's true, isn't it.
Even if I can't, I'll start an only fans to be able to Because.
I had just seen your feet, I don't think.
Look, it would have to be for the ugly feet page. But let me tell you, like I would sell my soul foret my cleaner. Like, there's nothing I wouldn't do to be to have a cleaner, like I just it's just not my thing. I can't do it. Well, it's not one of my qualities. Or train the children. There you go another look, maybe the older they should clean.
This one I love because it.
It's between clean and clean, you know.
But when they're older they should be cleaning toilets. Anyway. This one I like because it's avoiding dishes. Yes, oh tell me.
Paper plates and cups on nights where you've had a huge day and our exits. Ah, that's genius, and recycle them and bob your uncle. That is genius. I should do that. Like, just have a stash in the cupboard ready to go. I know that, like around this time if you you know you, when your friends come over or their kids come over, I'm like paper plates, only.
So many cups and glass won't do it.
No paper plates. I apologize every and I'm like sorry, I'm watching up.
No, I love it. Oh my gosh.
This one I cannot relate to more in my life. A robot vacuum. Yes, so my robot vacuum mops and vacuums. Wow, that's high tech. It's very old and I think she's on her last legs.
Good old avert.
This person said save my marriage, and I will strongly agree. You put it on and you leave and your house is clean. I've never used one, oh babe, Like I would. You know how many would get me on for Christmas? See, this is the type of thing I would froth over for Christmas.
I like if your husband got you.
Like you know how there's people that so offended.
Yes, I would be like.
I want this diceon, I want this air fryer, I want this anything that will make my life easier. I want a pah I do want a pa an organizer.
So this one is.
More it is space dependent, but I really like the thinking here and it's, you know, a segue. In terms of saving marriages, Claire wrote, two bathrooms. Husband has the en suite and it's up to him if he ever wants to clean it. The door remains closed and I never go in there. My bathroom is a glorious clean retreat, and I've never been happier. Separate bathrooms saving her time by it not being her. Well, she doesn't have to clean up after a man. I love that, and it's just you using it.
I like that.
Separate bathrooms, if there's two, you have one, Can we just do separate bathrooms, bedrooms, closets, See I have I've got two bathrooms in my house and one is mine and then the children have one. And I also feel this is a similar vein yucky boys bathroom and then glorious mum's bathroom. It's lovely and don't touch my product, don't use the toilet, put the seat down.
If you do.
This is a wonderful one and maybe great for the silly season to help connect, be present and just enjoy life. Is delete Instagram off your phone? Oh is that going to go down?
Just like you drive your live? Yeah? Maybe last day?
Look, I can't even say I would do it myself because it's my job part of the time, but.
It would save so much time.
Oh my god, the time saved, The time saved. Look, I think I've got a girlfriend who's definitely like, oh, I'm just having some downtime, Like she's so easily on and off with it, and I think it's great and it's.
Free, and yeah, I mean all you know, deleting Instagram off your phone, but.
Even if it's for just a portion of from Christmas day to oh yes, couple of days, like a festive break.
Yeah, from the gram. I tell you what.
I always love though on Instagram, where people are like, guys, I'm just taking some time.
I don't know.
I probably wouldn't have noticed. Or they're like, hey, guys, welcome to me, welcome back to myself, and I'm like, oh, I didn't even realize you left. Never do that, guys, still do it. You don't have to announce.
Don't announce it. You can just drift in, drift out.
Yeah, we don't need to get it an update and use update. No, we're happy for you. Go be present, enjoy, and give us a little update once you're back. No, don't don't do like I would like like lately carousels lately and they're just like ten photos of lately. So, guys, I did a thing. I had a break from Instagram. No no, no vomit. That's grit.
And now it's time to hear from our friends. Sarah Marie Solving your deliver.
Hi at Sarah Marie Quick question, Sarah Marie, does your partner take time off work to help with the kids when you're on well. I'm feeling really rough after a medical treatment and I could really use some rest, but my partner's at work and he won't take any time off. I'm exhausted, I've got the eggs, I've got a fever, and I just want a bath and some sleep. How do you handle this?
This is a hard one because I don't know what your husband does for work. With my husband, it's very hard for him to take that time off. There's always exceptions to the rule. There's been times where he has had to take a day because I was extremely unwell and it was one of those days where in laws when available day care is not a like literally, there was nothing I could do. Nanny's weren't free to even come to give an assisting hand and he's had to like take that day off, So it is it's a really personal thing here. Is it a case of he won't because he just doesn't think you need it, or is the case of you won't because he feels like he can't at work and he's feeling that pressure to go into work.
It's very personal.
This is one area where you can't ask your friends for advice on this because they don't know your relationship like you do, and you might get the wrong advice and be like, oh, you need to do this and you needed to that, whereas he's probably feeling a lot of pressure he can't. Is there any way you can get someone or a friend to come and help you out if you really can't. You really just need to sit him down and say, listen, I really need you to speak with your boss.
I physically can't do anything.
It's not a matter of me just being dramatic. These are the reasons I really need your help here, and I'm sure their boss would be understanding to that particular situation. Just communicate that and see what he says.
So I hope that helps.
I don't know, actually, if that's very helpful like advice. I think that's the most honest opinion I can give, because it's very easy to be like, yeah, your partner should take the day off, and then suddenly you have issues in your marriage.
So I hope that helps.
Well, look, we hope those have helped you. We hope if there's a few little helpful hints. All it's about cutting corners. Yeah, and look one team wondering. We all kind of have our own little bits and bops that we do. Yeah, it's not earnest. It's actually just laz and some will work for you, some won't. You know, take take what you will. I feel like the standout for me from the suggestions was the paper plates and cups.
Yeah, I'm going to get some. That's genius. That's a good I just to even have.
Yeah when the friends come home, because otherwise there's like eighteen glasses. Yeah, you know what I love like micro kids love two minute noodles, and usually I cook them all up and stuff. But then I've just realized, like those cup one yes, I'm like, oh.
My god, And it's just a fall I literally game changer. I don't have to use a.
Bolt and then put them in the microwave and then do this and then clean that and that. I'm like, from now on, cup cup, paper cups.
Yep, we're right.
And we're environmentally friendly.
Well yeah, I think if you looked at the dishwasher use I reckon. Probably yeah, yeah, there you go. You're welcome. You're welcome. Guys.
Well, that brings us to the end of our amazing hacks. We hope you get some time back and we hope you enjoyed listening to this glorious smith. If you did love listening, please leave us a review for the show, And if you have a dilivera you'd like Sarah Marie to solve, you can leave us a voice note by following the link in the show notes, or get in touch with us at TGM at mamamea dot com dot au. This episode was produced by Grace Ruffrey, with audio production by Lujah Cho Cho
