Brought to you by Centra Live Every Day.
If there is one thing that every mum needs more of it's time.
And with only so many hours in the day, the evenings in particular can quickly get swallowed up by the likes of dinner prep, getting the kids to bed, cleaning, and catching up on emails or work.
However, being smart with your schedule can certainly work wonders. Here are five ways to free-up precious time...
1) Sort your closet
Getting your clothes ready the night before might make your mornings less stressful - but we say, go one step further and set out your five outfits for the week on a Sunday evening. Iron what you need to iron, pick out shoes and accessories, and hang them up in your closet ready to go Monday-Friday. Do the same for the kids: leggings, t-shirts, jumpers, underwear, and socks as needed. It's quicker to do it all in one go and it means one less evening chore too.
2) 15-minute cleaning
Commit to a 15-minute power-cleaning blitz every day. Tidy away clutter, spray down surfaces, load or unload the dishwasher and vacuum a room. You need to stick to that 15-minute slot (otherwise you'll stop doing it after a while) but you can get a lot done in a relatively short space of time. And it does mean that - along with an occasional more thorough clean - your home never gets truly, disastrously cluttered.
3) Keep thing simple
Not all food needs oodles of complex prep. In fact, there is a lot you can do to take A LOT of hassle out of meal-times. At
Centra, there are plenty of convenient, time-saving food options that are made with quality ingredients - delicious lasagne or chicken pasta bake that you can heat and serve immediately, as well as the likes of fruit, yogurt, and granola pots that make for a perfect breakfast on the go. Otherwise, if you are entertaining, you can impress with ease with
Centra’s chilled party food or summer eating BBQ range.
4) Learn to say 'no!'
Mums are expert multitaskers but it's also important to learn to say no: no to helping out, no to running errands, no to jumping through hoops for someone else. And it's also vital that we all have a little 'me' time in the evening once the kids have gone to bed. Of course, it's great to catch up with friends, but manage your schedule wisely and don't overload your calendar with appointments.
5) Be digitally savvy
It's not necessarily a bad thing to catch up on emails and clear a few tasks. The trouble is when it takes up too much of your time and energy outside of the office. Give yourself 30 minutes to read, reply to, and sort through emails. Then close your laptop and sign-off for the evening.
Are you always in a hurry? Centra has lots of good quality foods available morning noon and night that you can grab on the go anytime. For more, see Centra.ie. 
