Single mums do it all … alone. It is their daily challenge to look after the house, care for and discipline their child, and earn money for their family’s well-being. Several single mums look down on themselves for having no one to rely on. If you are one of them and about to go down the rabbit hole of feeling helpless, let’s change your perspective.
Make this an opportunity to develop unique problem-solving skills. It sucks only to have a few hours in a day, but once you have mastered the art of balance, you will know how to manage your time across your children, your home, your work, and yourself.
Let the kids help you
This depends on the age of your kids. You can start to let them help you, even when they are as young as 3. Simple tasks such as putting away groceries, making their bed, dusting, or guiding them in sorting clothes in the hamper.
Letting your children help you not only free your load and keep your house in order. This is also an opportunity to teach your children responsibility. Teaching them responsibility and giving them rewards after they finish their age-appropriate tasks boosts their self-confidence.
Do small chores a day
You can actually save a lot of time when you do small chores a day. Bigger household chores such as general cleaning or laundry should be done only once a week. Spread the chores throughout the week, and work on how many you can do in half an hour. This helps you finish small tasks and be more productive in household chores without making your body tired, as you have work and mum obligations for the rest of the day.
If you have small kids, it is a challenge to keep things organised, and toys will be everywhere. But, if your kid is already age-appropriate to understand instructions, you can guide them to put away toys when they are done playing.
Doing these in a routine makes it into a habit and makes things easier.
Consider hiring a cleaning service
It is common for single mums to hesitate to hire a cleaning and laundry service because it might not be affordable.
Hiring a cleaning service can be seen as a luxury for some, but it might be less expensive. Some are lucky enough to have cleaning and laundry services that offer discounted rates. Try asking the ones near your neighbourhood. You never know; you might end up having a good deal.
But, if you are tight on budget, you do not have to enlist help for all your household chores. You can rely on laundry pickup and delivery service, and that would be enough to reduce your load.
Manage schedules
Time management is an ongoing challenge and the primary concern here. There are not enough hours in a day to manage household chores, care for children, and finish work obligations. Creating and maintaining a calendar is an excellent method to start managing your schedule as a single mum.
Calendars help you keep track of every responsibility you have. It is more efficient to download a calendar app to remind you of your priorities. Several apps can help you prioritise the chores. Start your to-do list with the most important task to complete.
As you manage your schedule for work and household chores, do not forget to include scheduling quality time with your children and personal time. This last piece of advice should not be an option. Treat this as a necessity. If you need time to treat yourself, ask your family member if they are willing to watch over your kids, and if there is none, then call over a babysitter who you can trust.
The never ending to-do list and the burden of managing daily household duties surely irk you. If you continue to do small tasks a day, you will stay on top of your cleaning, and all else becomes manageable. We hope you learn to prioritise and practice these tips so that you can have a pleasant and bearable journey as a single mum.
Further reading: 7 Time-saving cleaning tips and tricks.
