Double it Up!

I am busy.  Having a husband, three kids, and a part time job definitely take up a lot of my time.  Some of the things I want to do don't always get done because of the lack of time.  Over the last couple months, I have adopted this saying/principle: Double it up!  By doubling recipes and other things, I can save myself a lot of time.  Making a pie crust that you regularly bake?  Double the recipe, and store half in the freezer for next time.  Cooking up some ground beef for your weekly tacos?  Cook two pounds instead; use one pound, freeze the other for next week!  Making the kids' lunches?  Why not make double of everything (in my case, I do 4 of everything-two kids lunches for two days).  You can quickly and easily use snack sized baggies and fill your fridge with a weeks' worth of easy-to-pack lunch items (not to mention saving lots of money by bagging them yourself vs. buying pre-packaged snacks).

This principle can be applied in other areas, too.  While pumping breastmilk on my break at work, I use my free hand to read my Bible.  Two things done at once!  Laying in bed watching TV?  Why not do some leg raises?  This one is more silly:  When I blow-dry my hair, I do abdominal exercises (think standing crunches-pivoting from the waist in different directions).  My hair gets done and I burn a few calories!  Silly?  Yes.  Time-saving?  Absolutely.

Think about the things you do each day.  Then, think about how you can "double it up".  Is there something you can do while waiting for the clothes to finish in the washer?  How about washing the dishes while your bread bakes in the oven?  Or menu planning and folding laundry while watching the latest episode of Fringe?  Okay, maybe not.  That show deserves your full attention.  Maybe Psych would be more suitable for multi-tasking.  Whatever it is, even if it's small, give a shot!  All the "little" time-savers add up to lots of extra time.  And extra time for me means sitting on my couch next to my husband while drinking a chai and doing absolutely nothing!  Now that is something I need more time for :)