Single Parent Life Hacks By Indigo Smith
My name is Indigo. My daughter is Ruby. She’s 8 now, and we’ve been on our own at home since she was 1. Don’t worry, the amount of house work went down significantly from that point onwards!
As a parent on their own, I often have those moments of feeling literally insane – asking the same question a thousand times, wondering how time moves so quickly in the mornings, crushed under the weigh of responsibility that everyone else seems to breeze through.
Over the years, I’ve come up with some time savings ideas which work great in our house. I’ve also asked for ideas from other parents and would love to hear your thoughts. Lets share and grow together!
We have three laundry baskets
One for whites in the bathroom, and one for colours and another for darks that live on our landing. When I open the laundry basket, I can see that it’s full and ready for that load, rather than sifting through and spending time waiting for laundry and doing loads in one go.
We also have small baskets in the hallway
For socks, winter hats, hair bands and brushes, and sunscreen. So rather than running upstairs in those inevitable forgetful moments, I have my hands on the missing item straight away.
Another basket for the hallway
‘Stuff’ that arrives from the other parents house. Be it toys, clothes, shoes, little notes your little wonder has lovingly crafted – pop it all in the basket, so it’s close to hand for a quick handover and limited, oh it’s half an hour until school and you haven’t packed trainers because it’s PE day and there are no trainers at said parents house. We learn, we adapt, we evolve.
Snack drawer
I’m sure we’ve all seen those videos or pictures of organised kitchen snack drawers and so on, but I’ve replicated this on a smaller scale with a basket for snacks like crisps and breakfast bars, another for drinks cartons and then for the bigger items like the water bottles and lunch bags. It makes mornings easier by just grabbing from the conveyor belt, then top up with the fresh items.
Outfit for the day
Another time saver for the mornings – setting out not just your kid(s) outfit for the day the evening before, but your own as well. Check the weather, what are your plans, pop it all on your chair ready to go. I’ve been that parent faced with the most solid of comebacks during the morning rush – “You’re not dressed either.” Alright kid, good one!
Lists, lists, lists, lists, oh and lists
Lists for the housework, lists for the food shop and meal prep, lists for the p’admin (personal admin), lists for the lists. Ticking those boxes is a real feel good and keeps you on track.
The best life hack of all – don’t be afraid to ask for help. Maybe that’s from your child, your bestie, your family, or even paying a professional to do a deep clean of your house a couple times a year.