Molly Gold's 10 Simple Tips that Help Moms Save Time

Each Spring, we depend on the latest surveys to help us shower our Mothers with a gift they will truly cherish. Oddly enough, these surveys consistently state that the number one ideal gift is time. Moms can have this gift year round when they streamline their schedules by making simple tasks less time consuming through the use of technology. By choosing household items with time saving technology, such as TiVo, Moms can provide media experiences that match family values on their clock. By saving everyone's favorite programming for designated down times or cherished family nights, Moms reign in the remote and make sure that when media meets the masses, its quality media that is welcome and enjoyed.

Use a Family Calendar System - A Mom-oriented planner is your roadmap to success because its portable and comprehensive format enables tracking of all family members schedules in one place. You can monitor commitments and schedules to look for hot spot days that need reorganizing to make things more manageable. You can protect time for both your family and yourself by blocking it as a non-negotiable priority. And you will harness your time to keep it consistent with your values and goals.

Time for Technology - Even for the most technically challenged Mom on the block, time saving solutions are just a flip of the switch away. Brave the new world and tackle one process at a time. Never home when family favorites air on TV? Use tools like Tivo to capture the best programming out there and enjoy TV on your time. Bill paying got you down? Sign up for online bill pay with your bank and you'll never be late again. Forget to take your camera to the championship game? Upgrade to a cell phone with photo capabilities and you'll always catch that smile in style. Make an online slideshow at One True Media to keep in touch with friends and family. The list goes on of how today's technology makes tomorrow less stressful. Choose what fits your family and enjoy!

Say No - Hard as it is, Moms need to say no with resolve to stay on track with the time commitments they have. Prior to saying yes, run the request through the ringer before you add it to your planner. Evaluate it for its relevance, your availability, and the timing of the item. Kindness is king and it's very important not to lose site of how important it is we help when we can. But keep in mind it won't do your family justice to over-commit yourself or them at the expense of down time and time as a unit. No today doesn't mean you won't be available next time. Be gentle in your delivery and offer an alternative to soften the blow. You'll be glad you did.

Plan B - Working parents can't afford to lose time scrambling when a child falls ill or there is an unexpected change in childcare options. Define a Plan B to navigate sick days in spite of workplace demands. Set fair guidelines accommodate alternating days, taking split shifts on single days, and using flexible leave judiciously. When at home, go mobile with your work using a headset, lap top, pda, portable file box and you are set. But keep your briefcase in second place when your child needs you most.

Divide and Conquer - When your family schedule is busiest, convene a family meeting to tell it like it is. Explain that it is not physically possible for you and your partner to attend every function for every child. Share the calendar, explain how you plan to attend events between the two of you and when pinch hitters, such as a favorite Aunt, Mom of the best friend down the street, will step up to the plate. It's a great time to talk about the "It Takes a Village" concept to your kids, letting them know that although you might not be there, they are blessed with special adults who care for them as well.

Nightly Necessities - Plan ahead every night by taking a few minutes to ready yourself and additional family members for the next day. Lay out clothes, pack back packs and briefcases, make lunches and sign paperwork, and most importantly, set the alarm and the coffee pot to rise earlier than needed so you can be ready to direct a smooth morning. You'll give everyone their best shot at a peaceful, happy day ahead by getting started without a rush of stress.

Organize Often - Make the choice to live a well organized daily life. Because when you take time to organize behind the scenes, you free yourself to live in the moment. Make weekly organizing a priority to stay ahead of the game. From meal planning to seasonal cleaning, managing your personal finance to planning your summer garden, each activity requires advance planning. Block an organizing window on your personal calendar weekly. Use this time to plan, research, outline logistics, and execute tasks that fall in this category. Use seasonal to-do lists to inspire your goals. Do not use this as a replacement for the usual duties of paying bills, filing papers, etc. You'll be amazed at how smoothly your year unfolds when the big projects come your way.

Homework Stations - When it comes to kids and projects, your best offense is a great defense. Encourage independence and designate a work station for your kids to do homework and projects and stock it with age appropriate supplies. Keep doubles of everything on the required supply list for the grade and get extra credit by having interesting arts and craft items, report folders, and plenty of poster board. Provide a calendar for your children to refer to for important deadlines and work with them to map their workload into manageable chunks. Project management is a lifelong skill worth teaching and mastering.

Car Pool Champion - Whether its your daily car pool or weekend activities, restock your car daily with necessary items, such as sports equipment for players and entertainment or portable homework desks for siblings along for the ride. Encourage your kids to use different bags for each activity and charge them with reloading the bag for fresh supplies each time they empty the dirty ones. Join the crowd and have a portable file box to tote any items you can work on while waiting in line, in a dance studio lobby, or on the sidelines during practice. This is found time you can use wisely to free yourself later in the day for full family focus. Now that's a goal worth achieving!

Clean Smart - Keeping a clean home can seem like an insurmountable task for moms who keep a busy schedule. But if you clean smart so you don't have to clean hard, you'll find it to be manageable and easy to delegate to family members who can help. Map a regular cleaning schedule onto your master calendar and rotate tasks weekly to keep the time allotted to cleaning a minor item on the weekly calendar. Assemble products and supplies in caddies in advance by floor and make sure every bathroom has what it needs for quick touch ups. Introduce time-saving solutions such as multi-surface cleaners, disposable dusters, and daily shower cleaners to take make the task less difficult to tackle.

GO MOM !NC Founder, Molly Gold, is a 40-year-old mother of three and the creator of The GO MOM!^® product line. Gold is known for her keen insights into Family Scheduling and has been featured both in print and on air media alike. Gold currently serves on Proctor & Gamble's Mr. Clean Team Expert Panel, Cartoon Network's Tickle U Advisory Board and as Family Scheduling Expert at both www.BlueSuitMom.com, and www.NewBaby.com. Gold's work has most recently been featured on NBC's Today Show Weekend Edition, as a contributing author in the newly released, The Experts Guide to the Baby Years, by Samantha Ettus, Women's Health Magazine, and in the February 2007 Family Fun Magazine.