There was a time when I thought being more productive meant figuring out how to fit more into my day.
Wake up earlier. Make a better schedule. Clean faster. Meal prep more. Stay more organized.
But with four kids, a house, work, appointments, activities, and all the little things that somehow need to be remembered, I’ve realized I don’t actually need more ways to do more.
I need fewer things taking up my time in the first place.
So lately, when I find something that makes everyday life easier, I pay attention. Sometimes it’s a product that does part of the work for me. Sometimes it’s paying for convenience when it’s worth it. And sometimes it’s simply changing the way I do something so I’m not creating extra work for myself.
These are some of the things that have genuinely saved me time—or at least saved a little of my energy—and made busy days feel more manageable.
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1. Stop Spending an Hour at the Grocery Store
Grocery pickup and delivery have probably been some of the biggest practical time-savers for me.
It’s not just the time spent walking through the store, either. When I plan our meals first and order what we actually need, I’m less likely to wander around throwing random things into the cart and then still wonder what we’re eating for dinner three days later.
I try to choose a handful of realistic dinners first, add what we need to the cart, and schedule pickup or delivery.
It removes an entire errand from my day—and with kids, sometimes that alone feels like a win.
2. Let Dinner Cook Without You
I don’t need dinner to be impressive on a random Tuesday. I need it to feed everybody without requiring me to stand in the kitchen for an hour.
My Crock-Pot is one of my favorites when I can think ahead in the morning. I can get dinner started earlier in the day and let it do most of the work while I move on to everything else.
And when I absolutely did not think ahead? That’s usually when the air fryer comes in.
Both have become staples in our house because they reduce the amount of hands-on time I need to spend making dinner.
What I use:
Crock-Pot 7-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker — I’ve used Crock-Pot slow cookers for years. My exact model is a little different, but I currently use a similar programmable version and love being able to get dinner going earlier in the day and let it cook while I move on to everything else.
Gourmia 7-Quart Digital Air Fryer — This is the air fryer I use, and it’s one of my go-tos when I need to get dinner on the table quickly without spending a ton of time in the kitchen. The 7-quart size works well for our family, and I love being able to throw something in and let it cook while I’m doing something else.
3. Cook Once, Feed Everyone Twice
If I’m already cooking, making enough for leftovers takes very little additional effort and can save me from starting completely over the next day.
Good glass food-storage containers have been especially useful for this. Mine have lasted, they’re easy to grab for leftovers, and being able to see what’s actually in the refrigerator makes it much more likely that we’ll eat it instead of forgetting about it.
I also try to clean while I’m already in the kitchen. If something is cooking in the Crock-Pot or air fryer, that’s a perfect time to load the dishwasher, clear the counters, or put ingredients away.
It’s much easier than walking back into a completely destroyed kitchen after dinner when I’m already tired.
What I use:
M MCIRCO Glass Food Storage Containers — I’ve used glass containers like these for leftovers and meal prep for years, and they’ve held up really well. I love being able to see what’s in the fridge, reheat leftovers easily, and use the same containers over and over instead of constantly replacing them.
4. Let Something Else Clean the Floor
There are some things I don’t necessarily need to do myself every single time.
Vacuuming is one of them.
A robot vacuum can handle some of the everyday crumbs, dirt, pet hair, and whatever else ends up on the floor while you’re doing something completely different.
No, it isn’t going to replace every bit of cleaning. And yes, depending on your children, you may want to make sure there aren’t seventeen toys on the floor first.
But anything that can quietly maintain part of the house without requiring me to physically do it gets my attention.
Recommended by someone I trust:
iRobot Roomba 105 Combo Robot Vacuum & Mop with AutoEmpty Dock — My mom has had a Roomba for quite a while and loves it. I’m not sure which exact model she owns, but hers gets plenty of use and has held up well. A robot vacuum is still on my own wish list, and if the goal is saving time, I especially like the idea of a version that can vacuum, mop, and empty itself.
5. Stop Doing Your Hair Every Morning
One of my favorite time-saving things has absolutely nothing to do with cleaning or organization.
Heatless curls.
I only wash my hair a couple of times a week, and heatless curlers have made getting ready in the morning so much easier.
Instead of standing there curling my hair in the morning, most of the work happened while I was sleeping.
That is exactly the kind of multitasking I can get behind.
What I actually use:
Kitsch Satin Heatless Curling Set — This has become one of my favorite shortcuts for getting ready. I’ve found that my best results actually come from styling my hair first after wash day, then wrapping it in the heatless curler at night to preserve the curls for the next few days. I can also use it on dry hair with a little curl cream for a softer result. Since I don’t wash my hair every day, rewrapping it at night helps keep my hair looking done without having to completely restyle it every morning.
I may have to do a full tutorial on exactly how I use mine because this little shortcut deserves its own post.
6. Steam It and Move On
You know the clean clothes that sat in the laundry basket a day—or three—too long?
Suddenly everything is wrinkled even though technically you did, in fact, finish the laundry.
I’m not interested in pulling out an ironing board every time this happens, and I definitely don’t want to wash something again just because it’s wrinkled.
A small handheld steamer is one of those things I’ve been meaning to add to our routine for exactly this reason. Hang the clothes up, steam out the wrinkles, and move on with your life.
I’m currently looking for the right handheld steamer to add to my own routine, so I’ll update this once I’ve found one I actually love.
7. Put Repeat Purchases on Autopilot
There are certain things we know we’re going to need again.
Toilet paper. Dishwasher tabs. Household basics. Filters. Personal-care products.
I don’t need my brain to be responsible for remembering every single thing our household is about to run out of.
For the things we consistently use, automatic deliveries or subscriptions can remove one more thing from the mental list.
That doesn’t mean putting everything on auto-delivery or buying things you don’t need. It just means noticing the purchases you make over and over again and asking whether there’s an easier way to handle them.
The less I have to remember, the better.
8. Stop Making Seventeen Trips Back Into the House
Kids have a special talent for slowly moving the contents of your house into your vehicle.
Water bottles. Jackets. Papers. Shoes. Toys. Random things you don’t even remember allowing them to bring into the car.
Instead of trying to carry everything inside in one giant armful—or making trip after trip—I love the idea of keeping a collapsible basket in the car.
Fill it up, carry everything inside at once, empty it, and put it back.
The same idea works inside the house, too. If things have migrated into the wrong rooms, toss them into the basket and redistribute everything in one trip instead of bouncing back and forth through the house.
Little thing that makes life easier:
SAMMART 42L Collapsible Laundry Basket — My cousin has this exact collapsible basket and loves it. I like the idea of keeping one in the car for all the random things that accumulate with kids, then carrying everything back into the house in one trip. It folds down when you aren’t using it, so it doesn’t have to permanently take up space.
9. Do Tomorrow a Favor Tonight
I’m not talking about creating some elaborate two-hour nighttime routine.
Sometimes it’s five or ten minutes.
Check tomorrow’s calendar. Put anything that needs to leave the house by the door. Get the coffee ready. Make sure the kids have what they need. Think about what everyone is wearing.
Anything I can handle tonight that prevents frantic searching tomorrow morning is worth it.
I’ve learned that a little preparation usually takes far less energy than trying to recover from chaos once we’re already running late.
And if you’re looking for more simple systems that make running a home with kids easier, you might also like 10 Things That Make Keeping a House With Kids So Much Easier.
10. Ask Yourself: Can I Remove a Step?
This might be the biggest shift for me.
Before buying another organizer, downloading another productivity app, or trying to become better at doing everything, I’m learning to ask:
Is there a step here I don’t actually need to be doing?
Can the groceries come to me?
Can dinner cook while I’m doing something else?
Can something automatically clean the floor?
Can I cook enough once instead of cooking twice?
Can I do my hair while I sleep?
Can I automate something I keep having to remember?
Sometimes the best time-saving hack isn’t figuring out how to do something faster.
It’s figuring out how to do less of it.
You Don’t Need to Become Better at Doing Everything
There will always be another load of laundry, another meal to make, another appointment to remember, and something else someone needs.
The goal isn’t to squeeze more and more into every available minute.
Sometimes making life easier is simply noticing where your time and energy keep disappearing—and finding one small way to take some of it back.
Start with the thing that annoys you most.
Automate it. Simplify it. Prepare it once. Pay for the convenience when it genuinely makes sense. Or stop doing a step that never needed to be there in the first place.
The goal isn’t to squeeze more into your day. It’s to leave a little more room in it for you.