Steph Pase is the powerhouse mum-of-two behind Just Another Mummy Blog and Steph Pase Planners, empowering households to reorganise and maximise the potential of their homes. With Australia in and out of lockdown, border closures and home schooling, Steph has reached out to lend a hand by sharing her top organisational tips and tricks to help families take control of their households and keep everyone mentally and physically healthy, during these challenging times.
Kids’ daily plans
Mamas, I feel you right now. We are all racking our brains to keep the kids entertained for longer than five minutes. What I find helps, is creating a small routine for them ahead of time. It can be as simple as craft time, watching a movie, outdoor play or reading books. Check out my Indoor + Outdoor Scavenger Hunt and 30 Home activities for Families printable charts, for some inspiration and ideas.
Plan your meals
Planning our meals each week not only makes our lives easier, eliminating the daily question of what am I going to cook tonight, but also allows us to save a lot of money and avoid food wastage. I meal plan for the week ahead every Sunday and try to cook one new recipe a week. You can find more recipes on my website.
Cleaning schedule
My cleaning schedule, which I have been using for years and is available to download for free, has allowed me to keep on top of my housework so I don’t have to spend all weekend cleaning. For example, I break up cleaning into sections each day which takes me 30 mins max, helping to reduce the feeling of chaos.
Schedule your movement
Being cooped up inside right now means most of us aren’t getting enough exercise or movement. I can’t stress enough how important it is for you to get out and go for a walk each day or do a home workout. Fresh air and endorphins will do you a world of good. Schedule this movement each day and tick it off!
Schedule self-care
I recommend writing out your favourite self-care practices and then allocating at least one to each day. It doesn’t have to be something that takes hours, it can be as simple as going to bed early, putting down your phone or doing a face mask. My free 30 Day Self-Care Challenge can provide you with easy ideas to fill your self-care cup back up.
Setting new budgets
Identify where you may be able to make some changes to minimise your cost of living. If you’re not sure where to start I recommend reading The Barefoot Investor. Look at your monthly fixed and variable expenses and compare these to your current income to see where you can save money.
Revisit goals
Now is a great time to reflect on the progress of your 2021 goals so far and list the little things you can still do to achieve these. Whether it’s starting a new business or hobby, now is the perfect time to research and get those plans in motion!
Refine your habits
Sticking to good habits is important right now as it’s so easy to fall into bad habits during times like these (I know I have). For me, habits like mediation, writing my to-do list, two litres water consumption and daily walks are keeping me sane! Small efforts equate to enormous results.
