As a new Mom, I have come to learn the importance of creating a plan to tackle my “to-do” list each week.  Before having our daughter Payton in April, I could make trips to the grocery store, the mall, or drop a package off at the post office whenever I wanted to and usually with very little stress.  Now that I have Payton with me most of the time, running errands just isn’t that simple!  Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love being a Mom…but I have learned that the more organized I am, the easier it is to get things done.

I try to take a few minutes on Sunday afternoon or evening to review my calendar for the week ahead.  I ask my husband what his schedule is like for the week as well.  This way I know which nights we will be home for dinner together.  Next, I take out my recipe books and do my meal planning for the week.  From there, I take a quick inventory of our pantry, refrigerator and freezer and jot down a list of items I need to buy. (Need a system for this process? Try the Simply Placed Meal Planning Made Easy System to save time, money and stress with your meal planning and grocery shopping week after week).  I only try to go to the grocery store once a week if possible.  If you find it challenging to even make it to the store once a week, there are a number of great websites available today like Amazonfresh.com where you can order your groceries at home online with a few clicks of the mouse and have them on your front porch the next day.

After creating my grocery list and my “to-do” list for the week, I figure out what day and time works best to do my shopping and errands and then add those specific tasks to my calendar.  I always try to group errands together that are in the same vicinity.  This will save you time and money.  I have found that if I don’t schedule the time to get my errands done, they may not get done.  I also try to work around my daughter’s eating and napping schedule, so I am at the store when she is well-fed and well-rested, which makes our trip much more pleasant for Mom and daughter.

Of course life happens and things do come up to interfere with my weekly plan from time to time, but I have found this has really helped me stay organized and productive.  Now, take a few minutes and create your weekly plan…I promise you will be so glad you did!