Time management expert, Laura Vanderkam, gave a controversial tip on her new podcast, Before Breakfast—don’t prep the night before.
Her reasoning? It doesn’t save time, just shifts it, and most likely costs more time due to switching costs between tasks. Packing lunches at night takes just as long as packing them in the morning and robs you of the downtime post-kid bedtime.
Her solution? Find ways to simplify your morning routine, so you save time. If the kids can never find their shoes in the morning, work on finding a place that they always put their shoes when they get home. If picking out outfits is stressful, let the kids pick their own and explore having a capsule wardrobe for yourself.
So this week, stop looking at whether you are saving time in one area of your life, and try to save time across the board. Then you are genuinely saving time.
