Here are 3 easy ways a busy working mum in S’pore makes the best out of her day

Since becoming a mother, there never seems to be enough hours in a day. 

As other parents might be able to relate, keeping a house in order, caring for a baby and having a full-time job are extremely time-consuming.

Thankfully, I’ve figured out a ‘trick’ to maximise my time and make the best out of each day.

As working adults, many of us tend to dedicate our weekdays to working and leave errands and all other 'life' things for the weekend. 

While this seems like the natural thing to do, I’ve come to realise that making a conscious effort to make full use of my weekdays can make a world of difference to my productivity levels.

If you’re wondering how, here are three easy ways in which I make the best out of each day.

1. Finding time to exercise

In a bid to keep fit, I have made it my personal goal to exercise at least three times a week. 

Seems easy enough right? Nope.

By the time I end work, bathe my baby, put her to bed and prepare dinner, I find myself lying on my bed instead of exercising and I’m sure I’m not the only one.

I would tell myself that I’ll exercise at the end of the week, but when Friday rolls around, my weekends would be filled with meetups with friends and family or grocery shopping.

Since changing my mindset, I realised that I could maximise my weekdays by squeezing in a quick workout before work each morning. 

I began doing 10 to 20 minute YouTube workouts every morning which were not just efficient, but effective. 

Pro tip: I made sure I could do them at home and would only require simple equipment. 

I managed to stick to my exercise routine regularly and it makes me feel more energised and ready to start the day.

2. Spending time with friends and family

In the past, I used to only make plans with friends and family on the weekends. 

As a result, my weekends were jam-packed with things to do and I always found myself rushing around.

Nowadays, instead of cramming everything on the weekends, I arrange meetups with friends and family on weekdays.

Previously, what held me back from doing this was the thought that I would not have enough time after work.

However, I incorporated some simple (and seemingly obvious) ways to make these plans fit more seamlessly into my weekday:

• Plan meetups with friends near the office or home to save on travelling time
• Plan weekday dinners at the in-law’s or parent’s place and order in to save time on food preparation and cleanup

Doing this freed up my weekends a little more, and because of this, I’ve been able to spend more quality time with my husband and baby.

3. Save time running errands and grocery shopping

If you’re someone who feels like there’s always something you’ve forgotten to buy at the supermarket, you’re not alone.

“There’s no more laundry detergent.”

“Oops, we ran out of toilet paper.”

“Our baby has no more diapers!!!”

“Wait, didn’t we buy bread a few days ago? Did you eat everything?”

I kid you not, these are real conversations I’ve had with my husband over the past two weeks. 

With an overactive baby and a hangry husband at home, running out of detergent, toilet paper, diapers and bread are dire circumstances to be in.

The worst part is when these things happen on a weekday night once we’ve settled down at home, and the last thing we want to do is rush to the grocery store with a sleepy and cranky baby in tow.

pandamart

Thankfully, pandamart has become an affordable and convenient way for my husband and I to stock up on groceries and other essentials.

Besides saving us precious time by skipping the queues at the supermarket, there’s now no need for us to lug heavy and bulky items like diapers and milk powder home.

Plus, there are a slew of deals to get the most bang for your buck such as one-for-one deals, daily flash sales from 2pm to 5pm, and up to 50 per cent off selected items every week.

Good news, the above deals will be available from now till Aug. 28, and will apply to categories including alcohol, ice cream, snacks and meats.

Perhaps most importantly, we can get our groceries in as fast as 30 minutes, no matter the time of day (it’s open 24/7!) – a lifesaver when getting something we urgently need for our baby.

With so many categories and items to choose from, you’ll almost certainly find what you need on pandamart:

If you’re looking to save even more, consider subscribing to foodpanda’s subscription programme, pandapro, which entitles subscribers to unlimited free delivery on pandamart (with a minimum order of S$29).

From now till Aug. 31, the monthly pandapro subscription is going at only S$0.10. 

Other than unlimited free delivery on groceries, subscribers can also enjoy unlimited free delivery on food at thousands of restaurants and discounts on pick-up and when you dine-in.

If you’re looking to save precious time on grocery runs, check out pandamart here. 

This sponsored article in collaboration with foodpanda made the writer love pandamart even more.