The time-saving apps and devices that will give you your life back
Worker smarter, not harder!
It’s no secret that in this age of fast-paced living people are leaving less and less time for themselves.
A report by NAB found that feeling ‘time poor’ is far-reaching across the Australian population, with some of us willing to pay up to $131 for an extra hour in our day.
However, mums are perhaps the most affected group as we’re not only responsible for our own schedules, but that of our tiny humans as well.
We have pulled together a list of time-saving hacks to ease the pressure of mundane chores to help us Aussie Mums take some more time for ourselves, whether that means visiting a kid-free friend, taking a long bath, or actually finishing a cup of tea!
A little extra time in our days for the good stuff is what we all want (Image: Getty)
Work smarter not harder!
Research shows that 17 percent of our day is spent on household chores. Whether that’s in the kitchen, laundry or everyday cleaning, it’s no secret that these tedious tasks chip into our ‘me-time’.
But don’t fear – you can get some time-saving products for around the home.
The advent of robotic vacuums and mops – for example the iRobot Roomba i7 and it’s pal the iRobot Braava Jet Mop, available on Catch.com.au can save you up to 110 hours of cleaning a year!
WATCH: Watching a robot vacuum clean for you is so, so satisfying. Continues after video …
Make services come to you
Keen to invest in some self care but don’t have the time to travel to and from appointments or to find child care? Mobile beauty services could be for you!
The advent of mobile beauty therapists allows users to book salon-quality treatments to their home, hotel or work office, saving huge amounts of time (and effort) to-and-froing from appointments.
On-demand apps such as Stylemee, provide make-up, hair cutting and styling, nails and tanning services to your doorstep – meaning you can get your treatments while your baby is napping, leaving you more time to relax!
Cut your commute time
Cut time from your work commute by using apps like Spacer.com.au that let you borrow a parking space. If you’re a working mum and commuting to your job daily, heading to the shops or even on holiday, you can save the hassle of searching endlessly for a car park – even stop worrying about fines.
You can hire a space for the day, a week or month, which results in saving up to $700 dollars a month and 125 days of your life!
WATCH: 7 tips for online shopping . Continues after video …
Save time shopping
Have an event coming up but can’t be bothered (and don’t have time) to trawl through the shops for hours on end for a new kit? Why not buy rent something right from your device and have it sent to your home?
Platforms such as The Volte allow users to browse thousands of designer outfits to rent for a fraction of the price to be shipped directly to your home, saving you hours in the shopping centre.
If you dread taking the children around the shops and the amount of time it takes you to commute there, then one-stop online shops such as Catch.com.au can save you time and huge amounts of money, with daily deals on leading brands. You can literally find everything you need in one place – from detergent to Dior!
Queue for no man
It’s advice we’ve all heard before; “arrive 30 minutes prior to your show for ticket queues”. When you’ve finally found a second for a bit of leisure time, or maybe a hot date, it’s the last thing you want to hear.
Luckily, a number of online ticketing platforms such as TodayTix allow you to pre-purchase tickets to shows, arts and cultural experiences, meaning less time queuing and more time experiencing.
Multitasking might be our jam, but we could all do with a little extra time in our day! (Instagram/LauraByrne)
Ditch the blow-dryer
If you dread hair-washing night because it’s such a lengthy process, dry shampoo could be for you. A quick spritz can refresh your hair back to its post-wash feel instantly, allowing you to push the wash-date back until absolutely necessary.
Alternatively, if it’s not the washing but the blow drying that keeps you in the bathroom too long, products like the Illuminate Me Microfibre Hair Wrap dry your hair more effectively than bath towels and prevent damage. They also lock and stay in place with the twist & loop design meaning you can go about your day while your hair dries by itself.
There are also a wide array of other time-saving apps such as Mad Paws on-demand dog walking or Zoom2u on-demand couriers, to save extra valued hours.
If you feel like an overextended mum (and who doesn’t these days), adopting the above tips can put the “where has the day gone?” question to bed and help you get the most out of your 24 hours.
