Welcome to our next Elegant Value – Being Prepared! I’m sure we can agree stressing and rushing is not particularly elegant. One way to reduce our stress is to be well prepared. Of course, there will always be things that happen that we can’t plan for. However, having a back up plan can really help. Let’s dive right into some tips!
Meal Prep
We are going to start with the one I feel is going to be most obvious to everyone – meal prep! There are multiple ways to meal prep and I’m sure there is one that will help you!
Meal Planning
Your meal preparation could be as simple as planning out your meals between shopping trips. Knowing you don’t have to think about what to make for dinner can make for much less stressful evenings! You can also plan meals ahead based on how much time you will have that evening. For example, something quick on basketball practice nights and a more complex meal you want to try for the weekend. If you need more help with meal planning (and what it can save you!), you can find my meal planning series here.
Food Preparation
Another way you can meal prep is to actually prepare meals or parts of meals ahead of time. This can be anything from measuring out your cereal and toppings like the picture above or just cutting some extra vegetables. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Batch cook meat for the week
- Make salads in a jar for your week of lunches
- Cut up double vegetables while making dinner
- Grate extra cheese for a meal later in the week
- Double your dinner to eat leftovers for lunch the next day
- Cook a big batch of pancakes to eat for breakfast the next few days (heat them up in the toaster)
- Make multiple nights worth of meals
- Measure and mix smoothie ingredients into ziplock bags for the freezer
- Make dinner in the slow cooker for that evening
- Use a few spare minutes during the day to prep ingredients for dinner
Outfit Preparation
Make Sure Your Clothes are Ready to Wear
Don’t put something away that isn’t fit to wear. If something needs ironing, don’t hang it with the rest of your clothes until you iron it. If you know a top has a missing button, don’t hang it in the cupboard until you repair it. There is nothing worse than being in a time crunch in the morning, only to discover the dress you put on really needs to be ironed.
Curate a Wardrobe That is Cohesive
You probably aren’t going to be able to wear everything with every other thing in your wardrobe. But a good plan is to not buy anything unless you can wear it with two or more pieces your currently own. If you love dusty colours, don’t throw in a neon green top – it will go with nothing you have. You will give yourself more options when your wardrobe can be mixed up. It also saves you a lot of time. Instead of hunting for something to go with the skirt you pulled out, you know that you can grab a couple different tops that will match.
Plan Your Outfit Ahead of Time
This is especially true if you must leave the house in the mornings. Make sure your clothes are ready to go – uniform, workout gear, business suit etc. You will have more time to check everything is ready to be worn. You will also have a few extra minutes in the evening to add some fun accessories – something that often gets forgotten when you are rushing out the door.
Even if you work from home or are a homemaker (or homeschooler like me!), knowing what you are going to wear in the morning can save you precious minutes. There is always so much to do first up in the day – exercise, feeding the kids, getting breakfast, the laundry…. Often we have so many responsibilities, looking nice for the day gets pushed out.
Preparing Your Schedule
Work Buffers into Your Schedule
Where possible, add a little time to tasks. If you are driving to an appointment, add 5-10 minutes extra in case traffic is bad. If you are cooking before heading out, start 15-20 minutes earlier than the recipe allows. When you are cleaning the house before guests arrive, give yourself 10-15 minutes extra in case something takes more time than you thought. Allow extra time to get dressed in the morning if you can. And always, always allow plenty of time for kids to do absolutely anything!
Use Unexpected Free Time Well
Sure, it’s nice sometimes to have an unexpected free hour to relax and watch your favourite show. But try not to make a habit of it. If you suddenly find yourself with some time, look at some other jobs that need doing. In my post here, I talk about using spare minutes to get small jobs or parts of tasks done.
That’s not to say you should never relax. Certainly not! Rather, it’s about staying on top of your tasks so you can truly enjoy relaxing with your partner in the evening or leisurely cooking dinner instead of rushing to get it done.
Have a Back Up Plan
It’s not always possible but try to have some back ups to fall back on. The elegant woman knows she can’t be prepared for everything but she can do what she can. A back up meal, a plan when the baby won’t let you do anything without them, a spare outfit when your toddler falls in a puddle, a snack when your pre-schooler vomits up their breakfast. Anything to save yourself some stress.
But Why Would I Bother? Why is Being Prepared Elegant?
Why bother to meal plan? Can’t I enjoy some Netflix when my work meeting gets cancelled? All this requires too much thinking! It might feel like it does. Change one thing at a time. We are working on making ourselves and our lives more elegant, one habit at a time. Pick one thing. Be consistent; make it part of your routine. Work on it for three weeks. Then move on to the next one. Like I mentioned on my Instagram recently, Rome wasn’t built in a day but it was built eventually.
The elegant woman is calm, prepared and rushes as little as possible. A few changed habits can help us to stress less and enjoy our days a little more.
