I continue to learn new ways to simplify with an infant. While I had many systems that helped my productivity while I was working in an office, I’m finding that I need to create whole new set of routines as a stay-at-home mom.
I’ve always been a serious multi-tasker, but I don’t think that’s the healthiest, simplest way to live. Multi-tasking require more energy and often produces less. However, I do think there a few ways for healthy multi-tasking.
Excercise
I’m on a mission to lose all that pre-pregnancy weight, but I also want my son to be out in nature as much as possible and take in some of the sunny Vitamin D and fresh air. We have a nice routine going in our daily walk. This means guaranteed outdoor time for him, a good workout for me, not having to fit in a drive to the gym (or gym fees in our budget!) I even did this all bundled up in winter on sunny days. This is a wonderful way to rejuvenate. On rainy or extremely hot days, I head to the mall to walk and can run a few errands at the same time.

Kitchen Tools
I’m ALL about kitchen tools that multi-task. In fact, I’ve decluttered a number of them in the last 5 years, including our garlic press and most-recently our salad spinner. We chop our garlic with a good knife as we’re chopping the rest of our veggies, which means one less item to wash. And a kitchen towel does just fine drying our lettuce. Plus, we learned a trick awhile back to keep lettuce wilt-free longer - adding a paper towel to a ziplock bag or tupperware container where you store your lettuce will absorb any extra moisture. We rarely have wilty (and therefore wasted) lettuce by doing this.
Excursions
One of our favorite family activities is taking a day trip to a new place or spending time outdoors with a nice hike and a picnic. We try to do this often, and in addition to memorable family time, we get a nice workout from our walk, enjoy the fresh air and a break on our wallets with this usually free outing.

Cooking
Now that I’m at home during the day, I’ve been enjoying learning to cook. From simple crockpot recipes to meals using local food, it’s a wonderful hobby, but I also want to be smart about my time. So in addition to time (and dishwashing) saving meals in the crockpot, which usually last us for at least two days, I’m also learning to double recipes or make two. For example, when I make a quiche or lasagna, I make two and put one in the freezer for a later date. Soup is also a great “save some for later” meal.

Since I tend to feel more productive when I multi-task, I’m enjoying these healthier ways to do just that. What are some ways that you multi-task or are you trying to do less of that?