Batch cook, set fake deadlines – and delegate: how efficient people get stuff done | Work-life balance

Prep the night before

“A frantic rush before I even open the door in the morning can leave me feeling off-balance all day,” says Dr Anjali Mahto, consultant dermatologist and founder of Harley Street clinic Self London. “So I take a calm few minutes the evening before to lay out tomorrow’s clothes and pack my gym bag.”

Milly Fyfe – farmer, podcaster, cookbook author and mother of two – makes packed lunches and fills in school forms before bed, “and breakfast is laid out so the children can help themselves once dressed”.

And Matt Flukes – who works as sales vice-president for a software company, has two adopted sons with his husband, volunteers as a trustee for the Counselling and Family Centre and writes children’s books – puts the washing machine on a timer, so that it finishes at 7am. “It makes the most of the cheaper overnight electricity and can be hung to dry before everyone else gets up.”

Boss your inbox

Treat email like real mail. “You open physical letters, then either recycle them, act on them straight away or put them in a pile for later,” says Flukes. “So either delete emails, reply, save in folders named, say, ‘info’ or ‘to action’, and dedicate some time each day to working through them.”

Use technology – and have a bit of fun

“I wake the kids with a Google Home smart speaker set up to remind them of any activities after school like karate or ballet, or play dates, tell a couple of jokes, give the weather forecast, then run a playlist of their favourite songs,” says Rachael Twumasi-Corson, non-executive director at Mensa, mother of four and co-presenter of the Mum Dem podcast.

Plan your meals and batch cook

Amar Latif, TV presenter and founder of Travel Eyes, a tour operator that provides independent group travel for blind and partially sighted people, says his blindness requires him to find time-saving solutions: “I chop onions, garlic, ginger and chillies at the start of the week to make sauces, and store them in plastic boxes in the fridge, so if I want to cook, I have everything ready.” To chop vegetables safely, he uses touch, holding the knife so that his knuckles are against the flat of it, and carefully keeps it at 90 degrees to the chopping board.

On Sundays, Priya Tew, a dietitian and pilates teacher who heads a household of eight, sits with a cup of tea and uses her diaries and some recipe books to plan the week’s meals. “I delegate a couple of them to my husband and older daughter, note down recipes for them to follow and then add what we all need to the shopping list.”

She multitasks, too. While making Sunday dinner, she will also bake healthy flapjacks or muffins with plenty of fruit and yoghurt in them for the kids’ lunches. She eats Sunday leftovers for her lunch during the week.

Lucy Porter, who runs her own business and is a single mum of three, says: “My best mate is the slow cooker. If the girls all have different things on at different times, dinner is ready whenever they desire. I also pop the ingredients in while eating breakfast, freeing up evening time.”

Make an impact, then sneak off

Need to limit your time at a work do or social event? “I wear a bright jacket to a reception, work the room, then remove the jacket so it’s less noticeable if I slope out early, which means I can get home for dinner,” says Laura Clarke, mother of three and chief executive of the charity ClientEarth.

Don’t be afraid to say no

“Before I commit to anything, I ask myself whether I should,” Mahto says. “Is it going to achieve something for me, my business or my family – or is it just a time filler, or fear of saying no?”

Joey Bowers, project manager for the Fostering Network, who has fostered 15 children alongside raising his own two, agrees: “I actively avoid being busy. Ask yourself why you are busy, and do you need to be? Are there changes you could make to spend more time on what’s most important to you?”

“I’m always being asked to do talks and attend events, and I usually say no,” Mahto says. “I’ve recognised my end goal isn’t to create social media content or be famous, but to run my clinic well – and that means putting the patients at the centre of it.”

Set fake deadlines

“If I’m working on an important project, I set myself a false deadline a few days before the work is due,” says Adrienne Adhami, author of Power Hour and presenter of a podcast of the same name. “Life is unpredictable and chaotic, so a false deadline allows for setbacks and mistakes along the way, giving you some slack.”

Go on a birthday card spree

“I bulk buy birthday cards so that I don’t have to run out and buy one every time it’s someone’s birthday,” says Dr Anita Mitra, gynaecologist, author of two books and mother to twin babies.

Don’t let your phone overwhelm you

“I turn notifications off and choose when to respond to calls and social media, making sure I prioritise writing or meetings when I need to,” says Dr Anna Volkmer, senior research fellow in Language and Cognition at UCL, who has published almost 50 research papers and blogged about juggling academic life and children. Then, at the end of the day, I comb through them to sort out anything outstanding.”

Married couple Lara and Danny Moody, who have two children and busy careers in TV, divide and conquer. “I receive all communication for our son, in primary school, and Danny covers our daughter, in high school,” says Lara. “It gives us both brain space to deal with everything else.”

Rely on others

Clarke advocates leaning on others, including involving “more efficient parents than me, who help with rides or childcare fails, and remind me about booking parents’ evening or making a Roman toga for school assembly”.

Have household meetings

Tew has a Sunday mini meeting with her husband to “check out any plans I don’t know about”. Bowers chats through plans at breakfast. “With lots of comings and goings, this helps things run smoothly.”

Get organised

“When I go away on book tours, I have a multiplug socket with all my devices – my watch, laptop and phone – plugged in ready to go, so I can just put it in my bag,” says Rob Biddulph, children’s author and illustrator, and father of three. Flukes says: “We organise our cupboards and fridge with Perspex containers, making it easier to get to what we need, plan meals and cook.”

Structure your to-do list

“I divide my work to-do list in three categories: ‘must do’, ‘would like to do’, and ‘if I have time’,” says Twumasi-Corson. “I then schedule time to do all the must-do tasks and take breaks. It means I get the important things done without being distracted by shiny new ideas.” Mahto’s weekly to-do list includes the order in which tasks should be completed, and who is responsible for each: “I need to be able to glance at that list and see immediately what needs to be completed today.”

Protect me-time

For Andria Zafirakou – a schoolteacher, 2018 Global teacher of the year, author of two books, charity founder and mother of two – protecting me-time is a must. “I pay for an expensive gym membership, so that incentivises me to go. I force myself to leave school by 4.45pm on at least one day so that I can.”

Others prefer to find this time at the start of the day. “I wake up 5.30am and use the first hour of the day to focus on something I want to achieve,” says Adhami, “It could be reading a book or going for a run. That way, no matter what happens for the rest of the day, I’ve done at least one thing for myself.”

Make a plan for tomorrow

Before clocking off, “write down the things you want to nail first thing in the morning,” says Flukes. “It sets you up for a good day. Writing tasks down also means they’re out of your head, allowing you to get on with your evening.”