Many problems in our lives are simply the result of destructive behavior. As an expert in time management at home, I can think of many self-induced problems in an area where most of us spend a great deal of our available time: in the area of cooking for our family.
The purpose of this article is to highlight several of those issues and… better yet… tell you what you can do to change those destructive behaviors.
There are 5 main problems that I run into over and over again. These are issues that, if resolved, will greatly reduce the stress and anxiety in your life. They are:
- Not planning ahead
- Not preparing in advance
- Not following eating plans.
- not using time wisely
- Not using resources wisely
Let’s lightly touch on each of these along with some solutions because identifying a problem without then identifying a way to fix it still leaves you with the same problem.
Not planning ahead
I must say that this is the number one obstacle for everyone who spends too much time cooking. Planning ahead covers so many things: meals, shopping, who cooks, what time to eat, what to eat. If you don’t take the time to look ahead to the week ahead, you may be spending hours cooking that you could/should be doing other things.
Solution: Take some time on the weekend to look at the week ahead and what is happening in your family. Does your child have a game you want to attend? Then plan leftovers for that night. Does your daughter have a play? Then plan a casserole in the crock pot in the morning so dinner is already ready when you get home. Do you expect mid-week services? Plan ahead so you’re not in a hurry and end up skipping.
Not preparing in advance
Advance preparation naturally follows advance planning. If you don’t prepare ahead of time, you won’t know how to get all the items needed for each meal. You will not cook sooner than you could. You won’t have anything in the freezer to pull out for a quick meal.
Solution: Here’s the thing… a lot of things can be prepared ahead of time. Last-minute, time-consuming trips to the grocery store should/could be a thing of the past. The burger meat can be browned over the weekend and frozen for use later in the week. You can prepare for a quick meal by pulling homemade soup out of the freezer that was placed 2 weeks ago.
Not following eating plans.
Meal plans are… by far… my favorite not-so-secret weapon for changing destructive cooking behaviors. That’s because there’s one thing you can count on…your family will need to be fed today, tomorrow and the day after. However, when you don’t follow meal plans, you end up struggling with the problem day after day, week after week, and month after month.
Enough already!
Solution: Resolve to create and use weekly meal plans. The time you will need to invest in creating them is much less than you imagine, but for every minute of planning you will save HOURS in the future.
not using time wisely
I have already alluded to this in the previous examples. When you don’t plan ahead, cook ahead, have things in the freezer to get out quickly and easily, and have the necessary groceries on hand, you’re wasting precious time that you can never get back.
Solution: Resolve today to start using your time wisely by doing all the things I’ve mentioned here: plan ahead, prepare ahead, and use your time and resources wisely.
Not using resources wisely
This is another big hurdle for many families. You would consider your spouse a resource. Do you have a teenage son? Resource! Even the smallest children are wonderful helpers.
Solution: You could put something in the freezer… say, a meatloaf… that your teenage daughter could cook in an afternoon when you’re late. Need a night out with the girls? If her spouse doesn’t cook, ask her to serve you leftovers. I need washed vegetables for salads. Even much younger children can help with that.