One of the things I love most about learning time management is how those skills quietly improve everything else. Even dinner!
Of all the things I juggle each day, deciding what to make for dinner might be the single biggest stressor. It’s not just cooking. It’s the nonstop microdecisions before you even turn on the stove: What do we have? Does it need defrosting? Did this expire? Will this be ready before my partner gets home? How many dishes will this make? And that’s all before anyone’s actually eaten!
I used to dread dinnertime. But over time, I’ve made a few small changes that helped me calm the chaos and feed our family without burning out (or burning the roast!). Here are three things that made all the difference:
1. Start before your brain says it’s ready.
I’ve noticed I put off dinner tasks not because they’re hard, but because I think they’ll take forever. So I started timing them. Washing a full sink of dishes? 8 minutes. Cooking burgers from scratch? 20.
What I realized was that the worry about the task took more time and drained my energy more than actually doing it. Now when I feel myself dreading dinner, I try to gently override it. Start before I feel ready. It’s almost always quicker and calmer than I expect.
2. Prep puzzle pieces, not full meals.
I used to meal prep entire dishes on Sunday, only to change my mind and let them go uneaten. These days, I prep smarter by using building blocks:
- Precook a couple proteins that can be reheated – my favorites are strips of chicken or steak that can be used in everything from fajitas to salads.
- Pre-measured rice portions let me just dump a bag into my Instant Pot with a cup of water without thinking. A push of a button, and it’s good to go.
- Washed, chopped veggies can be added to salads as-is, or they’re ready to saute or steam when I need them.
It feels like mixing and matching puzzle pieces, which is way more fun. I can create whatever I want in the moment with a lot less effort. Plus, I get fresh-tasting meals without the midweek stress and I waste less food. Win-win!
3. Make fewer decisions, on purpose.
Breakfast and lunch are on autopilot: toast, a smoothie, maybe leftovers. That leaves only one meal each day that needs real attention. Reducing decision fatigue (especially at the end of the day) has made a huge difference. Dinner doesn’t feel like a test anymore. It’s just one more part of the day I’ve learned to simplify.
If dinner is feeling like a daily battle, you’re not alone, and you’re not doing anything wrong! Sometimes a few tiny shifts are all it takes to reclaim your evenings and feed yourself with less overwhelm.
Progress over perfection still holds true — even in the kitchen!
