From cooking to consultancy, medicine to maths, British mums are holding down an impressive 12 jobs at a time, doing more work at home on a daily basis than the majority of us do in a week.
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And it’s not just at home that mum is working hard, with the Tesco Mobile Family Matters Index revealing that two thirds of mums juggle their 12 ‘mum roles' alongside full or part time work.
Dubbed the ‘SMARTmum’, for running so many different tasks at once, the mums of Britain are taking on the role of everything from stock controller to travel agent and family PA to party planner, according to the report commissioned to mark the launch of Tesco Mobile Family perks.
Whilst mum takes on a dozen roles a day, in most British households, dad sticks to the traditional tasks of handyman and sports coach, with both mum and dad taking turns to play taxi driver, sharing a 50/50 responsibility for ferrying around the kids.
SMARTmums are feeling under pressure to keep the household plates spinning with 76 per cent admitting they need a helping hand with the household management and almost all - 94 per cent - said they feel the household chores are never-ending.
Dr Katherine Rake, Chief Executive of the Family and Parenting Institute, said: “Mums today not only work longer hours both at work and within the home, but are also the lynchpin of family life and the hub for family communication.
"Parents today are under pressure from all sorts of angles, so whilst they should be celebrated for their multi-tasking magnitude, they always appreciate support in balancing work, life, childcare and managing the family finances,” she added.
Working with Dr Katherine Rake, Tesco Mobile has produced a list of top tips to keep the pressure and stresses of household work at bay:
- Get the kids involved: Kids like to help - lighten the household chores by assigning cleaning / cooking / dog walking challenges to the kids.
- Focus on one room at a time: If the house needs cleaning, looking at it as a whole can feel overwhelming, so just focus on one room at a time and make the job manageable.
- De-clutter: Life will feel less stressful if you have a clutter free home, and it makes cleaning quicker, so donate old toys, books and clothes to charity and recycle where you can.
- Save time when preparing the packed lunches: Use leftovers from the night before to save time in the morning before the school run.
- Save money at the supermarket: Head to the supermarket later in the day as this when you will find bargains on items near their sell by date.
- Limit stress when preparing for a family holiday: Make lists of what to pack and involve the kids by getting them to tick off their own lists.
- Make mornings fun: If you’re struggling to get everyone ready and out the house in the morning make it into a game.
- Create a planner: Put a planner up in the kitchen for family members to fill in so everyone is aware of each other’s movements and commitments.
- Set reminders on your phone: Don’t get in a flap about forgetting important dates, set reminders on your smart phone and let your technology remember for you.
Recognising that mums need a bit of support to help lighten the load, Tesco Mobile has launched Family perks. The initiative provides just one bill for multiple Tesco Mobile subscriptions and offers free extra minutes and downloads for families with two or more (and up to five) Tesco Mobile subscriptions on one account - making life even easier and better value for families
Visit tescomobile.com to get more tips and tricks to lighten the load and find out about the great family perks on offer.