Being a mom means learning to multi-task. We have no choice but to do more than one thing at a time. When I had my first son, it was not uncommon to see me wearing him in a sling with a phone headset on my head and a spatula in my hand. I made phone calls, soothed my child, and prepared dinner at the same time.

Networks of support (aka talking to girlfriends) are essential to mom’s experience of success and achievement. But how can we take time out of our busy days to talk with our friends? Well, here are a few suggestions of what you can accomplish while you are on the phone.

1. Make the bed. We all appreciate falling into a nicely made bed in the evening, but sometimes it is hard to find the time to make the bed. Talking on the phone is a great moment to make the bed(s).

2. Tackle the laundry. It’s easy to put a load in while you are chatting on the phone. Folding clean laundry is another good use of time while you are chatting. And, you might as well put away the folded laundry sitting in the basket on the floor of your bedroom too.

3. Unload the dishwasher. Save unloading the dishwasher (quite the tedious and boring task) for that daily phone call with your mom. This is also a good time to load the dishes into the dishwasher.

4. Straighten up. With the cordless phones most of us use today, we can walk around the house and put away misplaced items, straighten the pillows on the sofa, or go on a treasure hunt for socks (which in my house seem to find their way all over the place).

5. Sit outside. Every mother deserves at least five minutes of peacefulness throughout her day. Seize those moments while you are on the phone with a friend.

6. Take out the trash. Go throughout your house collecting garbage while you catch up with your sister who lives in another state.

7. Walk on the treadmill. Some of us watch TV while we are walking on the treadmill. Others like to talk on the phone. It’s like going for a walk with a friend. If you wake up early to exercise, call a friend who lives in a later time zone.

8. Unload groceries. After you get the groceries in from the car, it’s a great time to pick up the phone and call someone while you are putting the food away. It may also prevent you from snacking when you’re not hungry.

9. Prepare dinner. Start chopping vegetables for tonight’s dinner or get the pasta going on the stove. As long as you don’t have to pay attention to a recipe, it is easy to devote your attention to the conversation.

10. Sweep the floors. Many of us wouldn’t have time to sweep the floors if we didn’t attach that task to a phone call. It’s a mindless task that’s easy to do while in conversation.

Moms are constantly looking for ways to multi-task. Talking on the phone is a good time to complete tedious jobs around the house. Make sure you select a task that doesn’t take your mind away from the conversation. Being engaged in a good conversation can help ease the monotony of many daily chores.