As I’ve been building Parint, I’ve noticed something surprising: The smallest parenting tips often create the biggest “a-ha” moments.

For example, I once suggested to a dad that he bring a sticker activity to lunch with his daughter.

• It kept his 5-year-old occupied.

• It helped them connect.

• It prevented a hangry meltdown.

For me, this was normal. I’ve kept a go-to bag in the car with coloring books, stickers, and card games since my kids were little. But for him, it was a game-changer. He had never thought of it before, and it completely transformed their meal and something they continue to do.

It got me thinking: How many parenting “unlocks” do we all have that we don’t even realize?

Parenting is a decision-making marathon

The average adult makes about 35,000 decisions a day. I had to look that up multiple times because it didn’t even sound real.

Most of these are tiny like what to eat, whether to check our phone, how to respond to an email, etc. but they add up. And they’re exhausting. This decision-making fatigue, is been proven to drain our energy and increase stress.

And kids are making 3,000 decisions a day. While significantly less than adults, it’s still a lot! Our role is to help them make decisions, but also reduce some of that fatigue for our kids.

To cope, we develop shortcuts or small hacks that help remove friction. We might:

• Pick out clothes the night before to avoid the morning rush.

• Have a set breakfast rotation so we don’t waste time deciding.

• Use timer to know when to stop brushing teeth.

These little tricks aren’t just convenient. They’re survival mechanisms.

The hacks we’ve created

As your child has grown, you’ve created all sorts of micro-hacks without even realizing it. Here are a few:

Bedtime: Let your child choose between two pajamas so they feel in control.
Grooming: Use a 2-minute sand timer for toothbrushing to make it fun.
Mealtime: Keep a snack drawer with healthy options so kids can grab what they want.
Travel: Stash kids’ magazines in the car to prevent backseat fights.

Yes, parenting books and expert strategies are great. But in daily life? It’s the little things that make the biggest impact.

These tiny tweaks are the difference between a chaotic day and one that actually feels manageable.

Let’s share our hacks

You’re one of hundreds of parents reading Boardroom to Parint every week. Imagine if we pooled our best parenting hacks into one shared resource. How much easier would things be?

Here’s how to contribute:

1️⃣ Think of your favorite parenting hack, the small thing that makes your life easier. Ask yourself:

• What’s a recent routine problem I solved?

• What’s something I do to make a typically tough time of day easier?

3️⃣ Add it to this shared list (or reply and let me know)

I’ll review, organize, and share it back so we can all learn from each other.

Your tiny trick might be the exact thing another parent needs to make their day just a little bit easier.