I have quickly gone from being a SAHM with a very small part time job to what almost feels like a full time WAHM. I'm noticing that I'm 'on the clock' most of the day. Or at least until I go pick up the kids from school.
I love this new opportunity and really enjoy bringing some money into the household, but I realize everything else is falling by the wayside.
No time to clean, organize or anything really. I try to force myself to take a 30 minute lunch and still end up cutting it short to get back to work.
Granted during my time at the desk I do glance at emails a little and I may do 1-2 pertinent personal tasks if necessary. Of course I'm 'off the clock' while doing these personal tasks.
So I realize I need to step back and review everything to get better organized with this new way.
When you are working full/part time, when do you do all your household things?
Cleaning, organizing, I do grocery shopping on Saturday.
Thanks for your input!!!
I don't do all the household things. I do 1/2, DH does 1/2 and the cleaning lady (every 2 weeks) helps out immensely.
Here are some of the things I do to stay organized:
*Do you have a smartphone? I use an app called Calengoo (it's not free, but it is inexpensive) to sync with my Google Calendar. I have all our events on it, and can color code for each member of the family. I use the task function to make separate lists (Target, to do, groceries, etc.), and you can date each task or not. It's really nice to have access to all that stuff on my phone.
*The person who said you should downsize is right. Getting rid of stuff is one of the critical things that organized people do. Walk through your whole house at least once a week, and put things you don't need anymore in a bag. There are charities that will come to your house once every month or two to pick up stuff. Don't get rid of stuff just once; keep getting rid of stuff regularly.
*Schedule errands to happen after work, maybe before you pick up the kids, if possible. Plan them in advance so you could do a few at the same time, if they are located near each other.
*On Sundays, plan your meals for the week (or do it Saturday before you grocery shop), and then look at your calendar for the week and plan when you will do each thing that needs to be done.
*I also liked what one person said -- her husband does 50%. If you are both working, then you both should be doing half of the house work. Sit down with him and plan out what each of you will be responsible for. That person has a cleaning service, and so do we -- and it is terrific.
Someone on here mentioned flylady.net. I have been using her techniques and I love it. It's all about creating habits. My sink has been shiny for 2 weeks now. :)
Check her out. Seems really silly but works.
A friend of mine once told me, "No one ever put that she was a really good housekeeper on her tombstone." This helped a lot to prioritize what was truly important. My house can get pretty messy for sure, but if I have to make the choice between playing with my daughter or mopping the floor, my daughter wins every time. At the end of the day, I will never regret spending time with my kids over housework.
Get a Roomba. I do almost all my cleaning/organising after the boys are in bed. Standards do fall, but so what.
I teach online from home for half of my full time workload and I take my breaks by running around for 15 minutes: throw in some laundry, load the dishwasher, wipe done a bathroom, change a bed...all of these are things I can get done during my "break" and because they are a bit physical, I feel better when I am done. My house still looks a bit messy, but these breaks make the difference between chaos and comfortable family mess.
I used to crazy clean every weekend before I had kids and then came to the realization I wasn't superwoman. I try to maintain during the week. I start laundry on Weds or Thurs so it's done by the weekend. I spot clean as needed and then have a cleaning lady every 2 weeks. We grocery shop as a family on Sunday. It works for us.
I also recommend the fly lady! Her concepts are great, and one of her mottos is "You can do anything in 15 minutes!" I use this concepts all of the time, and even change the time as needed. However much time I have, whether is 5 minutes or 45 minutes, I set a timer. You go as fast as you can for the time you set, and then stop. Wait until you have some more free time to go again. Even 5 minutes can help keep you up to date with your chores. You might have to spend one weekend deep cleaning your house so that all you have to do is upkeep. Or you can go slow and steady, but it takes a little longer to get your house to the way you want it. Either way, you are able to keep it up once it is done. She also mentions getting up just 15 minutes earlier than you already do. You would be amazed at how much you can accomplish in these few extra minutes!
check out Flylady.net. She has tips on organization and how to keep your house clean in half the time without being overwhelmed.
DOWNSIZE!!!! It really, really helps. Just take 1/2 of Saturday to get everyone to get rid of stuff they don't like, use, need, or deeply love. Fill up bags and boxes and have hubby run them over to Goodwill. This has really really helped us. Even the kids rooms are easy to keep clean since they know where everything goes and it all has its place. And pick your battles. You don't have to clean the entire floor every day. Just wipe up spills and spots and use the dust buster for crumbs. (Or let the dog in!). So no one cares if your house is spotless. Good luck!!!
