Making time for chores when in FT work

Rose_Crow

Hi everyone, I'm not sure if this is right board to post in but I always enjoy reading these threads, you all seem to have lots of good advice. Can I ask for some of it?

Both my OH and I work FT, he runs his own business so if often driving long distances and can be home later than the usual 9-5.30. I also have a FT job, but it's much less demanding. I do however have 4 ponies (with my sis, we share the jobs and costs) and these guys take up a lot of my time. I will explain my time table as such in minute but basically I just don't have the free time to get any of the other things done. OH does just as much housework as me (and it's only a small house but struggle to keep it tidy, it's a bit depressing coming home to an unkempt house). It's really all the other jobs, for example the fence and decking needs painting, the shed needs emptying, loads of stuff dumping and a new shed as the roof's gone on this one and won't last the winter. My time table goes something like this:

6am: alarm goes off
6:30: convince myself to get out of bed and get ready
8am: arrive at stables, thankfully my lot all live out all year, apart from the shetland who sometime needs to be stabled during the day for medical reasons. In the mornings I take down breakfast, clear poo, do water etc, and any other jobs like escaped horses. I tend not to go 100mph as I'm not a morning person. I should also do some work on the ground with my ridden mare if I have time.
9:10: leave yard and go straight to work
9:30-5:30: work
6pm: back at yard - this bit varies, as 3 days a week I'm meant to ride (weather dependant!), once a week I go super quick as have pilates at 7:30pm, and one day a week sis does them so I have an evening off (but I do swim on that eve). Usually I collapse at home at about 8.30pm on the days I ride. This also doesn't leave much time for cooking dinner, which is another problem! I sometimes feel like I have a second FT job! Of course I wouldn't change them for anything, I just want to be more efficient.

So that's Mon-Fri, not a lot of room for maneuver there. Weekends I'm either competing, which wears me out so the rest of the day I don't get much done on that day, or spending time going out with OH, otherwise we don't really see each other! As you can see this leave me no room at all for all the DIY and cleaning. This is a summer time table, in the winter we just do the horses as fast as possible and they get a holiday. Of course I can't get those outdoor jobs done in the winter if it's grim.

I just wondered if anyone had any time saving tips? For example our vacuum (Henry) doesn't seem to like our fluffy cats, so I suppose getting a new (efficient) vacuum would make life easier. That's the sort of thing I'm looking for suggestions on.

Thanks for reading if you got this far :T

MallyGirl

It is a challenge isn't it. I don't have ponies but do have sled dogs and a child.
6:30 I get up at do all the breakfast stuff and chivvying to get child out of the door at 7:45. Dash through the shower. OH leaves not long after.
8-9:00 walk the dogs
9-6:00ish work - thankfully from home
6:30 cook for DD
7:15 OH gets home and I cook for us
9:45 am off to bed as I am pooped!


Friday nights and Saturday mornings are spent getting DD to and from activities (band, drama). At least I don't have to fit the school run in as well any more as DD can walk to senior school.
If it is nice and cold I get up at 5:50 on Sat/Sun to take the dogs training (Dryland mushing) otherwise they just get an hour or 2 walk each day, plus lots of grooming.
We do have a cleaner but I sometimes wonder why! Dog fluff is generated constantly and the cat is good at catching things which need clearing up.
Shopping is delivered although I might pop out in my 'lunch break'. I do all the bills, finances, getting people in to fix things, booking holidays, general planning and making sure the house doesn't fall down around us.
I would like to do more exercise than just dog walking but I never seem to have the time. It would be worse without the option of doing everything online.

dingdongsaving

It's just a juggling act...

My hubby and I work ft and often 10+ hours at work. We make sure we have different days off so that we can have our little ones looked after by us for 4 days a week, but on the other 3 days it's manic to say the least.

I make sure I don't bring too much school marking etc. home by going in to school from 6am on the 2 days of the week my hubby keeps the little ones...and he often goes to work from 4am to get ahead on his 6am-4 shifts when I'm at home on Sat/Sun.

We have a rota for cleaning, and we make sure we do 10-20 mins each evening once the children are all tucked up and that keeps us on top of things. Then I do a big "Spring Clean" style clean every school holiday.

Sorry...no real tips! We just created more time in our day by getting up early so that when the little ones are awake we're not "too busy" to be there for them. I get up at 4:45 and he's often at work by 4 (but he's used to all sorts of shifts and that doesn't bother him).

ali-t

What is your day job? Is it fairly well paid? The best thing I ever did was get a cleaner. She works 2hpw for me and it costs me 1 hours wage at my job after tax and saves me half a day at the weekend. Total no brainer. It means we have more time at the weekend for things and I would rather make financial sacrafices than have no spare time - lots of handymen on google to paint the fence and fix the shed.

Susan1962

If you were able to get yourself up when the alarm goes off, you'd get more done than you might expect. I'm a morning person anyway but I get up before I need to and then can have a "proper" breakfast, unload the dishwasher, hang out a washing, tidy, etc before I go to work. That way it's not quite as depressing as coming home to it all! I work 8.30 till 4.30 - sometimes longer - and have a half hour drive each way. I tend to use part of my lunch hour to do errands which then saves time in the evenings and at the weekend. Other than that I can recommend Flylady for routines and KonMari for decluttering, as having less stuff makes for less cleaning!

YORKSHIRELASS

Hi, I can sympathise, I dont work full time but I have a lot going on, two teenage kids, one has health problems, the other plays a lot of sport and my OH works long hours at certain times of the year.

My tips:

First off cleaning and tidying should be separate tasks. In an ideal world everything in your home would have a place where it lives so that you can easily put things away when you have finished with them. This makes life soo much easier, you can find stuff and cleaning is easier.

Most of us have too much "stuff". Could you consider putting aside a small amount of time every week to get rid of some of yours? Look at the KonMarie thread. It sounds difficult but you will soon start to reap the benefits.

As for cleaning, little and often is key. Every morning I grab a cleaning wipe and swish the bathroom as soon as I get out of the shower. I dusted the living room tonight while tea was cooking. I can wash the kitchen floor in 15 minutes and have been known to get up 15 minutes early to do this before work.

Sometimes its a case of saying right I will see what I can do in 30 minutes then sit down. If you start something like the washing up see it through, dont leave jobs half done if you can avoid it. Dont let laundry pile up, it doesnt take long to chuck a load in before bed and hang it out next morning.

Read up on the flylady thread. The principle is that you do a little in one room in the house every day - whether you have got 10 minutes or an hour. This really works over time.

I dont live in a pristine house by the way - I wish I did but a lot of what I have learned on this forum makes life easier no matter how little time you have.

And if I had the money and needed a cleaner/gardener/handyman I wouldnt hesitate to get one!

missbiggles1

grn.w.nv wrote: »

Hi everyone, I'm not sure if this is right board to post in but I always enjoy reading these threads, you all seem to have lots of good advice. Can I ask for some of it?

Both my OH and I work FT, he runs his own business so if often driving long distances and can be home later than the usual 9-5.30. I also have a FT job, but it's much less demanding. I do however have 4 ponies (with my sis, we share the jobs and costs) and these guys take up a lot of my time. I will explain my time table as such in minute but basically I just don't have the free time to get any of the other things done. OH does just as much housework as me (and it's only a small house but struggle to keep it tidy, it's a bit depressing coming home to an unkempt house). It's really all the other jobs, for example the fence and decking needs painting, the shed needs emptying, loads of stuff dumping and a new shed as the roof's gone on this one and won't last the winter. My time table goes something like this:

6am: alarm goes off
6:30: convince myself to get out of bed and get ready
8am: arrive at stables, thankfully my lot all live out all year, apart from the shetland who sometime needs to be stabled during the day for medical reasons. In the mornings I take down breakfast, clear poo, do water etc, and any other jobs like escaped horses. I tend not to go 100mph as I'm not a morning person. I should also do some work on the ground with my ridden mare if I have time.
9:10: leave yard and go straight to work
9:30-5:30: work
6pm: back at yard - this bit varies, as 3 days a week I'm meant to ride (weather dependant!), once a week I go super quick as have pilates at 7:30pm, and one day a week sis does them so I have an evening off (but I do swim on that eve). Usually I collapse at home at about 8.30pm on the days I ride. This also doesn't leave much time for cooking dinner, which is another problem! I sometimes feel like I have a second FT job! Of course I wouldn't change them for anything, I just want to be more efficient.

So that's Mon-Fri, not a lot of room for maneuver there. Weekends I'm either competing, which wears me out so the rest of the day I don't get much done on that day, or spending time going out with OH, otherwise we don't really see each other! As you can see this leave me no room at all for all the DIY and cleaning. This is a summer time table, in the winter we just do the horses as fast as possible and they get a holiday. Of course I can't get those outdoor jobs done in the winter if it's grim.

I just wondered if anyone had any time saving tips? For example our vacuum (Henry) doesn't seem to like our fluffy cats, so I suppose getting a new (efficient) vacuum would make life easier. That's the sort of thing I'm looking for suggestions on.

Thanks for reading if you got this far :T

Unless your stables are a long way from your home, that's an hour and a half right there.

theoretica

grn.w.nv wrote: »

It's really all the other jobs, for example the fence and decking needs painting, the shed needs emptying, loads of stuff dumping and a new shed as the roof's gone on this one and won't last the winter.
...
Weekends I'm either competing, which wears me out so the rest of the day I don't get much done on that day, or spending time going out with OH, otherwise we don't really see each other! As you can see this leave me no room at all for all the DIY and cleaning.

If you and OH did the DIY together it would get done and you would see each other!

zippychick

there are a couple of threads which will help

OS and working full time

How to organise everything in my life OS

Zip

Ms_Chocaholic

You say you and your sister share the jobs so why then do you do the horses every morning and every night but one.

miffy257

Sorry cannot offer any advice apart from getting a cleaner if you could afford one. Just wanted to say though, if you are thinking of getting a new vacuum cleaner get a Miele cat and dog one . The best vacuum I have ever had and I have had a lot in 41 years of marriage. We have 2 cats and a dog and it's brilliant at picking up their hair.