OS organisation - how do you do it?

ness_w

So, I'm asking how you organise your day to do as much as you do from scratch?
I should say that I have a family of eight, three children still at home during the day, so have to fit in bits and bobs around them and the three times daily school run.
Today I made pastry for two quiches, and I also made three cakes for the freezer. I only did one load of washing though, which is not really enough, and dinner was sausages and reheated veg from Sunday Lunch, so not a lot of time spent there either in comarison with a day when I would cook from scratch. I had a trip to the greengrocers and to the supermarket for cheese, I don't do a single big shop but little bits - I am keeping the reins on my budget though and find this way of shopping suits me, I have my two youngest with me and they enjoy a regular toddle about the shops, so I don't see it as overly time consuming.
So, do you have washing days, cooking days etc. Or do you just fit things in higgledy piggledy as you can? I can't even begin to see myself making jam or anything like that - it's as much as I can manage to just keep things ticking over.

Ness.

Sunnyday

Hi ness w
i think that everyone is very different in the way that days are organised.
My days are certainly never the same as i work shifts and sometimes end up higgeldy piggeldy.
I try to make a list at night of what i need to do the next day and fit things in as and when but sometimes things don`t get done until a couple of days later, i just leave them on the list until they`re finished.

I would love to shop little and often the way that you do but it wouldn`t work for me as i`d never get chance to cook what i buy lol, i do a big shop once a week and sometimes nip out for anything i couldn`t get midweek unless i can do without.
The one thing that helps a lot is batch cooking so that i don`t need to spend lots of time in the kitchen every day i`d be lost without my slow cooker and breadmaker.
Interesting thread, i look forward to seeing how others plan their days.
SD

purpleivy

I do hardly anything on Monday, as i'm in work all day and then go to collect dd from some distance.

Tuesday I do somethings during longer lunch break.

Tend to shop once a week these days, usually Sunday morning. If at home Sunday I process what I have bought into meals as far as possible. If I bake I do 2 or three things at once if poss.

Laundry I try and keep on top of, but that is a bit variable, Stil trying to get on top of the house after extension build, but still loads of work to do, so still in a pickle. One day I hope to have a system again!

angie_loves_veg

What an interesing idea for a thread.... thank you. I will be fascinated to hear how other people arrange their time :rolleyes:

I have tried what feels like many systems, currently I have a piece of paper on the wall (just above this computer screen as it happens) divided into morning and afternoon sessions for each day.

I have tried to include all the things that need to happen, and a few things that I would like to happen.

For example, I have half a day scheduled as household / family paperwork, several mentions of 'laundry', cleaning, food shopping (market and supermarket listed separately), and commitments.

I also have slotted in some gardening (allotment, garden or armchair depending on mood and weather) and a slot for yoga. Perhaps surprisingly, before I had a schedule these 'recreational' things would be the first to go if I felt under pressure at home. I have discovered that I can fit in a little bit of me-time and keep on top of home stuff too.

It doesn't always keep to 'schedule', but I find that with a little bit of structure, I find it easier to swap things around (as opposed to leave them out), and ultimately, more things seem to get done.


Previously (when I did what I fancied, when I fancied) nothing got done (because I didn't fancy doing anything), and I thought we would drown under the laundry mountain :eek: :eek:

Merlot

Hi ness,

I have a schedule, and it suits me and the family, I'll give you a shorten version of it, please bear in mind that my children are of school age, and that makes a huge difference and I'm a SAHM.

Monday: Housework - Everything you can possibly thing of inc: bedding,windows floor etc.

Tuesday Morning: Finish any leftover jobs, Tuesday afternoon: Me Time (usually a bath, or reading)

Wednesday: Pop into town for a coffee, do daily stuff at home, swish bathrooms, flick a duster, spray air freshener at 6.15:D , I like to go for a swim with the kids in the evening

Thursday: Gardening, batch cooking, Ironing, (if I can be bothered, I hate Ironing)

Friday: Flick duster round, paperwork, ME Time Afternoon, usually a stroll out etc.

I do laundry everyday, and I have a dishwasher (dish washing takes so much time up, my OH used to do by hand then got fed up and bought me a second hand one:D , I cook majority of stuff in the Slow Cooker everyday, and BM goes on everyday.

I don't do housework at the weekend, only a bit of gardening in the summer.

Write a list, a reasonable one that suits you, but REMEMBER HOUSEWORK WILL STILL BE THERE WHEN YOUR NOT - DO NOT GET STRESSED OUT ABOUT TRYING TO FIT EVERYTHING IN, and don't get bogged down by the fact that everything needs to be cooked from scratch, it doesn't, sausages and mash, egg and chips, cold meat and potatoes etc a couple of nights a week is fine, (sorry I hope I haven't offended you, not sure if you are vegetarian). As far as making jam and baking, I simply can't be bothered and really don't have the time, other OSers would put them in their list and remove a couple of my jobs.

I have done none of my Monday stuff today, cause I went back to bed this morning after dropping the children off at school, (upset tummy and sickness), so it will have to wait until next Monday now.

nell2

Hi Ness
We are 5 in our house, with 2 little ones not yet at school. I don't have a system (although I did have a bit of success last year when I followed Flylady's system, but fell off the wagon!), and I tend to do things as and when. I think you do need to prioritise. For example, for me, I would rather cook a healthy meal from scratch and not worry too much if there are toys all over the floor, but you might decide to deal with the toys and not spend as much time cooking. I think I just prefer cooking to tidying up!
I also think that when you start doing things, it seems a big deal, but after a while, it's just habit. When I first started making bread it felt like a right pantomime, but now putting on the breadmaker is just what I do every night before I go to bed. Can't see me getting into a jam making habit though!
Will be interested to chat to you on this thread about this, as I can do with all the organisational tips going!

ness_w

It is an interesting one, I have realised I can't do everything in one day, so today was a bit of a cook ahead day because we were basically eating leftovers. Another day might be a really big laundry day - and it'll be pasta. I am in complete awe of people who manage to get things like the garden done though, my garden looks like a very muddy playground and the weeds are nicely settled in. At the moment I am trying to move my youngest two (twins) out of my room inot their own one, so everything is up in the air, it seems there's no slack, so as soon as an extra job like that appears, it all goes to pot. I won't even mention the toys with all the little bits all over the floor (oops I just did).
It just so happens I am a veggie Merlot, but not at all offended, I do admire other people's systems here, there seems to be a good balance with people actually getting a bit of time to themselves sometimes to.
Hats ff to the lot of you! Ness.

Merlot

Ness w, its all very easy for me to put up my weekly schedule, but if I am truly honest, when I had my two children at home (17 months apart), it was a different story, toys everywhere, dishes not done, ironing not done, completely unorganised, and I never had a minute, so I'm taking some me time now, but I still feel quilty about taking sometime out for myself .

I really admire you, you have 8 children, it doesn't really matter what you do in the house/food, as long as the children have an enjoyable childhood, are happy, loved, and I find its my time that want, nothing more, and most of us can give a child a wee bit of time, even if its only 5 mins.

Sola

My schedule is very different to yours as we have no kids but I work very long hours in the City (can be 12 hour days sometimes). I tend to go to bed early (around 9.00 - 10.00) and get up early (was up at 3.00 today, but usually up at 5.00ish). The washing-machine goes on first thing and I aim to get it hung out or in the tumbledrier before I go to work. I plan my meals weekly, keep a spreadsheet of what's in cupboards/freezer, and have a look at the list before bed in case I need to take something out of the freezer. My most successful days are when I just bung everything in the crockpot, and it's ready for when we get in. Sometimes at the weekend I'll batch-cook pasta sauces or curries and freeze in tubs. This week I'm going to start breadmaking so need to work out whether to have the loaves done ready for slicing early morning, or have it ready for sorting out in the evening.

I tend to do a food shop at the weekends as that's the only time I have, and top up with milk one night on the way home. We do try to wash-up and wipe round the kitchen daily; everything else gets fitted in when we have some energy, so quite often we'll do a couple of hours blitz at the weekend. We're feeling our way with organisation, to be honest; we're in the midst of a big declutter to make life easier.

purpleivy

Been there before.... actually got quite a bad case of thatat the moment!:mad:

angie_loves_veg wrote: »

Previously (when I did what I fancied, when I fancied) nothing got done (because I didn't fancy doing anything), and I thought we would drown under the laundry mountain :eek: :eek:

sammy_kaye18

Hi Ness,

i dont have so much a routine just things that need to be done and then odd targets for the day really. My mornign routine seems to be the same every day though

My day starts at 5.30am, I get up with bf (even if little one is still in bed), make bfs packed lunch if he needs one, if not i have my coffee and toast and then get started on the prep for bread which takes all of about 10 - 15 minutes, then leave it to prove next to the boiler in the kitchen as its nice and warm.

By about 6am ben is up and rearing to go, sit him down with his breakfast - usually cereal with a side of toast and a cup of juice. We sit and play till about 7am then.

Then the routines change.

Monday - housework day.
Tuesday - shopping day as the markets in town with odd housework chores done - ie rewiping sides in kitchen, dishes, splash of air freshner
wednesday - usually visit my mother every other wednesday, again housework chores. If im not visiting my mother this becomes my batch cook day. also this is laundry day
Thursday - this is my batch cooking day if i do visit my mother. drying day. redo housework chores.
friday - paperwork and bill paying day, budget check day. I also work a shift friday evening form 6pm - 10pm
saturday - my day with ben so we can bake or do other thigns - chores doen wonce hes in bed.
sunday - my day off - i get to have a lay in in the morning (only after ive got up with ben then oh surfaces do i get to go back to bed so usually from 10am ish till about 12.30ish) then have to get ready for work at 2pm - in work for 3pm and work till 10pm. (so not even really much of a day off but i get to chill for a bit)

Also in a usual day i have to do an afternoon school run - drop off at 12.45 and collect at 3.15pm, plus i have to walk the dog 3/4 times a day depending on weather and see my mother in law once a week