Can you do OS and work full time too?

gilly1964

Hi All

I check in and read the flylady thread and feel worn out just reading the list.

How do you do the tasks and work full time?

Tonight I got home at 545, reheated dinner - pre-prepared bolognese, cooked pasta, swept and mopped kitchen floor, put on DW and WM. Converted half the bolognese into chilli for tomorrow night. Unloaded DW when finned, unloaded WM and hung on airer, put another load on for Econ7 wash at 3 in the morning.

Is there a level 0.4?

Gilly

Benson

I would love the answer to this, by the time I'm home from work at 630, bathed and put the kids to bed it's at least 8-830, then make tea, im so tired it's time for bed!

My weekends are spent washing cleaning weekly shop and tidying!

How do full timers do it???

LoLo

I would also love to know if this is possible as by the time I've got home from work, made tea, bathed kids and got them to bed I'm ready to drop.

LE3

yes you can - I've been doing it for ages!
You have to be a little disciplined though & it does help to use a timer - really!!!
did you start with the baby steps or try to jump in with both feet right into the middle?
start small.
In a morning, just aim to get yourself properly dressed every day (no slobbing round in PJs at the weekend!) & make your bed
In the evening before bed, "shine your sink" - if you have a dishwasher load that & set it going, if not make sure the dishes are done.
When you've mastered the basics, you add the next step ... don't try to do everything at once!
I promise you that if you stick at it, by the summer holidays you will not have to spend all weekend cleaning/washing etc, it won't quiote do itself but you'll be amazed by how easy it all is!

lostinrates

I didn't flylady here, but I did a home version when I worked fulltime. The list here provides motivation but also requires and extra job.

The last time I had to manage full time work was sme time ago but I had ''rules'' to keep it working. NO ONe....i.e.boyfriend/lodgers...went to bed without sorting any mess they'd made in communal rooms. Reception rooms had to be tidied before bed (A tide room doesn't take long to clean...a messy one can take a day)...so the last five minutes of a day was always tidying a bit...its not hard IF you can get on top of it (we don't have kids so thats a huge help...and we only had cats then). The kitchen likewise, had a wipe after every use...APART from after dinner parties when we accepted the next day started with kitchen/dining table. Then I did a room a day...not unlike here...but it was cleaning not tidying...

I had a MUCH cleaner tidier home then BUT also less stuff, no kids and fewer pets and EVERYthing we owned had a place. Its different with stuff, animals. (personally I'm also lazier and less motivated too, but ...)

onestep

I'd agree with the above post - start small. Baby steps. Set a timer for 15 minutes and aim to do one or two of the level one jobs for that room. Just that room! Then for the rest of the week try and keep that bit tidy; don't allow hot spots to develop etc. Then the following week, when that room comes round again, it'll be quicker to do, and you could perhaps finish level 1, or even do an item from level 2. Each day is a different room, so by the time you've been flying for a month, you will notice the difference I promise. As someone wise on the Flylady board says, your house did not become untidy in one day, so it'll take more than a day to sort. But you will get there

Benson

I suppose it helps if the others in the house muck in too rather than just leaving pots/pans On the side for me to clear away! Any suggestions? Asking or nagging doesnt work!

pigpen

A lot of the ladies work full time, some study and some lounge around all day looking after their children .. some have disabilities and long term illnesses which seriously limit their everyday activities. Basically, they do what they can, when they can and it is about changing attitudes to the housework, not just for the main person with responsibility but for the whole family, it is so much easier if you get everyone involved..

Starting small and not expecting everything to be immaculate in 24 hours is the key..

I started by whenever I bought something whatever it was the outside packaging would be filled with stuff and thrown away.. that meant there was more leaving the house than coming in.. then little things like.. while dinner is cooking.. yes the DW and WM get loaded.. but I also clean out a drawer or a cupboard.

We like to remind new flyladies.. anything you do which you would not have done before is a step forward

It all gets so much easier after the first 4-6 weeks. There is less clutter, mess and overall things get much more organised.

I tend to give children age appropriate tasks and we have a race to see who finishes first. I everyone pick up a certain number of items.. 25 is my favouite.. then we do 5 blue things or square things for example.. it makes it interesting for children and they come back really pleased so you dish out praise and they ask what next

pigpen

Benson wrote: »

I suppose it helps if the others in the house muck in too rather than just leaving pots/pans On the side for me to clear away! Any suggestions? Asking or nagging doesnt work!

I go on strike... help me or NOTHING gets done.. they soon chip in when they have no underwear or school uniform.

I have been known to throw a full blown hissy fit though.. that got me help for months.

Chunters_a_lot

I work 4 days per week but don't do any extra housework on the 5th day:D

It is possible! As others have said start slow. By the time you are on week 2/3 the rooms are so much easier and quicker to clean even if you have only been doing level 1's.

My daily tasks and night time routines keep things chugging along nicely but they do take time to establish.

I also get up half an hour earlier in the mornings - its amazing what I get done then:D

My 3 kids help out somewhat but not in any consistent or targeted way, DS age 7 cleaned the coffe table for me tonight but when he got changed into his PJ's he just left his dirty clothes scattered on the l/room floor he had just watched me hoover:D

DH does some but I have noticed that the more I do, the more he makes an effort to keep things clean and tidy. I've not asked him to do anything - it just seems to be catching:T
Along with many other people I truely believe that you can not clean or organise clutter, it is a constant battle but I have reduced the clutter in my home significantly in recent years. Flylady will help you do that.