PDA

View Full Version : Your best tips for working parents



MamaM
9-1-11, 4:12pm
:help:Now that I am full time again, I realized the house was going to take a hit. We have purged a lot of stuff and keep only what we need. Right now, half of our stuff is in bins in the garage until we find a house. I am trying different strategies for keeping organized and on top of things while not having to spend our free time cleaning but rather being a family. What are you best tips? Keep in mind, my son is 5, so he can help do a few things and we are a pretty active family. Thanks.

lhamo
9-1-11, 5:34pm
Some of Flylady's tips annoy me (we don't wear shoes in the house and I am NOT gonna start...) but one thing she recommends that I really like is the "five minute sweep" before bed. YOu basically go through the house (or just one room, even) picking up all the things that are not supposed to be there and moving them back to where they are supposed to be.

That kind of quick action helps keep clutter and disorder from building up to the point where it is overwhelming to deal with.

A good basic organizational structure for the house -- a place for everythign and everything in its place -- is also really helpful. I like Julie Morgenstern's approach. First see where your challenges are and then devise a system for dealing with those things in those locations.

And if you can afford it, hiring in help on a regular basis can be a really great thing. And a win-win situation if you have a friend who is underemployed or looking for work. See Stella's recent posts on how she is working with her friend in this way for some examples.

good luck!

lhamo

MamaM
9-1-11, 6:28pm
Thank Lhamo. I think we are going to hire someone to come on Wednesdays just to clean. With the animals and 2 boys around, by Wednesday, I am insane.

I do what I call the run like a chicken with you head cut off for 10 minutes a day. Picking up trash, putting out the garbage, wiping down the sinks, putting in a load of laundry which goes on dry in the morning. It does help. I think my biggest problem is time management. I am still working on that one.

Joyous_5
9-25-11, 8:38pm
This thread caught my eye because I'm in a similar situation. Between my two new part-time jobs I'm working/commuting about 37 hours a week...so I consider myself full-time now!

I like the idea of the five minute sweep before bed. My big thing is dishes in the sink. If at ALL possible, I try to get them washed or in the dishwasher before going up to bed. I hate seeing them first thing in the morning.

I'm also reading Julie Morgenstern's book--good info in there.

My sister (who is super organized) recommended I have different totes for all my son's different activities (i.e., beach, going to the park, library, etc.) so we can just go when it's time, rather than figuring out what I need for every outing. I haven't done this yet but it seems like a good idea.

Another thing that's helped me is switching grocery shopping to a weeknight. It's so much less busy at the store and we don't have to spend a ton of time trying to work our weekend plans around getting groceries.

I'm hoping others will post their ideas, this is a great topic!

TMC
9-25-11, 9:57pm
My best advice is try not to sweat the small stuff. I work a full time+ job at home. This gives me some more flexibility in throwing in loads of wash and stuff like that but I still am perpetually behind. I try to focus on the stuff that matters, healthy home cooked meals, basic cleaning, happy family. I did have a cleaning lady for about two years but now that my kids are older they are big enough to pitch in. We do big cleaning about every other Saturday as a family and I do little stuff here and there in between. 10 extra minutes I wipe down the bathroom etc.

My second best advice is to stock a pantry with everything you need for a month. I was constantly running back and forth to the grocery store, dragging kids, wasting time, spending extra. I probably have a years worth of food in my house now. But I found that once I stocked the pantry all I do is shop to refill. I have 12 cans of black beans on the shelf, if I use 4 this month I replace four and constantly rotate. Easy peasy and I can always come up with something for dinner.

I like the 10 minute tidy idea, I think maybe we'll institute this ten minutes before we all sit down to relax for the night. I'll set a timer and we can hustle. 10 minutes is no biggie and will probably make a big difference. Thanks.