WAH mom's - I would LOVE some advice!!

[annie2186]

Ok - so I am not sure where to put this, I 'think' it goes here........


For those of you who work at home, what kind of schedule do you have, how does YOUR day go?

Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed I just want to cry Not in a depressed or anything way, just in a "I feel like I could do this SOO much better" kind of way.

Here is basically what I need to do.

*Get organized in home like AND work life.

*I answer phone calls and emails all day. I also am a creative head so to speak and need to think UP of emails to send out to the whole group for either sales and/or motivational.

*Need to find time for self-improvement - reading, etc. (also wanted to start my own blog - any good sites or tips would be appreciated!)

*Also need to make lists and such for other people so they know what to do.


Basically, I would like to hear how other momma's get it all done......sometiems just hearing other people's idea's and things give me alot of help. You can look at my siggy to see my kids ages. My oldest is homeschooled as well.

Thanks!
(on a second though, just some time management skills from ANYONE would be appreciated!!!!)

[Rowansmama]

Originally Posted by annie2186

Ok - so I am not sure where to put this, I 'think' it goes here........


For those of you who work at home, what kind of schedule do you have, how does YOUR day go?

I WAH doing technical writing and have a 2 year old. I'm expecting baby #2 in march, so I fully expect things to change dramatically at that point, but for now here's how it goes:

- I wake up a couple of hours before DD (usually around 6) and get showered, eat breakfast, check email, and get a bit of work done.
- DD gets up and life revolves around her. NO way can I get work done with her around! So we do playgroups, run errands, play at home.
- After lunch, DD either naps or has quiet time. I squeeze in a bit of work here.
- When she wakes up, I put on a movie and get my housework done. Then I start supper so it's ready at 5:00.
- After we eat, DH plays wtih DD and does her bath routine while I get a bit more work done.
- DD goes to bed, and I work for another hour or two.
- Finally, I get on the treadmill or do an exercise DVD for an hour before hanging out with DH for an hour before bed.

Originally Posted by annie2186

Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed I just want to cry Not in a depressed or anything way, just in a "I feel like I could do this SOO much better" kind of way.

Here is basically what I need to do.

*Get organized in home like AND work life.

I find having one master calendar in the kitchen is indispensable. I have one called "The Mom's calendar" or something like that. Everything goes on it, from work deadlines to kid's activities to appointments. I color code everything.

I also follow Flylady's method of taking care of the house - specific chores on specific days so I know everything's getting done.

On Sunday nights I meal plan for the week. I have a big notebook on top of the fridge that has all my meal plans and grocery lists so I can easily see what I'm making each day and what I need.

Originally Posted by annie2186

*I answer phone calls and emails all day. I also am a creative head so to speak and need to think UP of emails to send out to the whole group for either sales and/or motivational.

Do you have to answer emails and calls all day ( In other words, is it required, or is it just that this is what you do?) I try to only check email twice a day. That way I'm not stopping other tasks just to answer email.

Originally Posted by annie2186

*Need to find time for self-improvement - reading, etc. (also wanted to start my own blog - any good sites or tips would be appreciated!)

This is a tough one! I'm a big fan of simplifying. Simplifying routines, possessions, commitments, etc. Have you ever looked at the website www.zenhabits.net? While you have to sift through a lot of posts sometimes, that site really helped me to simplify my life to the point where I now HAVE time for myself.

Originally Posted by annie2186

*Also need to make lists and such for other people so they know what to do.

Awhile ago, I made up a few templates for just this sort of thing. You can print them out or do them in Word and email them to people. You'll probably have to carve out time in your day just for this task. I find when I'm trying to remember what I need to put on the list, it's way more stressful than if I have the list accessible. That way the thought isn't taking up valuable brain space

Actually, I do this for myself too. As soon as I think of something that I need to remember, I jot it down (I actually carry a small notebook in my bag just for this purpose). The less brain space you use trying to remember things, the less stressed you'll be.

Originally Posted by annie2186

Basically, I would like to hear how other momma's get it all done......sometiems just hearing other people's idea's and things give me alot of help. You can look at my siggy to see my kids ages. My oldest is homeschooled as well.

Thanks!
(on a second though, just some time management skills from ANYONE would be appreciated!!!!)

I really think the key to getting it all done is routine, lists, and simplification (jeez, I sound like a broken record). But seriously, it's the only way I could ever manage to WAH, take care of the household stuff, take care of my toddler, and have some me time! My DH sometimes thinks I'm slightly OCD about my organization, but it works!

Good luck...I hope you find something helpful!

[siobhang]

Originally Posted by annie2186

For those of you who work at home, what kind of schedule do you have, how does YOUR day go?...

Basically, I would like to hear how other momma's get it all done......sometiems just hearing other people's idea's and things give me alot of help. You can look at my siggy to see my kids ages. My oldest is homeschooled as well.

Childcare. Childcare. Childcare.

My schedule is a traditional 9-6pm - tho I am often with my kids until 10 am (our nanny starts at 10am and so I do morning drop off/child wrangling until she arrives).

When I am on duty with the kids in the AM, I limit myself to emails and answering the phones. I do get email on my cell phone which helps me feel connected when I am running the kids around/away from my desk.

In terms of time management - I posted something in Personal Growth about self-discipline that may be helpful.

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...7#post14792547

[meco]

I think you need to find a schedule that suits you and addresses your problem areas. You have determined what areas you need to address, and then figure out strategies to adress them.

For example, I have no sense of time. I have to set alarms so I only dedicate a set amount to a project, and I don't languish on something and waste time. I also keep an ongoing agenda for myself so I know all things that are on my list of things to get done. I set myself milestones on them, and I try to stick with them. I also work most efficiently in spurts so I plan my day accordingly--I work and then I have some downtime and repeat the cycle all day.

It might help you to keep a project management site where you can have a calendar, set milestones, post files, share information with other people and more. I used basecamp, and it's great.

Organization and balance seem to be overall ongoing here. I am learning to roll with it. Some weeks are going to be better than others.

Good luck on your organization.

[becoming]

This is what our routine looks like, and it works REALLY well for us:

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I get up at 5 and work until time to get my oldest ready for school at 7. (I do medical transcription on my laptop in my living room.) My youngest usually gets up around 7, too. As he & the little one eat their breakfast, I fold a load of laundry & unload the dishwasher. My mom usually takes my oldest to school so I don't have to drag the little ones out that early, especially when it's cold or raining -- I have a fabulous mama After the oldest is gone to school, I start working again usually around 8 and work until 10. I always get offline at 10, no matter how much work I've gotten done. My daughter wakes up around 9:30-9:45 on these mornings, and by 10, she's ready to eat her breakfast. I eat breakfast with her (and usually the little one eats again! ), and then we start our house cleaning for the day, together. We listen to music loudly while we clean. I have a cleaning schedule I follow -- I have about three or four chores that I do each day. I also go from one end of the house to the other, putting away toys/shoes/folded laundry/stray clothes/etc., making beds, and whatever else needs to be done in each room. The last thing I do is put on the day's load of laundry to wash. The cleaning takes about an hour to an hour & 15 minutes each day, and the kids "help" me all along the way. They are learning lots of valuable cleaning lessons When we're done cleaning around 11, we all three take a shower together. Then we fix lunch together, eat, and clean up the kitchen. By then it's about 12 or 12:30. We get ready (hair & teeth, and make-up for me), then either I put on a show and pull out the colors or puzzles for the kids so I can work for another hour or so, or we leave the house to do any errands/visiting we have to do at that point. We pick up DS1 from school at 3:00. DS2 and sometimes DD nap in the car and for a little while after we get home. We just do normal family stuff the rest of the day -- have dinner, play, read books, watch a couple of shows maybe depending on the day, do homework with DS1, etc. (The only exception is Monday afternoons -- DD has dance 4 to 5:45, so the boys and I usually do a little shopping & then go out to eat and get DD a to-go plate while she's in class.) When the kids go to sleep (usually around 9 to 9:30), I work again, usually until 11:00 or 11:30. Just before I go to bed, I lay out all the stuff we need for the next day -- clothes, backpacks, lunches, etc. I make sure DS1 has everything he needs for school. I usually hit the bed around midnight. (You're right, I don't get enough sleep, but I'm young & energetic, thankfully!)

On Tuesdays & Thursdays, our early morning routine is basically the same, but after DS1 leaves for school (or after I get home from taking him), I take a shower sans kids while DS2 plays with blocks or a puzzle in the bathroom with me. I wake DD up around 8:00 to eat breakfast, and I get myself ready. When she's done and I'm done, around 8:30, I start getting DD & DS2 ready. We leave at 9:00 to take DD to preschool. If we have grocery shopping or some other errand to do, we usually leave it for one of these days. If we run an errand (more often than not), we get back home around 10:30. I usually work on those days until noon with DS2 playing beside me. Then we cook & eat lunch and clean up the kitchen. By that time, it's around 1:00, and we start our cleaning for the day. We leave at 2 to pick DD up, then come back through to get DS1 at 3. DS2 naps during this car time; DD has usually taken a long nap at school. The rest of the day is the same as the others.

I agree with the others that you will have to find a schedule that works for you, but the best parts of our routine, I think, are the laundry & dishwasher while the kids are eating breakfast, showering together to save time, and doing certain specific chores on certain days to make sure (a) I'm not spending too much time cleaning on any given day, (b) the house is always well taken care of, and (c) everything is getting done often enough. My current cleaning schedule, which is working really well, is vacuuming & dusting on Mondays - cleaning out the fridge, emptying all the trash cans, and washing everyone's sheets/bedding on Tuesdays - bathrooms on Wednesday (toilets, mirrors, sinks/vanities, mopping) - kitchen on Thursday (deep-cleaning counters, mopping, cleaning whichever appliances need it) - bills & checkbook on Fridays - closets on Saturdays - and either the bathtub or the shower (alternating, or whichever needs it) on Sundays. I clean up all the clutter every day during my cleaning routine, so that never gets to be a big problem.

Good luck! It's taken me a LONG while to get into a routine that really works for us.

[madskye]

I work from home, doing sales & marketing management consulting. My job sounds a bit like yours--lots of motivating others, keeping other people on task, and trying to dream up the next big promotion.

I

• get up and check email from 6-8 am, finish anything from the day before.
• 8 am DD wakes up, we have breakfast, watch Barney, get dressed
• 9am I drop her off at pre-K/dayare. She is there 9-4, 4 days each week.
• I work my tush off 9-4 and also use that time to food shop, work out, or take care of anything that's not kid friendly.
• After I pick her up at 4 I usually check my email one more time before I turn it off around 6.

Last year she was just going to a preschool 3 mornings a week and I was waking up at 5AM and trying to squeeze my work in around DD all the time....it just didn't work. I was also working late at night. I was burnt out and miserable, and in January I found her new school, which is a nice hybrid of pre-school and daycare. (Their core hours are 9-4, but they also offer before & after care if I have meetings in NYC--that takes away a lot of stress.)

One thing I am getting over from last year--previously, I felt very guilty if I was not working ALL THE TIME. Now I'm more comfortable in my position and look at it more as project management and try to set reasonable limits on my availability. (Ie: people cannot call me at any time from all different time zones and expect me to answer.)

I am not terribly organized at home, but I get overwhelmed I start making lists!

[slvsquared]

subbing

[Farmin' with Baby]

I find it curious that none of you mentioned DH in your schedules/strategies. I am trying to figure out how much i want to work, how much i want to just take care of the house and baby. We farm, and I have options of how much I want to be involved, both in the outside work and in the inside work such as bookkeeping and planning. But I find it key--perhaps mostly for my sense of partnership?--that DH work into my schedule somehow. We've tried things like he takes baby from 5-8 after he's done with work, and if it's his turn to cook, he cooks while entertaining baby. In truth, he only ends up taking dd about half that 5-8 time.

[Rowansmama]

Originally Posted by Farmin' with Baby

I find it curious that none of you mentioned DH in your schedules/strategies. I am trying to figure out how much i want to work, how much i want to just take care of the house and baby. We farm, and I have options of how much I want to be involved, both in the outside work and in the inside work such as bookkeeping and planning. But I find it key--perhaps mostly for my sense of partnership?--that DH work into my schedule somehow. We've tried things like he takes baby from 5-8 after he's done with work, and if it's his turn to cook, he cooks while entertaining baby. In truth, he only ends up taking dd about half that 5-8 time.

My DH basically takes over when he gets home from work until the time DD goes to bed. He also does all the "man" type duties - lawn, shovelling, garbage, car repairs, etc. I know we've fallen into stereotypical gender roles, but honestly I much prefer cleaning to shovelling!

DH also gets way more time off each year than I do, so he'll often take off a week if it's really crunch time for me workwise. And he gladly takes her out on the weekends for a few hours if needed.

I have a very wonderful DH

[madskye]

My DH is great, but he works 90 minutes away--so his day is 7am to 7pm. I discovered last year that working at night is no good for me. This year, his job is more flexible, and he is a help when I have to go on trips or to meetings in NY--if possible he'll work from home so we don't have to use the before/after care at her preschool. But he doesn't really play a part in the daily routine, sad to say.

And I will add, that on days we both end up working from home...it's not fun! We're on top of each other and it messes with my routine. He might do drop off/pick up those days but really, I'd rather just stick with my routine than have the assist there.

Another thing--I used to commute and have a schedule similar to his--it's a long day. I was worn out doing it, and I'm much more refreshed now that I WAH. I'm happy to have things set when he gets here (most nights) in a kind of 1950's model--I know how nice it is to walk into a dinner that's ready and a clean house and not have to jump right into another responsibility.

[annie2186]

THANK YOU for all of the wonderful advice! I really think what I need is just to find a schedule that works for me and stick with it.

I think my problem is that since I don't have a schedule I just try to do EVERYTHING everyday - its chaotic and OBVIOUSLY I get overwhelmed and somedays I just don't really do anything but the bare minimum! Then the guilty feelings start and I just cant get the motivation to get started because I am already behind.............LMAO

I think if I set up X, X, and X thing to do on X, X, and X day and just DO THEM it will be sooooooooo much better!

Well, you ladies have convinced me - I am going to make a schedule tomorrow!!! I will even share so you can critique me!

Thanks again