Did anyone feel like they got more done as a WOHM?

[MrsBone]

I don't know..I feel since I've started staying at home with DS since he was 15 months old that I get less done on a regular basis. It seemed like when I was working, I had so little time to get stuff done, that I really took advantage of the time I did have to get things done. Even when I was was sleep deprived. Now that I SAH mostly (I work for a few hours on the weekend) that I have so much less motivation to get things done. It's not that I don't have the time, just very little motivation. I was even better at meal planning simply because I had to be in order to make healthy meals. I also had a cleaning "co-op" with my mom and sister where we'd all take turns cleaning each other's house once a month (we all had the same job together at the time). It's like now that I'm at home and have all day to get stuff done, I tend to procrastinate on getting stuff done. Did anyone else go through this when they went from WOH to SAH? I also didn't feel as much of the need of needing "me time" since I was away from my DS for 6 hours a day, sometimes at work alone or just with one other person, who was very quiet. So yeah, I got a lot of alone time. It was really the ideal job, but now that I'm at home and couldn't justify getting another job it almost seems harder. Maybe it's DS's age? He's almost 2 and is needing more of our attention than he used to. Maybe it's because being at home requires me to be the "schedule maker" rather than depending on someone else to make my schedule for me. What do you all think?

[Perdita_in_Ontario]

Yep!

I'm on maternity leave with my second, and not going back to work. DS is 9 months and into everything! DD is also home half days.

The house is no cleaner than when I worked - and probably worse. I'm trying desperately to keep some semblance of order so that DH doesn't have a heart attack when he gets home at the end of the day (he doesn't expect me to clean, but it would be nice if he could feel that home was somewhere comfortable, kwim?) but not doing so well.

I'm trying to figure out how to make SAHM more like a job, with a schedule and goals, but I'm not really accountable to anyone but me, and that's never been my strong point...

[MrsBone]

Yeah, DH could really care less if the house is clean..I'm the one that's bothered by it. I mean I'm sure he likes when it's clean, but has no issues with it being dirty. I am guessing the house is cleaner when I was working simply because no one was there to make it messy! I'm sure my mom's house was messier though (since that's who watched my son when I worked.) Anyway, yeah. I'd love to treat SAH as more of job with schedules, goals, etc, but it is def hard when you are accountable to yourself and only yourself!

[nola79]

Yes! I am going through the exact same thing right now. I really, really need some motivation and I just can't figure out how to get it. I feel exactly the same way you do. I mean, when I worked I knew I had to do a, b, and c by x time or it wouldn't get done. Now that I'm home all day, I feel like I have all the time in the world to get things done, yet nothing gets done! I am bothered by it.

[limabean]

A lot of it is just that a house that's empty all day stays clean all day. So much of SAH cleaning is just restoring the daily mess back to normal, and it can be hard to find the time or energy to go beyond that and do the deeper cleaning during the day. Most of our deep cleaning still takes place outside of "working" hours, when DH and I can do it together (or one of us can take the kids out while the other cleans). 

I went away for the weekend recently, leaving my (wonderful, capable) DH with the kids, and when I came home the house looked exactly like it did when I left (which was reasonably clean, but not sparkling or anything). I said, "Wow, honey, the house looks great!" and he said, "Thanks -- I swear I spent the entire time cleaning but it looks the same!" I love him so much for getting that.