I've recently accepted a part-time (10 hours per week) work from home position which I will be starting next week. The hours that I put into my work each day/week will be fairly flexible for the most part. As a SAHM for the past 4-1/2 years, I've never been one to stick with a strict schedule or routine so sometimes my house can get a little disorganized -- mostly piles of paper that needs to be sorted and filed away, laundry that needs to be done and put away, or miscellaneous things around the house that need to find a home. My husband is good about helping out around the house and with the children but he usually has to put in a lot of overtime hours and he's really not a natural born organizer (hate to say it, but he's the reason for the "miscellaneous clutter" and some of the piles of paper around the house which actually creates more work for me!). I just wanted to get some tips from other moms out there who are also working from home, on how to organize your time and simplify (or multi-task) your time so that you can get your job done and still have time to take care of yourself, your family, the house, and not rely on take out or overly processed convenience foods at mealtime. The job I've accepted doesn't pay well enough to justify hiring a housecleaning service or pay for full-day kindergarten or preschool for my 5 and 4-year olds (nor do I want them going to school for such a long period of time at such a young age). I'm especially interested in any tips you have on setting up a daily schedule that allows time for all of your "must-do's" as well as allowing for time for personal time, exercize and quality family time.
Well it is tough to do it all, the more you look the more you have to do...
Set your time and if you didnt finish something well leave it for the next day and play with your kids.
I like to visit declutteryourhouse.com...
here is the link for this site...
This lady can help you if you have a question am a fan of her...well here it is. Good Luck!
http://www.declutteryourhouse.com/clean_house/
Hi L..
You have just described my house and my husband. He is a "horder" of all things, and hates it when I throw anything away. I on the otherhand, throw everything away. I work full time so that is different about us, but here is what I had to do finally. I get totally "stressed" out when my house is in total disarray. It makes me freak out and then I am a raging (insert not nice word here). I have 2 kids, one is 4 1/2 nad the other is 22 mos. I am very busy and the last thing I want to do when I get home is clean. SO, my husband had training all weekend, and I took everything--I mean everything on my tables, my hutch, my buffet table, and put it all in huge tupperware boxes. I then put the boxes in a part of the house we use just for storage. I didn't throw anything away--I just tucked it away. So, when my hubby came home he saw what a "minimalist" house would look like. I cleaned baseboards, and floors, and did laundry, and made the house totally spotless. We actually have been able to eat at the table like a real family. I find that when I come home now, I am in a good mood. I look forward to coming home. I don't have to clean much and the kids and husband get my full "happy" attention. SO, here is my suggestion to you....take a weekend, and just clean everything. Sort, put away, throw away, and organize. It will be hard, and you will be tired. Especially with the kids, and a hubby about, but in the end, it will save you a ton of time, and you will feel great. Then, if you just take maybe an hour or half an hour a day--really not that long, you can organize and the kids can help you. You can make a game out of it. You will have the time you need to spend with the kids, to do your 10 hours per week, and even spend time with your hubby. Good luck to you. I hope this helps.
Hi L.,
Well depending on how truly flexible your work schedule can be, I actually have a very flexible home business, but I realized that unless I wrote down my schedule it still wouldn't get done. I've also gotten some great advice from others and here is some of what I've implemented... I have an appointment book for my business and I literally go in and block out times. Then I have a weekly calendar where I fill in my "park days, playdates, library days, and all personal family activities, etc... then I have my "Must-Do's" like laundry days are 2-3 days a week, bathrooms, kitchen, floors, vacumming, etc. I have found myself folding laundry while watching TV at 8-9pm sometimes!! lol..oh and of course you leave time in for cooking and grocery shopping,etc. It works for me!
Best wishes!
C.~
have you heard of flylady.net? Check it out it gives a great way to get organized and stay that way by doing certain rooms and certain amounts of time per room each day its really helpful and has helped me a ton. The site is a bit difficult to get used to but start here: http://flylady.net/pages/flyinglessons.asp
I have only been a mom for 8 months now, but I can totally relate to your question, What works for me is to try and not look at everything that needs to be done at once because I just get overwhelmed, So as soon as I have a moment, which my daughter usually wants to play when I want to get things done, I just do one task at a time, we have a cork board in our living room which my wonderful boyfriend likes to pin up everything, and it gets to be so packed that I have no clue what needs to be done first, so everyday I take down some of the papers and put them in our filling cabinet, which I love very much! And it also helps us out :) I guess the best advice is to start building your routine, one thing at a time, and if you get it done great, if not, their's always tomorrow, Write on a calendar in bright colors to remember important dates, and every morning take a look at it and go over the things that have to be done.For me personally, not everything gets done in one day, but I try my best, thats all we can do!!! Good luck!!!
Hi L., organazation is an art, you need to set schdules, and routines, in order to have order in your home. Laundry, make sure each child has their own laundry basket in their room, saves time on seperating, have specific laundry days, make each person responsible for putting their own laundry basket in the wash room on their appointed day, Papers and clutter, my pet peve, we have a shreader and in the sheader they go, my husband is the one who clutters with papers and i hate it, he's working on that now, have a chore list , and have spectific days for each thing, the ket thing to know is everything does not need to be done everyday. meals, use crock pots and rice cookers, you can put your meat in the crock pot, veggetables, use the the packaged salad makenrice in the rice cooker, you get home from work dinner is basically done, then you hve more time for the family or yourself. J. L.
I can relate to trying to keep everything organized. The first thing I would do, is set some business hours for yourself. We tend to do things that aren't business building activities, so if you set business hours, that can help make sure you hold yourself accountable for getting some work done. I always work a few hours in the early morning, and about a half hour before the kids come down for breakfast! Once they are up, I focus a little more on my business in between feeding them. When they are done, it's my time to clean up the house, etc. while they are playing. At nap time, I am back to work, focusing on my business, making phone calls, etc. When they wake up, from 2-5 is my time to get out of the house with the kids, workout, etc. When I come home, it's dinner time, and then bedtime, and from 7-9pm is work hours again. I work more full time, than part time, but I do have weekends off, so I am able to focus my time on family & chores around the house, organizing things for the following week, etc.
You have gotten some wonderful ideas! I am thinking of trying some at my house =]
I am a single parent of 3 (9,4,3) between Girl Scouts, basketball, choir, T-ball, soccer, the quilting club, my full time job, and homework, life is busy. But I enjoy time with my kids more then anything else, so I have learned that I pick one thing a day that is driving me the most crazy; like the pile of papers that are just sitting on the counter. I will take 10-20 mins to just DO IT while the kids are having there free play time. Then on the weekends I can attack major cleaning in the mornings, I do the front half of the house first - kitchen, living room, and hall bath (since if company does stop by this is what they see =]) then on Sunday after church I do the bathrooms and my room while the kids tackle thier rooms and the play room. My oldest will dust and vacuum her room and the play room and I do the two boys. I dont so the landry in each room, at night they take thier clothes to the laundry room and put them in the correct color basket and they do this in the morning too, then I can just see what load is the largest and start it before dinner, then after dinner I can dry it and after bath I fold it. All clean laundry that gets washed Mon - Sat gets put away on Sun (it is part of the kids chores) Life is busy with kids, I would rather play with them then have a CLEAN house =] I keep it sanitary but there will always be some kind of clutter. Soon enough all those kids and thier clutter will be gone! As for your husband ( I dont have one LOL ) he should be able and willing to take 10 mins out of his night somewere and put away HIS papers. Ten mins is not a long time. Good luck and focus on the small stuff, do one of those small things everyday (if you find time, do two) and then the HUGE things are not so huge and can get done quickly. Be blessed from above and enjoy the kids while they are small, you are their greatest teacher.
Your kids are 4 & 5 years old. Perfect age for this, and your new role. AND they are old enough for simple chores.
You explain to them... that Mommy has a job at home. I work from home too. My kids know this. During their naps, that is when I work. Or at night after they go to bed.
I also tell my girl, who is just making 6 yrs. old, that anything she can do herself, she can do by herself, since she is her age. ie: "instead of asking Mommy all the time to get you a cup of water... you can do it yourself..." or, "if you need a crayon... you know where to find it and you can get it instead of asking Mommy...." All these 2 second requests every 5 seconds by my daughter really was nerve-racking. So now, my girl has realized, that Mommy is there, but if she can do something herself, she CAN do it. Like my Hubby said "Mommy is maybe too nice.... she does everything... and you need to help too..."
For me, what also helps.. .is that we have one room in our house which is a "quiet room." And in this room, they can do anything they want, but it must be "quiet" and not boisterous, and no "fighting/yelling." They understand. This is the room we go in before bed or nap time. This is where they wind-down and deflate. It HELPS to organize yourself and the kids, and keep sanity.
We also have another room, ie: the "play-room" in which they can do anything, noise and all, and even make a mess, and I don't care if this room is messy, because it's the "play-room." It's fine. My kids understand this. And it helps ME too, because if they are in the play-room, I don't mind all the noise they make... it is okay and it is their "noise" room.
So, having these 2 "rooms" with it's own "roles" have helped me to organize the kids and myself. It serves a purpose, and the kids know it. They even will tell Grandma "we're going downstairs... that's the quiet place." Or, "we don't make noise in this room...." etc.
When I am "working" my space is right near by... but the kids pretty much "know" what they can and cannot do in the "rooms" and that I need quiet when I am at the computer working. Once I say I have to "work" they know what it means. So, that is why I say, at your kids ages... they CAN certainly understand, per your explaining to them... what is necessary. Sure, they are just kids... but they do learn. My girl actually told me she is "proud" of me that I work at home and can still be with them. I even made a sign, saying "Mommy working...." so that my girl will know visually, when Mommy is busy with something, that can't be avoided.
On a daily basis, I have a "schedule" for everything.... my kids nap at the same times everyday, (and they know it), they know their and my "routine" and so they know what is coming up without my having to "nag" about it. They know when I cook dinner, when they go to bed, when is snack time, when is play time, when is just "whatever" time. There is a "framework" of activities everyday... and since I do it EVERY day, the same... a child WILL learn the routine as well... and then be able to "anticipate" what is next, what they must do, and so forth.
I also put on index cards on the wall, my daughter's "chores" or what she needs to do everyday. Even for brushing her teeth. It's just a "reminder" for her. Then I don't have to verbally "nag" about it everyday.
No I am not "anal" and rigid about it, but I do keep to a routine... and it REALLY helps me to modulate myself, and the kids. Kids learn by repetition and constancy...and routine. Once they get used to it, and the routine, it really helps in their daily life too.
Just some tips I have done. There are SO many.
Hope this helps,
Susan
Hi L....Im a SAHM with twin boys, so when it comes to having time to do things we have none! But I still get the house clean every week and do all the errands and grocery shopping before my husband comes home from work. What works for me is having a chore list that I will accomplish daily. For example...today is Tuesday so my chores for today are to clean up the living room and the kitchen. Anything that doesnt belong there gets moved and everything gets dusted, vaccuumed etc. Forget about the rest of the house! Also, every night after the babies are in bed my husband and I spend 30 minutes cleaning up and getting organized for the next day. Trash gets taken out, dishes get done, toys get put away, mail gets gone through, any bills get paid etc. See if you can set reasonable goals on a daily basis, make a check list and take gratification in checking items off. You could also implement a quiet time for your kids if they no longer nap and during that time you can do your cleaning etc. Try to work with your husband and see what he can do for 15 minutes or so a night...even if its just you will put all his stuff (horded stuff) in a pile and he has to go through it and either throw it away or put it away. You will be amazed in what you can do with 20 minutes or so of dedicated time. I know its hard to stay focused and have the energy...just look at is as something that HAS to get done everyday and do it.
