Time management

DriverMad

Hi All,
How do people manage their time? Maybe its just me but I don;t have enough hours in the day. I don't know the age profile of people on boards but there just does not seem to enough hours in the day. I am lucky to have a job and I am very gracious for that fact, but I just have very little time....
How do people fit in:
Work (40 mins drive to work), family life (Kids), house work, exercise(run/gym), etc.....
I would love to do further education through an open university course but I just can't see how I would get the time to complete it....
How do other people do it or am I just not organised?????
Thanks for any advice.....
Please move if in wrong forum...

fi1979

I know how you feel, I'm only back to work since 1 Dec after 8.5 month of blissful mat leave, and feel like if I didn't sleep and continued on, I still wouldn't have enough time to get everything done.
At that my husband has started to cook dinner roughly half of the working week, which affords me some precious time with the little one when I come in.
Cleaning has been relegated to the weekend, bar maybe a quick dash round with the hoover during the week.
Shopping, also the weekend.
Housework has doubled up as excercise, along with jogging up the stairs at work.
Its neverending at the moment, but I just keep telling myself that it will get easier ( I hope). You just can't let it get you down. Prioritise whats important to you.
I was speaking to a friend recently and she was adamant that I should get a cleaner in when I am working full time, but I just don't think I can justify another cost...
Still Life is good, we all have our health and food in our bellies, so what have I to complain about, there are many far worse off than me!!

Khannie

Totally normal. I'm expecting it to ease a bit once the youngest can make his / her own cereal.

Kildrought

I think its mainly to do with deciding what's important and ditching anything that's not a priority to you...here's a few of mine in regards to household stuff.

stop ironing - total waste of time, haven't ironed in 20 years

washing - one wash in the machine every night, comes out in the morning onto clothes rack & generally dry by the following night; don't leave it to a big pile at w/ends

dinners - cook double batches, have the same thing the next night, so you only have to cook 3 times during the week, & then Sunday lunch

get your groceries online - you can do it during your lunch hour & have it delivered next day - absolute godsend!

run the dishwasher twice - once for normal crockery, then 2nd wash for pots & pans

have all bills/utilities/tv etc., etc., paid on DD

limit housework on Sat morning to 2 hours - everyone gets stuck in, you do as much as you can in that time & then forget about it.

delegate jobs to children as they get older, putting out bins, changing sheets on their beds etc.,

school/hobbies/activities notes - if you have school age children you could paper your house with these. As soon as they come in - deal with them there and then; fill in the forms, write the cheque, make the phone call - whatever it is & post it /put it in school bag / email it right away.

BostonB

You get more time back as they get older. A baby is far much more work than say a 4yr old.