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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask what you do 'around' work?

38 replies

BlackBean2023 · 14/04/2024 18:17

If you work full time and have a good/great work-life balance what do you do around working hours?

I work in the office most of the time though could work from home more with better planning. I have a cleaner once a week which is a godsend.

I walk the dog early every morning but otherwise my non-working time is spent ferrying various kids to various places or wasted watching crappy TV. My self care is shocking. I don't eat well and have started putting weight on- could really do with losing a stone.

Tomorrow feels a bit like a fresh start so I'm keen to start a new routine/new little habits... help me MNetters!?

OP posts:
BlackBean2023 · 14/04/2024 20:12

Sad oh no, I'm going to have to join a gym to shift this stone aren't I!? That seems to be a common theme...

I'm going to book a hairdresser appointment this week - last one was October!

OP posts:
Beezknees · 14/04/2024 19:43

I'm a single parent, I don't do any ferrying around for my 16yo, we have a great bus service and he's got legs. Makes life easier. Obviously depends where you live though.

I work from home 3 days a week. Usually do cleaning in the evenings on wfh days so I don't have to do it at the weekend. Never had a cleaner. Don't have any pets that need walking, I can't be arsed with that! I keep rodents which I love.

I go to the gym a couple of times a week, with DS being 16 he can be left home alone when I go.

fieldsofbutterflies · 14/04/2024 19:40

Walk the dog.
Meet up with friends (and their dogs).
Go out for breakfast, or coffee/cake, or lunch. Normally with the dogs Grin
I used to horse ride but my instructor stopped and there's nowhere within a reasonably distance that does it anymore, which really sucks.

Most of my hobbies/free time is spent at home or indoors though, as I work outdoors during the week (dog walker) so I like having my down time to relax an recharge a bit.

StarbucksQueen1 · 14/04/2024 19:37

Walking probably isn’t enough if you’re putting on weight and you’d admit you don’t eat well.
I work 25 hours but don’t have a cleaner and have one 5 year old.
I go to the gym three/four times a week. I eat a healthy balanced diet which is easy if I meal plan and eat healthy snacks like nuts and fruit and try to drink water.
My me time is reading, watching crap tv and scrolling 😂 or the gym I guess!

Lyricallie · 14/04/2024 19:35

We don’t have kids so it’s probably not very applicable. However during the week we take the dog for a walk each evening. I go to the gym 4/7 nights. Sports club one night. Zumba one night. Volunteering one night. I’m also doing a part time degree so do a lot of work in the evening.

Husband does DnD when I’m out and then we split the chores between us in between.

Auburngal · 14/04/2024 19:34

I changed my working times at work.

I go to the gym three times a week.
On Sundays when I don’t work- I on a group pick with my fellow litter wombles.

At home, I read, listen to podcasts, play computer games.

ScarletWitchM · 14/04/2024 19:31

I WFH but also have to travel to meetings 1-2 days a week. I am up around 6am and go for a swim at 7am in the local pool twice a week and do a home workout 3 days either mon-Fri or at the weekend if I have to travel. In the evenings I watch tv for a couple of hours & then read for 1-2 hours after cooking dinner & cleaning up etc.
weekends is usually one day of chilling & prep for the week ahead (washing etc.) and one day we will go out for lunch and maybe a gallery or museum. We live in London so it’s pretty easy to find stuff to do!

shuffleofftobuffalo · 14/04/2024 19:29

A lot of my out of work time is spent ferrying kids, housework etc, I think that's kind of the norm.

I'm not amazing at the self care either, but I have started to implement a couple of good habits -

Always going for a walk at lunch time, 30 mins (and sometimes I manage to bag a 90 min lunch break so go for longer walk). Quite often go out in the evening as well, especially now the evenings are lighter.

Do something strength training wise in the evening - I've found a few simple kettlebell exercises can be done at the same time as watching some crap tv

batch cook as much as i can manage to minimise the amount of crap i consume whilst wfh.

In your place I'd make a concerted effort to be more organised and wfh more (if organisation is the sticking point), it frees up so much time.

thenewaveragebear1983 · 14/04/2024 19:18

i wfh (but I don’t have one of these mythical wfh jobs that half of mumsnet seem to have where they have finished their work by 10am Wednesday and spend the week doing other stuff!) - mine is full on, 8.30-5 mon-fri.
I’m quite routine driven in the week- every morning I get up at 6, sort out the animals, dh does the children in the mornings and I will either go for a run or workout, then walk the dog. I log on at 8.30. On my one office day I leave at 8 and drop the dog at daycare.

i pick up from school at 3.15, log off at 5, then every evening is either kids football, dog training, slimming world, other domestic stuff, I cook, I tidy up, put kids to bed, baths etc. and walk the dog. Finally sit down at 9, ideally I’d go to bed at 9.30 but most nights it’s more like 10.30. Weekends we do more football, catch up the week and repeat.

I’m very lucky that dh and I split the child responsibilities equally and I can have an hour in the morning to workout/exercise. I’d never do it after work. The weekends are busy but we both manage to get a run or two, and sort the dc. We don’t really do other things such as days out or meals out and we don’t really go out by ourselves or date nights.

thismummydrinksgin · 14/04/2024 19:17

A workout (strength on tv) after the school run before WFH x

MartinsSpareCalculator · 14/04/2024 19:17

I work from home a few days and on site a couple of days. I work out every day, take the dogs out once or twice when I'm at home. I meet up with friends a couple of times a week, cook, read, study (masters), go to the cinema or to watch football most weeks, care for my parents to give their partners some respite, volunteer a few times a week, watch a bit of tv and go out for meals and drinks with my husband once a week or so.

BlackBean2023 · 14/04/2024 19:03

Ah, I do love a board game but not sure the family would play with me! DH is a gamer (not a board gamer!) and DD16 is...well,16!

OP posts:
AllProperTeaIsTheft · 14/04/2024 18:25

We only walk the dog at the weekends. He has a dog walker on weekdays since I went back to ft work. Now it's lighter I might start taking it in turns with dh to walk him in the evenings though. We leave for work at 7:30 and get home at 6pm.

I don't do anything before work - I get up at 6:40 already and that's early enough! Dh and I share the cooking, but he does more than me as he really enjoys it. After that, we sometimes play a board game, then usually watch a series with ds (dd is at uni). I normally knit while watching.