If you work part time, what do you do with your spare time?

[losenotloose]

I've gone down to three days a week this week and I'm so excited! Lots of people have asked me what I'm going to do on my days off as if it's a bad thing, and yesterday a friend said be careful you don't waste your time on housework, cooking etc.

So, what do you do to fill your time?

Run the kids to clubs and therapy appointments.

Look after my 2 year old and do housework.

I collect the kids from school, take them to activities, do shopping, cook and occasionally sit down with a cup of tea!

I’m about to go down to 3 days a week. One day will be housework, shopping, life admin without a toddler and the other day will be a day with DD doing fun things.

I do 3 days a week .I am on my own with a teenager as my dh passed away last year so my days off are spent just keeping up us up to date, washing , cooking, shopping, budgeting etc

having said that it does give me more time when ds is off at the weekend to spend quality time with him because I have got my mundane stuff done during the week.. Thats the theory anyway

Not sure I understand your friends comment unless you’ve gone part time to actually be a ‘lady of leisure’.

I use my days off work to do the housework, take the kids to school and pick them up again, take them to their swimming lessons as I can’t do any of that on days when I work, get dinner sorted during the day so I have at least a couple of days a week where I’m not rushing and having to think about it when we’ve got home, get the food shopping done without kids in tow. Usual stuff your friend probably thinks I’m wasting my time on. If I had time to sit twiddling my thumbs I’d probably put my hours up tbh.

Ha ha ha ha ha! Technically I work 2 days /8 hours PAID work (semi retired) but am busier now than when I worked 4 days a week. Kids, grandkids, elderly parents, dogs (not my dogs, the kids), you name it. Chuck in the housework and I've not got much spare time. However when I do, I do what I want, be that meeting friends, going swimming or sitting down watching crap on tv til my eyes bleed. And not a drop of guilt is felt. I sometimes skip the housework if I cba, it'll get caught up with eventually.
If you have a day to yourself, do whatever you would like to do, and if that's nothing that's fine. Nothing is always good!

I'm sorry for your loss,fraser. That was my thinking, by getting the house work done on my days off I've got more free time at the weekend. I'm just surprised at the attitude of some people, like I need to justify myself

All the shit I've not had time to do while the kids were preschoolers. I do spend some of the time watching films/dossing about, but generally get the housework done, DIY, any appointments, shopping, etc.
I volunteer for a charity a few hours a week as well, but do it from home.

I went part time before having kids (or even being pregnant). I had the same questions asked loads.

All I can say is give it a month and you will have no trouble filling your time. You will also, hopefully, learn to enjoy doing nothing without feeling guilty.

Housework (I enjoy it anyway!), gardening, odd jobs and things like picking up dry cleaning/shopping for DIY stuff when we are decorating (a lot!), I volunteer as a sort of friend/counsellor to people with terminal illnesses for a few hours each week. I never really do stuff for me (maybe every once in a while), it's more that I get all the stuff done so there isn't much to do in the evenings/weekends.

Exactly crumbs, I'm going to use the time so I'm not constantly stressed! Yes, I am planning on going for the odd coffee but I'll still be working three days a week! Funny thing is, this friend doesn't work.

They are jealous Time can be a luxury as precious as money. For most people having more free time will mean a better quality of life so enjoy OP.

I write novels :)

I do 4 days and try really hard not to do too much admin/life stuff in my day off. I only actually have school time free, so the 6 hours goes fast.

Usually I go for a run, then some or one of fun (ie not food) shopping, art gallery/museum, film, baking, reading or Netflix, depending on my mood and energy levels, and the weather. I usually take the kids to the playground after school and natter to other parents, or take them home and play board games or Lego if it's wet.

Love, love, love it.

I beach, hike, swim, camp, bike, canoe, ski, explore, garden, wildcraft, travel, brew, bake, paint, and also drag friends along with me so I don't be a hermit.
I also work on my sea glass business and do festivals , trade shows and craft shows
When I do work (about 10 hours a week) , I do child care so I can get my fix of baby love.
My DC are grown , my dh is at sea an average of 260/365 days, and my family are not local. I have a lot of free time!

I do 3 days a week. On my days off I mostly either do overtime look after my 11 month old son, housework, food shopping, budgeting. To be honest just general life admin! So basically what your friend is saying. Housekeeping. However, on the 3 days I do work the house goes to shit.

The people who asked me what I did on my non- paid work time were the same who moaned relentlessly about how frazzled they were, how there was never any time for anything, how evenings were such chaos. I like cooking so it was nice to do that without a clock ticking down, exercise at non peak times and rates, housework without half listening to conversations, study.

That's what I'm starting to think Andhow. Thing is, I'm quick to point out I'll be losing money.

It's only day two but I'm loving being able to drop off and collect ds2 on time, chat to the other parents, do housework in peace. I don't think the novelty will wear off, I feel reborn! And hopefully in time I might find a hobby or something.

I work four days a week and at the moment I mostly look after my pre-schooler on my 'day off'. But I am planning to stick to four days once she starts school, and use my day off to clean the house so that I can spend time with my children at weekends rather than doing chores. There are also various school events that parents are invited to (my son is already there), so I will go to those (if I worked full-time I wouldn't have enough leave to do that), and I am thinking of volunteering for the 'reading team' of parents who go into school to help children with their reading.

Tidy up, gym session or run, batch cook, run errands, medical appointments. I also use my days off to eat and manage my IBS, I cant eat much on my working days so have to eat up a bit on my two days off.

living yes! My house goes to shit on my three working days. Laundry piled on chairs, dishwasher unemptied, dirty stuff piling up . All I care about it us being fed, in clean clothes and where we need to be on time.

Wow, Northend, you are busy!

I work 2.5 days and have a 6 year old. I do the school run, a Pilates class one day, food shopping and prep for the week including batch cooking, general house stuff, admin, e learning for work and I sometimes see friends for coffee. Every now and again I have a nap before pick up

lose I also have a friend that doesn’t work and although she is busy with other things she is of the mindset that I am always available for a coffee but I sometimes find this a massive inconvenience as it eats into my ‘getting stuff done time’. On the odd occasion that I can make it, I find myself clock watching and thinking what I need to be doing instead, tbh it’s a dwindling friendship really.

But I have the same reasons as you really, if I get it done during the day I can have my evenings free of having to think about it all, I’m not stood ironing at 10pm and the kids get more of my attention and I’m not as stressed at home. I find it easier to switch off from work now too.

It seems like a lot, but id be doing more if I had more energy.
I have sarcoidosis, (an inflammatory disease) an arthritis, and at times it's left me stuck in bed for months on end.
When ever I get the chance, I go hard at it. I make living well my first priority. It's very hard to do sometimes, I have mh issues and ptsd, and my instinct is to hide in bed all day.
I fight it hard tho.