I have loads of ‘free’ time during the day so why do I get nothing done?

[FairlyConstantNameChanger]

Expecting a flaming but posting to see where I am going wrong.

I have two primary school aged DC. I work 2 - 3 days a week but mainly 2. So I have 2-3 days free a week.

I thought once my youngest started school I would get loads done but it hasn’t worked out that way. The house is stil a tip, my idea of having meals planned and organised has bitten the dust and I still feel I am chasing my tail constantly.

Typical day goes:-
School drop off
Home by 9:30, 10 if I have done a food shop
Half an hour to tidy breakfast things, laundry etc
Gym class twice a week which lasts for an hour but realistically takes an hour and a half with travel time etc.
Clean the house once a week on the day I don’t have a gym class.
Start prepping for school pick up between 2-2:30pm as we do swimming etc after school and I often need to make a packed tea.

That seems to leave me only a couple of hours but surely still should be enough to have a tidy house? Then through the day I am doing laundry, constantly trying to declutter, prep tea then before I know it it is school pick up.

The old me with a baby and a toddler who never had time for herself in the day would have hated the current me. How can I have so much time yet achieve so little?

I find the more time I have, the more I procrastinate and get less done.
Maybe make a list so you have a goal to work towards?

Should have said I make a list every day!

Not sure what you are looking for here but yes you should be able to get more done. If you managed it before why aren't you managing now?

I could have written your post. Time seems to run away with me.
I work two days a week.
Things that have helped me:
Power hours: where you spend a whole hour doing nothing else but your to do list.
Power days: same as the hour but a whole day (between school drop offs) you need to have quick meals and no activities on these days.
Or if you don't have time for either of these. Just do three things on your to do list (Not everyday stuff though)
Hope that helps!

It's because there are so many distractions like TV, Mumsnet and generally just thinking fuck it.
I'm sure if we had a matron like person ruling us with an iron fist we'd get loads done

Put workout gear in first thing. Tidy up breakfast etc before school run then go direct to gym and do machines or go running. That way you can be home by 10.30 leaving much more time. Even better go out v early before other half goes to work? Or in the evening when he's back.
Maybe have specific days when you do house work so it doesn't leach into the rest of the time? And I bet you would manage to feed the kids without as much prep. On days when you need to rush do something quick like pasta/pizza. I find tasks expand to fill the time available if I let them.

I find I get more done when I have less time. The more time I have the less efficient I am.

So when I’m working full time the house is always tidy and clean. Less so if I have time off.

A deadline helps.

Invite someone round. You’ll go mad the day before cleaning.

Have a look at The Organised Mum Method, it gives you daily tasks to keep on top of the housework and tidying with reasonable timings. I’ve been ill so I’m struggling at the moment but it definitely helps me. There’s a Facebook group and a blog.

Chores expand to fill the time available to them!

Stop shopping every day and do a once a week food shop so you can get back home by 930 most days

If you do a gym class do one you can attend straight from school or go straight to gym. Plan then to be home by 11am. Alternatively go to the gym in the evenings like you would have done before your youngest started school.

You should then have 11-2 to ‘do things’

You do still work 2/3 days!

Same here. Seem to get nothing done. No 'deep cleaning' has occurred so far!!

Thanks all.

at the deep cleaning Oblomov.

I have looked at changing the gym class but the gym is fairly quiet at lunchtimes and there is really good PT support at those times. Managing to be a regular gym goer is the one thing I have really achieved since youngest started school. Feel it would be taking the piss to go in the evenings leaving DH with bedtime etc since I have time in the day while he works.

Love the idea of the Organised Mum but I have tried it before and the tasks take so much longer than she claims. I think for an uncluttered house it is great. If you have crap everywhere then it’s not so good.

I think it is that declutteirng takes so long. I spent an hour going though a pile of old kids’ artwork today and have made no real progress with it because there is so much of it.

Thanks Cosytoes. The thing is I know I sound really grumpy but I do all those things already . This is what I don’t get.

Drogos, I guess I am hoping for some tips from people who get stuff done! Or who used to struggle and found a way. I never used to manage it, I just assumed that once I had not free time I’d be able to.

Love the idea of a matron making me do things! Tasks certainly do fill the time available. I have stoped myself going on here that much in the day as it is a massive time sucker.

I'd say you may well be prioritising the wrong things. If you're house is a tip then you really didn't need to spend an hour on sorting the kids art work (to be honest I've always just thrown the majority of it away anyway)

I would say cancel gym attendance for one week. Do an online food shop that week, very easy quick meals. Then spend the entire week de/cluttering. Once that's done keeping the place tidy and clean is really easy.

Whatsnew, I was trying to declutter the art work! Maybe I am just going about it all the wrong way.

I did actually take a week off in September, tried to sort the house. Didn’t stop all week. House looked much the same at the end of it. I just don’t get it .

I'm the same! For the first time in 9 years I have two or three days at home on my own (during school hours) and I'm finding it so hard to motivate myself to do much of anything! Admittedly this has only been going on a month - we deferred my son's entry to reception until the start of this term - so I try to feel better about it by telling myself that I'm just enjoying the novelty and time to Do Nothing. I also find decluttering/cleaning a real drag. I will consider some of the suggestions here - I'm sensing it's but a small step between this and actually feeling quite depressed.

Posting to follow...I could have written your post

Definitely getting rid of stuff (instead of constantly moving it around ) helps. But like you say, that takes time.

I could spend an hour cleaning and then the dog gets in and it's back to square one.

Pretend you are going to work and get the breakfast cleaned up and a wash on before you do the school run...when possible!

We are at the end of a renovation and everything is in the wrong place...I might try and prioritise the jobs that will still be done in a week (declutter, stuff to charity shop etc) than jobs that will only last for a moment (cleaning)

I might try and prioritise

I would try to document your time for a week. Then you can see where it's going. Maybe do this on the hour. So just quickly write down what you've been doing for the last hour. This will hopefully highlight areas you're being ineffective.
Maybe then try time blocking so. You have a plan for tasks, when you will do them and how long they will take.

Your just not being ruthless enough with your stuff. If it’s a tip stuff is just being shuffled about and never dealt with properly.

Adverse, yes that is EXACTLY what is happening!

Aaaahfuck (great name!) good idea.

So today was...
Got home from school run at 9:45 (had done super quick shop on the way home).
9:45-11:15 laundry, dishwasher, tidied rest of house, moved piles of crap around an started looking at the artwork
11:15-11:30. Had 15 mins so started on packed tea.
11:30 Left for gym
13:15 Home
13:15-13:30 shower and changed
13:30 - 14:00 Back on laundry, got stuff ready for an after school class, sorted after school snack and finished packed tea
14:00-14:50 Tried and failed to declutter the art work.
School run
At activity with both DC, did as much admin as I could on my phone, did reading, homework etc
1930 home, quickly loaded and out on dishwasher, bedtime

Now it is after 9 and I still have a load of school letters, general stuff to sort, need to write a couple of cheques etc.

Rome wasn’t built in a day.

You are coming out of a long period of time when you had almost no time to yourself. So inevitably there is catching up to do.

Just chip away at it.

True Maybe, perhaps I am expecting too much.

This is how my day pans out on the one day I have off each week:

6.30 - get up and make tea (chilli, bolognaise, etc.)
7.00 - get kids up and make sandwiches for school
7.30 - breakfast, get dressed
8.00 - kids leave
8.15 - go to gym
10.30 - home from gym, have breakfast
11.00 - shower
11.30 - weekly food shop
1.00 - quick hoover round, coffee
1.30 - do any jobs (ironing, sorting out, baking, etc.)
2.30 - DS2 home from school
3.00 - pop out to do any extra bits that need doing
4.00 - DS1 home from school

Then chill out for an hour before starting on tea and getting stuff ready for the rest of the week when I'm at work.

Don't give yourself any time to start faffing and you'll be so much more productive 👍

What is with the art work? Every few weeks I get the kids to sort the art work on the fridge and we bin a load of it and that's that for a while.

You spent 2 hours on kids artwork today?? How much is there? My mind is boggling. Do you have way too much stuff?

I’m sorry but you spent an hour pissing about with artwork. How??
Flick through, grab 5 favourites, recycling for the rest. Ten minute job.

Stop going to the shop daily.
Wear gym clothes for drop off and go straight there.
Home, shower, clean and tidy away beast things, whilst in the kitchen do the packed teas, sort the bags etc.
Quick whizz round the house putting stuff away/making beds/Chuck laundry in etc.
Lunch.
One hour of decluttering/organising. Stop after the hour. Honestly it sounds like you have too much stuff. Just Chuck the artwork.

That is useful thanks MrsJBaptiste.

I was using the artwork as an example really. It is a load of stuff that had been stuck on the kitchen walls but DH has cleaned / repainted the walls so all the artwork came down. It is years and years worth, had to take all the blue tack off, check which child it was for, decide what bits to keep and which to throw away then put in memory boxes. Found loads of their school certificates in amongst it too plus a few receipts and letters in the box with the artwork. Receipts needed shredding. I find all this stuff takes me forever.