I am just back at work since October after extended maternity leave (after my first baby I took 10 months off, this time I took 2.5 years!).
It is about maximising time you can spend with your child, and working like crazy in the day to be distracted and finish on time.
My top tips are: be ruthlessly efficient at work so you don't work a minute of overtime. Ask your boss informally if you can take a short lunch so you can finish a bit earlier. Remember as your baby grows up Nursery or childminder is great for socialisation. My 3 year old loves his preschool and goes running in with a huge grin and his big sister loves to come with me to pick him up because she remembers it so fondly.
If you can afford a cleaner so your spare time isnt spent on housework, pay for one. It makes such a difference.
Kids tend to get up early so you can get a few quality hours in before nursery as long as you get everything ready the night before - so breakfast laid out, clothes laid out, laundry done, quick tidy and vacuum.
Quick meals are also your friend, a slow cooker or an air fryer would be a great investment.
The forgetfulness is really a nuisance, I think it comes from tiredness. I put memos in my Outlook calendar for myself, set tasks with reminders, and write notes on everything in OneNote (taking minutes and screenshots during online meeting). In MS Teams I use the Meeting Minutes page to note down what was agreed and who has what actions.
With two kids there is a lot to remember and organise outside work too - playdates, appointments, birthday presents to buy, extra-curricular clubs to sign up for etc. Days with different pick up arrangements and so on. I use a family diary which hangs in the downstairs loo and if it's not on the calendar, it ain't gonna happen.