Working full time - still enough time to do things?

[PandaDad]

Hi folks, I'm moving over to 5 days a week working 8.5 hours a day from working 3 12 hour shift nights. I'm worried I will not have enough time to do anything lol! How do you folks fit everything in and are you tired from doing it all?

I’m currently part time but work overtime that takes me to full days. On those Weeks I do things before work e.g meal in slow cooker, load of washing on and try and do a job or two in the evening like putting the pile of washing away.
I try and combine jobs like clean the bathroom whilst children in the bath.
try and do the shopping during the week so have time for other things at the weekend.
I dream of a cleaner one day!

Do you have children and/or a partner?

It's not easy although some days are better than others.

I get the evening meal prepped before work or try and get a load of washing done and pegged out before I leave. We end up eating late as I go to the gym after work but we've all got used to that.

The house is usually OK all week as I'll whizz round with the hoover whilst making the dinner and wipe down the bathroom and kitchen every night. I am desperate for a good clean by Friday though!

That’s quite a big change!

I used to do long days have have switched to Monday to Friday shorter days. Days are easier than nights so you may feel better for that but working 5 days if you are used to shifts is a challenge.

I am fortunate in that I have DH who does all the household stuff and my dc are independent.

I had plans to exercise of an evening but reality is I am knackered and do nothing but rest on the sofa😢

Its just finding what works for you I think. If you have young DC it must be hard.

Hey folks thanks for your replies! Doubling up on jobs is a good idea which I am somewhat implementing already :). I have 2 young DC 7 & 2... so a handful haha. I have a wife who helps out too, but she works 3 nights a week too so a lot of it falls on me (which I'm fine with). I think I'll be okay though, finishing at 530 every day will be so nice for me, because I absolutely hated doing nights. I'm tired after a shift now, but after a nightshift I was literally exhausted and I wouldn't be able to do a single thing.

I think there are two things we all have naturally and that is energy and efficiency levels. Then children, illness, choices and a myriad of stresses come along and it drains those natural parts of us.

Look to efficiencies in the household. That’s the biggest times saver if you can get your head round systems that work for your family. My children had one activity a week, for DS it meant practice and a match every week. I see some have their children doing three and four activities a week, I would avoid that route. Get dc to help, it sets them up to be fully functioning adults. I used to have students who could not cook at all turn up on campus, start them off young. I remember we had today up time where all toys hit gone in a wicker chest, made a game of it.