Working mum life hacks?

[Disgruntledpelicanlady]

Hi hoping people can point out some obvious things I'm missing!
I've got a 1 year old and work 4 days a week. LO is in a mix of nursery and family for childcare. LO doesn't yet sleep through the night.
My job is physically and mentally hard and also involves lots of evening and weekend admin work outside of working hours to keep on top of things. DH also has a stressful job with unpredictable finish times and travel.
We also have a dog.

I'm struggling to keep on top of everything it feels like.
I try and do a few things to reduce workload - bit of cleaning every day, slow cooker meals, shopping delivered etc.
I would love a cleaner but not sure we can afford it and I feel like the house would need decluttering before that would be a possibility.

How do people keep on top of things? What tips/life hacks can you share to make it easier?

If your house is feeling a bit cluttered then look at storage. You can never have enough storage to be honest. What sort of things feel like they are homeless or causing clutter in your home that would prevent you from having a cleaner?

My favourite storage items are vacuum bags for spare duvets /pillows. Ikea Kallax for kids toys. Drawer inserts for my make up and toiletries. Lots of baskets for my utility room.

Have places for things like incoming mail keys, shoes, hats gloves and scarves, everyday tools, cook books, charging cables and chargers, kids craft etc. All the usually clutter stuff. Even if its just some boxes. It will make it much faster to whiz around and tidy up.

Routines are useful, have a day where you do the online shop. A day for each type of meal e.g. Monday, pasta, Tuesday slow cooker Weds Jacket potatoes, Thurs Stir fry etc. Maybe a day for changing the sheets or washing.

Be ruthless with getting rid of stuff. Keep a bag in the boot for charity shop stuff.

I lowered my expectations of how tidy the house needed to be and batch cooked every other week. I also realised that everyone else in the same position finds it hard.

You are doing the sensible things with slow cooker, delivery shopping etc.
I would use a few days of leave and granny childcare to have a massive declutter, and then have a strictly one in-one out policy for 'stuff', especially toys and kids clothes. Plus easy, calm looking storage (think flat fronted cupboards rather than kallax boxes). And start now training your DCs, they respond better when they're young

I could've written this... working 5 days a week, DS 15 months in full time nursery, doesn't sleep through the night, DH with differing shifts and long hours, and a doggo 😊

I definitely feel like I'm drowning in it all and I wonder how people do this without going insane tbh. I'm permanently exhausted but I've found a few things have helped:

• being really boring with tea. We have basically the same meals every week at the minute. Neither of us have the mental capacity to plan or cook anything that isn't easy

• dog walker if you can afford it. I'm in the office a lot at the minute so our dog walker is a godsend

• list on the fridge of stuff that needs doing and can be ticked off (cleaning, appointments etc). It at least gives me the illusion of things being in control

• not leaving all the life admin to the weekend if possible. Otherwise they feel wasted.

• Wine.

If you find the ultimate answer to feeling less like life is permanently slapping you in the face, please do let me know 😅

We have a A4 size wipeboard stuck by the door with a checklist of stuff - lunch, water bottle, sunscreen, whatever. Pack as much as possible night before. Tick off as it's packed. Helps if you split the pick ups and drop offs

Teach them to tidy up as young as possible and make it fun. Make it part of the morning and evening routine

Grit your teeth and hang on in there

Cake

Declutter. Then allocate specific places in the house to bulk buying so you can stay ahead.

We definitely need just less stuff!
I think we're victim to having had 2 spare bedrooms for years - which are now the nursery and a home office so no longer keep everything in them.

I also need to find the time to put the things that do have homes back in their homes!

I think this may be way forward.
My husband claims the house is perfectly fine - we've always had different standards though 😅

Following along as I'm about to go back to work and wondering this! I've been decluttering the house in preparation and I do think it's helping already so great to get other idea s!

Agree with getting rid of a lot of stuff. More storage is not necessarily the answer. If there is less stuff, there is less to do. Make this a priority before Christmas. Why not start with a drawer today? Be brutal.

1. Buy a nursery uniform. I bought a multipack of black leggings, a multipack of cheap tshirts and two plain hoodies from Amazon as my daughter's 'uniform'. I got them in black and dark purple so that little pen marks etc won't ruin them. This makes mornings easier and reduces laundry.
2. Get rid of as many clothes as you can. Fewer clothes = less laundry and it's easier to put away and find when drawers and wardrobes aren't crammed. Get summer stuff put away in the loft if you have one.
3. On work days, try to restrict your child to as few rooms as possible so that the mess isn't strewn across the house. Put annoying things with lots of bits out of reach so they can't constantly get this stuff all over the floor. A couple of big toys are easier to put away neatly.
4. Lower cleaning standards. Surface level tidy is enough. It's much easier with less clutter though. (I know i'm a bit evangelical about it!)
5. Not for everyone but, as someone who often has to work in the evenings too, try having a nap when your child goes to bed. I often will have a sleep from 7.30-8.30pm and then get going again feeling recharged. I'll then work or do some house stuff until 10.30-11pm while watching something on TV, get showered and then go to bed properly for about midnight. If I don't do this, I'm shattered by 9pm and don't feel I've had any time to myself.

This or even go to bed for the night at this time if you can. You can then wake at 5:30 feeling wonderfully refreshed and get on with a few bits at that time.

Never mind a nursery uniform have one for yourself. I have 4 cord Boden dresses in various prints, those with tights and boots are my winter uniform. Jersey dresses with shoes and " tan" tights for spring/ early autumn and cotton frocks in the summer. Blazer in the winter, cardigan the rest of the time. No thought required.

Try to make as many things in your life as possible this way. For example we always have spaghetti Bolangaise or chilli on monday night- I cook it with the roast on Sunday. Tuesday is soup or stir fry, Friday night is pizza.

Hi all - stumbled on this thread! I'm building a 'Productive Mum' type community - focused on supporting mums who carry the mental load, are balancing work/life, are the default parent etc. We provide hacks/tips/support/safe space. I have an instagram and facebook page - let me know if you'd like to join.

Hi all - stumbled on this thread! I'm building a 'Productive Mum' type community - focused on supporting mums who carry the mental load, are balancing work/life, are the default parent etc. We provide hacks/tips/support/safe space. I have an instagram and facebook page - let me know if you'd like to join.