To ask your top tips on managing household stuff, work and time? online grocery shop etc

[Failingfreakishly]

Following on from my other thread (exhausted + poor health + job stress) I realise I need to find out as many life hacks as possible. One thing I'm going to start with is doing an online shop from Tesco or Sainsbury's.

What are your top tips for getting stuff done as time-effectively as possible? All ideas welcome, from housework to managing time better in work or anything at all. I need inspiration.

look in the good housekeeping section, you will find loads of threads

Buy a Roomba or similar - your house will be hoovered while you are out doing other things.

Identify periods of dead time and use them to complete tasks, even if it is just listening to an audio book on your drive to work so that you feel as though you have a little 'you time' on your commute. I also use my son's bath time to fold laundry and put it away as I am near to the bedrooms and airing cupboard so don't end up dressing us all from the clean laundry basket every day (although I'm sure the neighbours miss the sight of us all in our underwear coming downstairs and rooting through the tumble drier for clothes!).

I set reminders on my phone and computer for people's birthdays - one a week before the big day so I have a chance to buy cards/presents and one on the day so I can phone or send a message.

I have a box of gift bags that I stock when they are half price etc so that I never have that annoying 'need to wrap a present in minus 20 minutes' feeling and can just throw something into a bag and go. I also have a box of generic presents such as nice bath stuff, kids' books and toys etc for emergency use when I haven't been as organised as I would like.

Another huge favourite is batch cooking, so I have a well stocked freezer that means I can make a meal in 10 minutes just by boiling up some pasta/rice/couscous and sticking some chilli/bolognese/ratatouille in the microwave (also have a whole drawer full of different frozen veg including frozen ready-chopped onions - my favourite time and tears saver!).

I also use the front of the fridge as a notice board - we have dry wipe pens with magnets glued to them which are always there so we can make notes/shopping lists/reminders etc and take a photo on our phone on the way out of the door to help remember anything that we need to do/buy.

Not sure I can help as I'm feeling overwhelmed too but mine is a slow cooker. This morning (at 5.45am!!) I emptied a packet of chicken breasts into it, tipped in some frozen veg and a jar of curry sauce (I know, should cook from scratch but needs must sometimes) and we will have it with microwavable rice (2 mins a pouch). Took me about 40 seconds.

Cleaning bathroom whilst children are in the bath.

I have 5 baskets in the laundry room (1 per person) plus a large basket for ironing. Everything goes from dryer / airer into basket for appropriate person. Baskets go on stairs a couple of times a week for people to take up, put stuff away and return baskets. Saves double sorting / laundry hanging around. I also put lots of things straight onto hangers from washer / dryer and hang from a molly maid on the ceiling. Less ironing.

Have packets of multi-purpose wipes all over - will use one in the loo / bathroom / utility room etc just as and when.

I have also lowered my standards

don't put things off and have a routine

I do lots of things once the kids are in bed - such as ironing

I iron once a week and I do everything

I clean the kitchen one night, bathrooms the next - shop online and make sure I keep on top of what it needed the next day

and I drink lots of gin xxx

As part of your supermarket delivery, you will naturally meal plan, which is an excellent time saver. Also, ordering will get easier, it will take less time as you get used to it. I have a regular weekly order with Ocado that I just edit a bit, as I order the same things. I still end up shopping for bits and pieces though. But I am now stricter if we run out of something, my stock answer to myslef and the rest of the family is "It will delivered Wednesday". nless of course it's toilet roll.

Cook large portions of say chilli, bolognaise sauce etc. and keep in fridge/freeze.

Make a cleaning plan and stick to it. Ie. don't do more than what is on it. i hoover Monday and Friday, and that's it. If the floor needs hoovering Wednesday, that's just too bad. Unless of course you drop a bag of flour on the floor or other emergency.

Delegate. Ask for help. You don't have to do everything. Also ask yourself "Is it really necessary?" Ie. does all the laundry need to be ironed? Does the floor needs washing daily? A little bit of "I give up" also goes a long way for your own sanity.

Can you afford help? I have a window cleaner monthly and a gardener when it's needed. I wish I could afford a weekly cleaner, but I can't.

Meal plan.

A place for everything and everything in its place.

Own as little stuff as possible.

Pick up after yourself. Immediately after using / doing whatever you have used/done.

Always leave a room slightly tidier than when you entered it. Never worse.

Make everyone else in the household pick up after themselves (to the best of their abilities for toddler etc).

For me, the reduction of unnecessary clutter has been a huge help. Paring everything down to the absolutely necessary and putting everything else either in the garage or attic if I use it occasionally and out to a charity shop/tip if not.

Once you get that part sorted it makes everything else much easier.

HamishBamish that's my next step! I moved this summer and I am seriously considering just chucking the moving boxes that I still havenøt unpacked. I'm off to FlyLady now!

I think moving sorry stuff in kitchen onto one surface and wiping down quickly takes a couple of minutes, then unloading dishwasher a couple then reloading a couple. I tend to do stuff as I walk past it then I never feel like I have done a big clean and also I tody a room as kids playing in it.

Batch cooking pasta and sauce jn one go and freezing it in container for microwave helps as does soup and putting in freezer in a bag with a roll attached in a separate bag too.

Every day the first thing I do is plan dinner - I meal plan and make sure I gave what I need, defrosting etc) and do some laundry. If you have dinner and clean clothes, I think it stops the feelings if chaos. I then have a room/rooms which I clean corresponding to the day - Monday is hall and dining room etc. I try to do a surface clean and declutter one drawer or shelf. I feel in top if things most if the time with this routine.

Prioritise what needs to be done against what you'd like to be done I've drummed this into DH over the years, particulalry when we were blitzing house ahead on in-laws visit and he started cleaning the fish tank out

Have decent storage - including wardrobes and other bedroom furniture. Best thing I ever did was investing in PAX from IKEA - previously I had very beautiful but impractical ancient wooden suites and it was a job in itself trying to squeeze clothes in.

Double on when cooking sauces/curries/soups/stews and freeze half.

JAmie Oliver's 15 minute meals is a great inspiration! Some lovely chicken and fish dishes in there.

Try and drum a routine into everyone else. We come home from school - coats are hund up and shoes off before anything else. Lunchboxes are taken into kitchen, homework, letters from school etc on dining table. Plates are places in the sink after eating. Dining table wiped down immediately after eating.

And I got slated on one thread, but I am unashamed of my reliance on my tumble drier. It's a massive one so I can fit 2 loads of wet stuff in every cycle. Most things can be folded/hung up if you do it straight away so I try and time my tumble drier for when I know I will have 15 mins to put things away afterwards.

Do it now.. if you think of a job.. just do it. Don't make a mental note or add it to your to do list.. just do it now.. This has changed my life. I find myself going to do something I remembered needed doing.. only to find I had already done it!! Go figure!!

Also.. short and sweet. Baby steps,. a little every day. You get the drift. I don't iron everything in one go or clean the whole room in one go. I do little and often. So don't get overwhelmed that way...
Good luck.

oh yes - don't hoard - chuck stuff out and make regular trips to the tip

I pick a room a month and gut it - everything out of cupboards etc - then freecycle or tip what we really don't need or use