DD is now 10, and DH and I have both worked FT in stressful jobs since her arrival (and before that!).
Organisation.
Get in door from work/nursery.
Check post box.
Empty bags of dirty clothes, empty food containers etc.
Turn on dinner (see after dinner re preparation).
Start DD on homework (she does the written parts in afterschool club, but that needs checking, and she does her reading, spellings and tables too before I sign homework journal). She's allowed play with her friend up the street once that's done.
Hang out laundry from washing machine (we set it on timer to run in the afternoons) - I can listen to homework while physically doing this.
Sort post - recycle bumpf, put bills aside to open and pay later (before or after dinner, as time allows).
Empty dishwasher if needed (or after dinner as part of washup).
Set table for dinner.
Feed the hungry demons.
Tidy up.
Make my lunch for tomorrow.
Prepare dinner stuff for tomorrow (peel potatoes, take things from freezer, peel/chop veg, put together meals if possible, set oven on timer if it suits the meal etc). Aim is to have things ready either to just eat, or at least just turn on pots and cook, as we get in the door.
Washing up (stack dishwasher, wash pots).
Prepare bags - any clothes needed, afterschool activity kit, notes signed....for DD and I, and check if DH needs anything.
Pay bills at this stage if not before - when doing school notes and paperwork generally.
Sort next load of laundry for machine and programme it.
Usually sweep floor nightly too.
Lay out clothes for tomorrow and any accessories I need (DD doesn't need accessories, DH looks after his own outfits) - makes it easy to get moving fast in the mornings.
I also try to lay out breakfast things - but it's a pretty slick operation in the mornings anyway. I do make a smoothie mix for myself on Sunday nights that lasts 4 mornings (there's usually 1 morning I am running and grab coffee instead) - berries, almond butter, seeds, oats, yoghurt and apple juice - so decent energy, lots of vitamins and easy to drink in a rush.
I try to "tidy as I go" - bring things with me upstairs when I am going anyway, clearing off tables and not leaving mess behind, etc. We always leave the kitchen tidy before bed, all dishes in dishwasher etc.
Weekends:
Clean house - focus on bathrooms, changing sheets/towels, kitchen.
Fold all clean laundry - I wash all week as dirty things arrive to prevent build up, but only fold clean once a week - we have reasonably extensive wardrobes to get around this but also if someone needs something, the clean laundry is in a separate hamper in the kitchen to raid easily once dry. Folding usually takes place in the evening while watching a movie on tv.
DH irons on Sunday evenings.
Sundays I tend to do a dinner for Monday - spag bol sauce, curry, lasagna, fish pie etc. But double portion so the second is frozen for the following week on a midweek night. So Mondays are very easy cooking nights.
Food shopping - I am getting better at organizing an internet delivery a couple of times a month to avoid the supermarket. I tend to have pretty well stocked cupboards as well, and freezer, to reduce a need to panic about shopping on a very hectic week. Either that I haven't got there at all, or that my plans for more elaborate meals need to be shelved for quick and easy options.
Cooking - while I like to cook from scratch, that's not possible all the time. So I will bulk cook on occasion (do a large pot of spag bol or a curry and freeze in 1 person and family portions), and often have parts of meals done this way too (eg. veggies marinated and frozen so I just tip the bag onto a roasting tray, with fresh chicken portions, and throw in the oven for 30 minutes). Or plain tomato sauce to add meat/veg to.
I also keep a few jars/packets of good sauces in the cupboard to add to meat and pasta/rice for days when starting with an onion and tin of tomatoes isn't an option.
I am getting better at fast meals - I have a few dinners that cook in 15 minutes or so, and some that need very little supervision even if they take longer.
There are nights when we have chicken kievs and chips - but the kievs tend to be the higher level ones (obviously real chicken still with a bone in it) and oven chips, and frozen peas.
And bad nights are OK once they are balanced with as many decent nights as possible and having some form of veggies in each meal (DH would be happy with tinned beans many nights - but I keep frozen veg too as I am not a bean fan).
Clothes - I tend to have mostly "wash and wear" type clothes - not too many needing ironing apart from DH shirts and a few dresses. And not too many needing dry cleaning either. I also have my wardrobe organized to suit grabbing easily. I keep spare tights in my desk at work as well.
Makeup - I have it well practiced, but I keep 3 full makeup kits. 1 on my dressing table, 1 in my washbag for travelling, and 1 in my desk at work. I don't wear it everyday, but a lot. IT's mostly the same items in each set, I replace all 3 mascaras together every year, work is more subdued than home/travel for eyecolours/lipstick (less need for dramatic looks!).
I also keep my washbag ready packed as I have to travel for work on occasion and a fair amount of weekends for family too - so I repack it when I get home not when I am trying to get moving in a hurry.
(I also tend to change the sheets on the visitors beds in the spare room as soon as they are gone - rather than just before they arrive - so one less job to do when I am frantic. All I need to do is grab clean towels and the room is ready. We have had last minute announcements of visitors on occasion, and that has been at frantic work times more than once).
I keep my budget on a spreadsheet - keeping track of actual expenditure, and budgeting ahead at least 9 months. I have a separate sheet of the annual bills and monthly bills, so when I add in a new sheet(s) for a few more months ahead, I can easily add in the bills due in those months (many are estimated, but helps keep some track of what I should need). I have a few set up to pay as DDs and savings on standing orders, but still have a few to pay by cheque - I try to sort those as soon as they come in. Filing of paperwork is less pressured - I keep a basket on the side in the kitchen and once things are dealt with, they go in there for filing (which is a job done sometimes every 6 months, sometimes up to 2 years have gone by - but some quiet evening or Saturday afternoon, I take over the kitchen table and lay everything out). But everything is in the basket if we need to refer back before the filing gets done.
Big "week on a page" diary on the kitchen counter - for our travel, DD clubs, family events, doctor appointments, school dates, etc. Means we can see at a glance what's coming up (we keep it open on the current week), and I can put things in quickly when dealing with notes from school or post everyday.
We are about to go back to having a cleaning service once a fortnight for a proper clean, which will help.
It's lots of little things which all add up. We mostly do it just ourselves, family are not close enough to help in general. But we mostly DO manage reasonably well. I did a Masters when DD was small (9 months to 2.5yrs), DH and I have both been promoted a couple of times since she's arrived, we have both had a reasonable amount of work travel to do - but we've managed.