Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be quick about stuff?

215 replies

HardLightHologram · 09/12/2016 06:45

DH's alarm didn't go off so he woke me up at 6.15 (I don't get up until 7) to make his sarnies.

It took me 7 minutes and I'm now back in bed with a coffee and my phone.

He is agog. Apparently it takes him a good twenty minutes and he is astounded that any human being can move so fast. He's calling me The Flash.

All it involves is buttering six slices of bread and slicing cheese and cucumber. I can't see how he drags it out for twenty minutes.

He made ds's lunchbox yesterday as he was off and the took him twenty minutes as well, 2 pate sarnies and a babybel, yoghurt, banana and biscuit.

When I decorate, it takes me a day to do a room, roughly. One coat in the morning and another late afternoon or evening. He's used to it now but it used to make him twitch.

Don't get me wrong, I am very lazy and will happily spend a day watching Netflix, but when I do get moving I like it to be speedy.

He also has half hour toilet trips but I'm not going there.

I think he's a faffer, he thinks I rush things. I say the results speak for themselves and my way is the best. If he would embrace my ways he'd have an extra 13 minutes in the morning to spend in the loo.

AIBU?

(This post actually took me ages because ds woke up and I had to make his breakfast and get him dressed, but that was a quick job as well).

OP posts:
Krampus · 09/12/2016 08:32

I like to get up and get tasks out the way because I am very lazy, why faff about when you can be watching a box set? My husband and his sisters are huge faffers, meeting up for a walk and pub lunch could take most of the day, there would be no pub lunch because they had stopped serving by then. I started packing sandwiches for me and the kids. My husband has improved because I started to just go and sit down when he was faffing about, otherwise I did 90% of the tasks.

RockinHippy · 09/12/2016 08:35

My husband is Captain Faffer, it's infuriating at times, but he can still throw his sandwiches together in about 5 minutes, though he only has 4 slices of bread & at 6'5" it's still plenty for him

Your DH is slow

hoofwankingbunglecunt · 09/12/2016 08:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

KatharinaRosalie · 09/12/2016 08:38

Wow I would not be impressed if DH woke me at 6.15 to make his sandwiches! If he overslept and has no time, then he can simply find something else to eat for his lunch.

HairsprayBabe · 09/12/2016 08:39

I HATE FAFFERS!

My DP is one and it pisses me off to no end, JUST BLOODY GET ON WITH IT!!!

It probably wouldn't annoy me half as much if he didn't come and say later, ooh well you have been sat down since X time while I was cleaning the bathroom you can mat tea/lunch whatever.
NO - I cleaned the kitchen in 20 mins whilst you faffed about for an hour and a half cleaning the bathroom, if you want more time to do things you like get the boring stuff out of the way first!

Last night he said put the kettle on I will bring your mug downstairs, so I went to put the kettle on. He went to get my mug and came down 30 MINUTES LATER! We live in a small house with 1 flight of stairs, he knew where the mug was. WHAT IN THE NAME OF HOLY FUCK WAS HE DOING! It should have taken at most 2 mins by the time I got my mug the kettle was practically cold again and had to be re-boiled.

This is giving me horrible burny rage just thinking about it. Angry Angry Angry

shovetheholly · 09/12/2016 08:39

I'm pretty sure I have you all beat. My FIL is the biggest faffer ever. We needed to get out a sofa that was being stored at the back of PIL's garage. It was a (knackered) light, mid century modern style thing and DH and I could easily lift it out from the back and over everything in front. FIL insisted on taking everything out of the garage, putting it on the drive, then replacing it once we'd moved the sofa. It took about 3 hours to do a job that was literally a 2 minute lift. I was nearly crying!!

Another time, FIL insisted on mending our gate, and it took 3 days- yes 3 DAYS - to remove a bit of diseased wood and put a new one in. I think every tool we owned had to be got out and put on the lawn. A joiner would have had it done in literally 30 minutes to an hour.

DH has a tendency towards a similar methodical-beyond-all-reason attitude. A stern Hmm from me is required.

Original poster
HardLightHologram · 09/12/2016 08:43

I'm loving the clear correlation between speed and laziness.

The saying should be 'if you want something done, ask a busy lazy person'.

Grin
OP posts:
RB68 · 09/12/2016 08:44

there is a saying if you want something done ask a busy person, I also say if you want something done efficiently ask a lazy person - they will often have worked out the fastest way to get things done and all the short cuts - I can do two cups of tea, toast for two sort snack for child, check child has everything, empty dishwasher and clear sink in around 8 minutes... I consider myself lazy in many ways. It is also about routine and effectively it being automatic rather than having to think about every move or action individually.

BertieBotts · 09/12/2016 08:45

mrscarrot why would you want to drink a coffee in under 5 minutes? When I make a coffee I want to sit down and enjoy it!

Trills · 09/12/2016 08:45

(chemical synthesis is a lot like Bakeoff but with things that sometimes go on fire)

I find my biology training is good for this kind of thing too - that's going to be in the centrifuge for 10 minutes so I can do this other thing or if I time it so that stage starts at 10am I can go have a tea break

mrsgumpy · 09/12/2016 08:47

I feel like I have met my soul mates on this page. I thought I was the only one getting infuriated by my husbands SLOWNESS at tasks. In the morning, he drinks coffee while taking AGES to do the dishes while I get myself ready and get the kids out the door. He can't help, of course, because he is doing the dishes. Ugh.

Amber - your comment rang so true for me - mediocre is better than perfection if perfection takes 10x as long

Lweji · 09/12/2016 08:48

My people!

I'm here to complain about people shopping. My MIL was terrible (2h for supermarket shopping that takes me 45min), but even my mum faffed too much that he last time I took her and even though I told her I was starting to feel feverish. Angry

I also can't stand people who don't use Control-C and -V and faff about with clicking on menus for copy and paste.
I'd rather work alone and then send them the stuff to be checked or vice versa.

mrscarrotironfoundersson · 09/12/2016 08:49

Bertie because I like my bed too much and would rather have 5 extra minutes there.

IdBuyThatForADollar · 09/12/2016 08:50

Hahaha! This is me and my DP.

My motivation - more time for the important business of lazing about - is the same too.

DP also requires a day set aside to do what I consider to be max 1 hour jobs.

We also have an ongoing 'discussion' about when jobs need to be done. So, for example, if we're having a party at the weekend, I like to get up in the morning, have breakfast, then do as much party prep as I can as fast as possible, to have preferably a min 2 hour chill out window before the first people are due to arrive.

DP prefers to wake up, have breakfast, chill, take the dog for 15 walks, have lunch, chill, chill, then casually start doing a job or two, finishing the final hoovering about approx 15 seconds before the first person turns up, while I have a minor control-freaky breakdown in the corner.

TBF he always gets everything done, and I'm certain it's not a strategy for not doing his share, because if I attempt to take over his jobs I am ordered into a chair to 'relax', but I CANNOT FUCKING RELAX, because there are outstanding jobs to do.

shovetheholly · 09/12/2016 08:50

It's the 80% rule, isn't it? Very few things in life need 100%, definitely not making a sandwich. By doing the shit stuff quickly to a level of 80% decent, you can clear space to give everything to the things that require your 100% A-game.

IdBuyThatForADollar · 09/12/2016 08:52

I'm here to complain about people shopping. My MIL was terrible (2h for supermarket shopping that takes me 45min), but even my mum faffed too much that he last time I took her and even though I told her I was starting to feel feverish

I did all the physical (not online) Christmas present shopping I intend to do in 2 hours last night. That includes 30 mins in JD Sports exchanging some overpriced trainers and 6 different shops. We could shop together I reckon.

FurryLittleTwerp · 09/12/2016 08:53

My DH faffs about to the nth degree before starting any task - several days can be wasted sitting for hours on the loo on his laptop & trying to go out to do a leisure activity is excruciating Confused

When he gets round to it though, there is suddenly a mad rush on - at least it feels like a mad rush, but in slow motion - like watching a sloth hurry up a bit - so bloody annoying & quite stressful to observe Hmm

I'm lazy & like to quickly do things now then relax for a long time Grin

IdBuyThatForADollar · 09/12/2016 08:54

By doing the shit stuff quickly to a level of 80% decent, you can clear space to give everything to the things that require your 100% A-game.

And I do give 100% to the sofa sitting, internet browsing, xbox playing, eating and drinking tea portion of my day.

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 09/12/2016 08:57

I make the occasional sarnie for my DP. Never, ever, ever do I make them 45 minutes before I am due to be up

Perhaps there's loads of things that dh does for the OP? I make my dh's sandwiches the night before as every Sunday he takes the car and fills it up for me as I loathe doing it. I'm perfectly capable, just as he is, of making sandwiches but it's nice to do things for your other half.

OP, I'm like you, naturally lazy but when I get going I'm speedy and get things done super quickly.

Cheese and cucumber sandwiches are the bestGrin

BusyBodd · 09/12/2016 08:59

I'll just leave this here:

“I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.”
Bill Gates

mygorgeousmilo · 09/12/2016 09:03

I am speed demon, mostly so I can get things done to fit in my leisurely pursuits - box sets, lunch with friends, doing absolutely nothing.... all of that. I feel like you can fit tonnes into 24hrs, and I do have some kind of guilt when time is wasted. FWIW I don't think relaxing is time wasted, as long as it has a beginning and an end to it. We went to a show last night and somehow woke up late today at 8:05. We all x5 need to leave for five minute drop off at 8:40 DH suggested it was physically impossible to get ready in 35 minutes so the kids may have to have a day off of school?! Errr they're all in school now and I'm on mumsnet! Everyone had hot porridge and went in wearing clean clothes with enough layers. But I know many many people that get in a flap about this sort of thing. There was a thread similar the other week about tidying etc and I said there that I think it's just a personality thing, in the same way some people are extroverts, good at maths or what have you. In the same vein, I know that I struggle to "live in the moment", I mean I enjoy my life but I worry about the next thing on my list, or the next slot of time. It's not necessarily better being super organised, but for me I couldn't have it any other way. I genuinely think my mental health would start to suffer if I didn't address things immediately and efficiently, but again, that's just a random part of my character and has been since childhood.

BakeOffBiscuits · 09/12/2016 09:06

I'm the same, at the weekend i I LOVE lying around "relaxing" (watching TV, reading, cross stitch) so I spend an hour zooming round doing everything that needs doing and then spend the rest of the day "relaxing".

DH will spend his weekend, faffing and telling me how much he's got to doHmm I want to shout "well stop FAFFING, get a move on and bloody well sit down", but I restrain myselfGrin

BakeOffBiscuits · 09/12/2016 09:08

Busy you have made my year. I'm going to stencil that artfully onto my kitchen wall so DH can see it and never forget I am right

BakeOffBiscuits · 09/12/2016 09:10

I think it needs repeating throughout the thread Busy Grin

I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it. Bill Gates

WingsofNylon · 09/12/2016 09:11

I think it's as simple as I like to get things done so I can get on with the important business of sitting down

This really made me laugh out loud, so much so it scared the cat! I think I want this n my gravestone as it sums my up entirely.

OP i think i love you.