People in 9-5 jobs

[BubbleBall]

How do you manage to fit everyhing in?

I've just started a new job and was quite pleased to find out I'd be working "office hours" with weekends and bank holidays off (it's not an office job). I live with DP who has a very similar setup and was delighted thinking home life would run more smoothly with us all having similar routines. DS goes to school and then a childminder until I pick him up when I finish.

I am exhausted. I get home in the evening and by the time homework, housework and dinner are out of the way I have to study- which I have no inclination to do at 8pm at night. At weekends we try to see family, spend time outdoors and do more thorough housework to keep the house acceptable.

I have pretty low standards when it comes to housework so its not as though I'm running myself ragged trying to keep everything spotless.

I found things alot easier when I did longer shifts over fewer days- that left me a couple of days to blast the cleaning whilst the house was empty and get some studying done too.

Granted I'm only a few weeks in and have been ill in that time too, maybe it'll get easier once I'm used to the change of pace, but how do you all fit everything in and still find time to actually enjoy life a little?

I work 3 x 9-5 days in the week and then usually a 12 hour shift in a different job at the weekend and have been doing this for about 4 months and not coping very well. I am exhausted and seem to have been permanently run down. I have 4 teenage dc's who need running around to open days/ hospital appointments/ football matches/ social events and a dog who needs long walks on my days off ( the kids walk her when they get home on the week days I work).
Sometimes I put on 3 loads of washing a day and cook 2 different meals as we like different things to the kids.
The house is getting dirty now, but I can't really afford a cleaner at the moment. I think I'm going to try to meal plan better and do online shopping to try to cut down the number of supermarket top up trips.

I have worked shifts over a 24hr rota for years and much prefer them to 9 to 5 Mon to Fri. I agree with the op, I found it exhausting and hard to get everything done

Can you finish later a couple of days but then earlier one afternoon and get time alone while your son is with the childminder? Might not work for you though. I second the getting up early - I get up at 5am, quick run, unload dishwasher / washing machine, iron if necessary...DD gets up 5.30 or 6 and I just work round her. No housework in the evening bar the cooking/lunch making. I usually take the last day of term off and spend the morning completely blitzing the house before getting DD at lunchtime. But it is tough going I agree.

It's really hard. I've been on my own with 2 kids for 12 years and work
full time, plus studying.

Most of the weekend is spent cleaning, washing, food shopping, ironing, etc.

I don't think I know what it feels like to not be exhausted now, I'm just on autopilot most of the time. I cope by making sure I get plenty of sleep, eating reasonably healthily and exercising (though this is hard to fit in).

It's easier now the kids are older as there's less running around after them, but on the other hand my jobs got more pressurised so don't really feel like it's easier.

I really hate it. Did 25 hrs pw for a few years which was perfect then had no choice but to do full time. It would be ok if DH didn't work about 60 hrs a week in his job. I feel permanently exhausted and like life is one long round of work and housework and if I try to have any fun then stuff like ironing builds up.

I am looking to go back to something around 25-30 hrs per week but those jobs don't seem to exist anymore.

I don't have kids but I hear you
I used to do 40 hours over 4 days with three days off, not necessarily the same days but rota a month in advance.

To me, the day is useless after commute/work/commute, so having three days to get stuff done - in my case, studying and parent care - was much easier.

I have a friend who works 4 days on, 4 days off and she finds it much easier to deal with the kids in that way but her DH does 9-5 Mon to Fri so does school run.

Alot of I, I, I in your posts.

My hours match the children's hours at school for the most part, then I become the glorified chauffeur to all their various clubs, sporting events, etc. My DH works 9 -6+ Mon - Fri.

Our house is a tip. The shopping is random. And it's tricky. Because we're all so busy during out 'free' time. But, i figure this is their only time to be children, with lots of different things to try, do and enjoy, so just try to go with it. As long as they get fed and get enough sleep I think we're winning. :)

i work 5 days 10-2.30 lovely, however i leave the house at 8.20 take kids to school, go to work, finish work staight to school (eat lunch in car before schools out) Monday wait for eldest to do sports club, then home and out again for 6 for swimming with youngest, Tuesday same but no afterschool club, wednesday same but with homework club, thursday same but with Brownies, friday same and straight home.

After school i do cleaning tidying, cooking, etc etc, put both kids to bed and collapse in a heap about 9pm.

Saturdays is ballet at 10 til 10.30 and chores

Sunday chores, possibly see friends and theatre group at 1 til 3.30 kids need dropping and collecting.

Im finding it hard and that im not doing any of it very well.

Sorry thats not very helpful!

Yeah, it's absolute hell, especially when you're working after 5 because there aren't enough hours in the day. Add in going to the gym, cooking a meal every night, doing the washing, cleaning & ironing, cleaning the house top to bottom. Pets on top of that! Trying to find time to have a social life can prove difficult.

Well most people don't study as well. That's, what, an extra 2 hours a night so 10-14 a week, i.e. almost another 2 days work. Obviously if you had that time free, you'd be able to get a lot more done. An hour's housework each night plus an hour to just chill.

If you work any further than 15 mins or so from work, spending the time getting there and back is also going to add up if its 5 times a week rather than 3.

I 'manage' it by working flexitime, so 40 mins extra most days means I can take a day off nearly every fortnight. Also working at home occasionally means I can put a meal in slow cooker and wash or two on without any wasted time. Not sure if your job allows any of that flexibility.

Other than that, I assume people just outsource more if they are struggling, if they can.

Do all house work at the weekend (Saturday morning if possible).
Accept you will rarely manage more than the minimum during the evening on weekdays.
Go to bed when the kids go to bed.
Accept you will be knackered.
Make sure DP is pulling equal weight!
Wait ten years till kids are older and things get easier ;)

I work 9-5:30 with a pretty hideous commute. I'm planning on packing it in soon. I have no time for anything.

What is your DP doing housework/chores/childcare -wise?

I also study and run a business, chair a charity and would like to be able to meet up with friends more than once a month. It sucks.

No opportunity for flexi time, compressed hours or going part time, so going to have to quit to regain any semblance of life.

I work either early shifts (6.30-4) or late shifts (11-8) 5 days a week with one week day off. I'd hate to work Monday to Friday 9-5. Bliss going out when most others are at work

I like it (other than the lack of nhs shift enhancements). I have a little flexibility though in so much as that as long as I'm in for the core hours of 10-4 and do my 37.5hpw I'm OK. So I can do an 8-4 if I have an appointment etc. I can also work from home if I have no face to face appointments and I'm just doing admin stuff.

Another one here asking what your DP is doing around the house - hope he's doing 50% of the chores.

I did 7.45-7 for 16 years before the children
17.5 hrs over four days for two years when they were 5&8
9-5 (more like 9-6.30) since although the last six months have been gruelling. So, 14 years.

To be honest I found part time the hardest.

It's about organisation. On-line shopping does help even if the supermarkets next door because someone else does it and lifts uit and brings it to your kitchen. In that hour you can hoover the whole house.

When I was studying I got up at 5.30 three days a week. In the evenings I do x and y before I sit down. Used to get everything ready the night before. Dishwasher and w/mach on in the evening, emptied and hung in the morning, iron to your favourite tv programme. Our Dr does a Cpl of late nights until 7.30. Get apts booked in advance, plan things like dentist, haircuts, boiler service for one morning and use half a day f a/l, use lunch hours judiciously for admin.

Take a day off late October to get Christmas cards written, presents ordered, etc.

Personally I think going without something else would be worth it fr a cleaner - if you can of course.

Oh, and easy dinners. Make two cottage pies, spag bols, chilli, chick casserole, etc and freeze one, pizza and salad, salmon fillets and stir fry, pasta bake, baked pots, bought quiche, cook a chicken, etc

It is tough I've a 7:30-5:00 mon-fri plus 8-12 Saturdays and I do find it tough to keep up. DP works mental hours, worse in the summer too, so he can't help much so I feel like I end up doing it all at the weekend... yay(!)

Single parent here and 9-5 is hard. I went from freelance to 9-5 and hated it.
What makes the difference is being a night or morning person. You either have to get up early and study/ sort the house or stay up later. For me getting up early with the children asleep and doing work was better. Having the early night felt like bliss!
I did find I drank a glass or two a night just to "turn off". I hardly drink at all now.

My husband works shifts, I work 9-5 and we have a one year old toddler. When my husband works lates, he does all the housework and I do everything related to my daughter. When he works nights, we do half and half. When he works days, I do all the cleaning and he does about half of the childcare. It's more or less even and it means we can keep the house clean, our daughter gets to see us more or less equally and we get a tiny little bit of time off on our own. However, this shift pattern means we rarely spend time together during the week. Sometimes I do think I would prefer for my husband to not work shifts so we could spend more time as a family ...in a dirty, messy house! I guess you can't have it all.

It should say "our" daughter!!

I've just gone back to FT for a 12 month fixed term (hoping to drop back to 3or 4 days after that) and I know what you mean. Not only the household tasks but also suddenly having to fit in haircuts and dentist etc around work time instead of just on my days off. The worst thing of all is all the crappy household admin. We split it but still it's a right pain, car tax and insurance, house insurance, booking childcare, filling in school forms, payments for things like childcare that have to be calculated or checked and paid etc etc. And they wonder why no one switches energy supplier regularly I guess it will settle into some sort of routine, but when DH said 'hopefully they will make it permanent, we can always get a cleaner' I did not agree (and would rather keep costs right down instead). TBH if we did get a cleaner, between that, extra childcare and commuting costs for the extra day's work it would barely make a profit.

I moved from working shift work of 40-50 hours a week to 35 hours office hours and I much prefer my old shift work of getting more than weekends off even if it means more hours.