To ask HOW do people find the time to do things when they work full time?

[latesummerearlyautumn2]

I work full time, majority from home, and just about manage to keep on top of housework, life/home maintenance on top of that.

I walk every lunch break and after work to do 10k steps a day, but after that I have dinner, shower, may call a relative for a quick chat, and then before I know it, it’s time for bed.

Weekends are usually spent doing essential things like food shopping, laundry, house and garden stuff.

I don’t even have kids and marvel at people who have the time to maintain good social lives in particular. I find it hard enough staying connected with family members. My sister for example is always out with various friends, on holiday, or a trip away etc and I wonder if these people ever sleep?

I can’t be the only one with a boring life, am I?

Just buy the same things each werk. Create a favourites list. Does not have to be searching etc . Streamline.

Tbh I think a large part of it is that a lot of people fill the time they have, myself included. This is why many retirees will often say they're busy.

When I look back on how much I did at certain points in my life, I have no idea how I did it. I have far less commitments now but would still say I'm busy a lot of the time.

I think I used to multitask a lot more whereas now I tend to do one thing at a time. I've probably slowed down a bit too because I dont have to rush anymore.

If you had DC, you would just get on with it because you'd have to.

I work 4 days, including commuting total 8 hours a week, so in reality similar time commitment to someone working full time from home. Main housework gets done on a Friday whilst children at school, and obviously washing, cooking etc as we go along. I also hold 2 voluntary roles which take up quite a bit of my time during the week. Girls do at least 3 extracurriculars each which takes up quite a bit of time. We try to make sure the girls do most of their homework and extras during the week, so weekends can be family time and recovery time from a busy week. We might have friends round for a bbq, go on a day trip, swimming,cinema etc, crafts, movies at home

I think you make the jobs you have fit the time you have. On paper our weeks look crazy, but for now it works.

@latesummerearlyautumn2 To answer your more specific question about how to maintain the fun stuff: schedule it in. Call the friends and make a meet up even if it’s weeks away. Pick the hobby (especially if it’s a group activity) and put it in your diary, so that’s what you do on a Tuesday before you do anything else. Arrange that group weekend away - book it in your diary, commit to it, allocate specific time to it. It’s the only way - schedule it in or it won’t happen. The only spontaneous thing I do socially these days is drinks after work with colleagues- and that won’t happen if you’re wfh most of the time.

The only reason we can do it is because both sets of GPs are willing to do child care. Also my brother and SIL and DH and I do alternating childcare where we will babysit at their house with our kids there and the kids get a “sleepover” then one set of parents gets a night out. We are very lucky but also we have made sacrifices to live near our family. This isn’t our dream house or dream area (the schools are decent, that’s non negotiable) but it’s the area that means we can have a life and our kids can spend precious time with their GPs.

shopping is done in the week - would never set foot in a supermarket the weekend

One of us goes at night - our sainsburys and aldi open til 10pm

laundry done on timers and hung before work or as soon as get in

slow cooker always on the go so no evening cooking really - just nice food always available

then its just getting kids to bed and enjoying the weekend

I am solo parent to 3 (so no one to help and no break!)
get up 5/530 walk or run
sort breakfast, laundry on, shower, makeup etc
school run
back at my desk
full day of work
tea on table 6pm
gym at 630 3 days a week
tidy up kitchen
sort out laundry
either see friends/hang out with my kids
bed

cleaner once a fortnight
garden is a fucking state but I will live. My teenager will mow the grass for a tenner once a month or so
my weekends are pretty free to be fair

i manage friendships, family, legal proceedings, divorce, a commute to London, endless laundry. I think it’s about finding a routine that fits your life and makes what you want to do doable.

I was going to agree but working full time with no kids leaves plenty of time to do everything. Evenings and weekends is the answer. Trying to do to with young children especially one who doesn't sleep is almost impossible I've found, add in chronic illness and pain and it's likely ill next have a clean house when some people move out.

Ruthlessly prioritising leisure time. More home help. Robot vacuums etc and lower standards possibly.

The answer is a long time feeling knackered. Unless you can afford paid help.

Doing it all is very tiring.

Groceries are delivered (big shop once a week and then I have a little top up shop midweek with more milk, fruit, bread).

House - keep it decluttered so easier to clean and tidy, don’t put it down, put it away immediately, I usually get up by 7 on a Saturday anyway and just clean bathrooms etc then, but laundry is done pretty much daily, kitchen wiped down daily, robot hoover and mop. Also we’re all out the house 5 days a week so if we leave the house clean, it’s then just dinner mess etc which takes limited time to clean up. Just about getting into the routine, means it’s just 20-30 mins of tidying etc a day rather than having to do huge sessions weekly / biweekly.

Social life - mine is non existent at the moment, but tbh I think something always has to give to some extent - luckily I’m good friends with a lot of my kids parents so when they see their friends, I can catch up with mine too!

Not for a single person without children (or other significant regular caring responsibilities, say for a disabled sibling or frail parent) though. Something's off balance if an adult without dependents can't do more than grocery shop, cook and clean at the weekend!

Take a look at your screen time.
I feel like ive got absolutely zero time. But I had a reality check when I did a screen detox.
Saturday morning cleaning used to take me hours until mid afternoon, but this was only because id give myself a break after every little task, picking my phone up whenever it got a little boring.

Makes a huge difference as your phone will be an absolute time sponge.

Two kids, two horses (only one in work), live on a farm, and work approx 30hrs/week from home. Here is a short exert of my working day and how I fit it around other things that need doing.
6:00. Get up. Put on a load of washing and head outside to do horse chores.
6:45. Shower, and get kids up.
6:55. Eat breakfast while reading and replying to work emails.
7:55. Take kids to school.
8:10. Unload washing machine, hang up washing.
8:20. Go for a ride on my horse
9:45. Get back inside. Make a coffee and start working again.
12:00. Make lunch and eat at my desk while checking emails again.
12:30. Do the breakfast and lunch dishes. Tidy up the kitchen
12:45. Back to work.
15:00. School run.

Shopping is done online. It takes about 15 minutes once a week to place the order and about the same again to accept delivery and unpack. If its just you, you could probably get away with a big dry/freezer goods shop once a month, and then pick up meat, fruit, and veg once a week.
Housework shouldn't take long if its just you. Just tidy as you go and never leave something to put away later. Don't walk around empty handed if something needs to be carried somewhere. If you need to go upstairs, carry up the bottle of shampoo that you have just bought to the bathroom. If you're going downstairs, grab a few loo rolls from your storage area to put as spares in the downstairs loo. Just little things like that will save you time later.
Vacuuming the house should take 15-20 minutes. When you have the odd 10 minutes during the week, go around with a duster or the cobweb broom. Clean the shower after you've used it.

I plan and prioritize socialising and my hobbies, no-one gets to the end of their life and wishes they cleaned more! I don't understand what is taking all your time, unless you are working 12 hours a day, you must have time to use in the morning for a walk/house stuff then you could see friends in the evening? I go out a couple of nights a week, and work full with a toddler. I do a food shop Friday morning before work. Laundry whilst making dinner. We keep weekends as chore free as possible.

I've always done my chores in the week when I'm busy and tired anyway. Gardening would then be about a half day one weekend a month with little top ups in-between.

And tbh, when I was child free and went on holiday a lot, I had less housework to do because you can't make a mess if you aren't there.

I was a single parent, working full time, plus studying, plus exercising a few times a week and going for a lot of day trips and holidays. Plus socialised most weeks with friends. I got a cleaner!

I work about 4 days a week now. I exercise a lot more, 16-20 hours a week is average (this includes 90-120 minutes a day dog walking). Plus like to travel at least once a month, and socialise about 4 times a week (not including the gym), and visit places of interest. I still have a cleaner! I couldn't manage all that on 5 days a week, so it was a quality of life decision to drop a day. Would sooner exercise, travel and do days out than have more money in the bank.

What hours do you work? This can impact the free time you have. Are you on your feet all day? That can definitely impact energy levels when you get home.

Maybe instead of asking how do you do it all you need to identify what's most important to you? If it's maintaining friendships by going out and meeting up then there has to be a give somewhere. If it's having a spic and span home then you're not going to have loads of time for friends (nor will you want them in your home messing it up). It's all about balance and priorities.

What time do you get home? I'm home by 6pm, 5.30pm sometimes. Two days a week I work from home. Loads of time to do stuff. Not so much when I used to get home at 8pm or later. This week I've been to the gym twice and to yoga, watched football and Sewing Bee and I Am Jack Wright and met a friend for a drink after work. Including the weekend I swim, do yoga, parkrun, weights and spin and I'm writing a novel. I also socialise, eat out and go to the theatre and exhibitions.

Not so much when I had young kids, but they are 20 and 17 now.

Without kids I had all the time in the world, while working full-time. I was out several nights a week. I did maybe one load of washing per week – could even leave it longer.

Your household tasks shouldn’t take up your entire weekend! Maybe you’re making excuses in order to avoid people?

I have 2 small kids and I manage to see friends once a week or fortnight. It’s a lifeline. Otherwise I would go insane.

Nonsense. A single, healthy adult with no kids or commitments really shouldn't struggle to buy food, keep a clean home and socialise.

Pre child, my house was a lot tidier, and was even cleaner before we got the dog. I can't see how you would have that much mess if its just you. I used to vacuum and put washing on during breaks when I was wfh.
Like most things, people probably have different priorities to you. Many people dont walk 10k steps a day, if you prioritise this over socialising then thata your choice.

@latesummerearlyautumn2 i'm also single with no children

NGL the reason I'm not on top of it is because I can't be arsed. I won't make excuses. I'm trying to be better.

I always made plenty of time for friends when I actually had some. And I used to keep a very tidy and welcoming flat for them to stay over and what not

I'm wondering, a couple of things

• Are you working very long hours?
• Are you sleeping a lot? Or maybe I should say a normal amount because I'm a terrible sleeper.

I have mostly spent my full-time jobs having to commute an hour each way and I still had time for a social life and evening activities. When I didn't have some kind of evening class, I would go to the gym.

I don't really get how you can be spending this amount of time on housework and whatever else you're spending it on.

Are you asking this because you're bored? Are you finding the days are too long for you now?

I work shifts on a 6 on 4 off pattern it’s a pain but i honestly couldn’t go back to mon-fri 9-5 working.
how do people fit in doing the food shop, catching up with friends, families etc, see the doctor, dentist. Make hair/nails/beauty appointments. All that on top of housework, gardening blows my mind!
obviously you just make it work but I just can’t imagine it for me. My house work gets done when I’m nightshift and usually meant to be sleeping. Then I have 4 days off to fit everything else in that I have to do. I don’t even have any kids to factor in…maybe I’m just disorganised or high maintenance.

I have no idea how people manage. I've just spent 90 mins between app and phone sorting my contract!