work wont let me cut my hours, your best timesaving tips please

[woodstock3]

due to go back to work soon, my evil boss has refused any form of flexible working (apparently whole of civilisation would crumble if i did one lousy day a week from home) and is basically offering my old job ft long hours mad stress or nothing.
longterm i need a new job. but shortterm i need as many crafty ways as possible to save time at work and at home, so i can spend more of it with poor ds (six months old). already planning to hire a cleaner, what else has worked for you?

you could challenge your boss's decision - see this www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/life/employment/parental_rights_at_work.htm#Therighttoaskforflex]

thanks for that dinny, unfortunately i've been through the options and they are determined to refuse. unless i take them to tribunal, at which point i'd probably win but would never work for anyone else in my industry again, i've pretty much had it. hence thinking i need a new job - but that will take a while to sort out and i am desperate for ways to make me feel better about the situation in the meantime...

what a nightmare - sorry you're in this predicament. what industry is it?

Develop a ruthless routine.
I am similarly time challenged and find stuff like getting lunches, bags and coats ready and by the front door the night before helps.

I put everything back where I find it and never go to bed without leaving kitchen spotless and doing dishes and putting breakfast stuff out.

i have one huge day of cleaning a month which means that at other times i only do 20 mins. a day max.

online shopping. online everything!Train your child to help around the house (obviously once he is slightly older)

Great advice from moondog.

In particular be very organised with laundry as well. Make sure you are not down to your last outfits with baby or for you. If you only have one or two spare tops then baby will be sick on one and you will spill something on the other.

Never run out of toothpaste, deodorant loo rolls etc. It's really boring having to be so rigid but it will reduce your stress levels a little.

If you can face it cook stuff in advance. (bolognese for 3 meals for example is not much more effort than one). Otherwise try and make sure you know what you are having for dinner a few nights ahead. Cheat with good quality short cut foods. e.g. decent pasta sauces, baked potatoes and if desperate M&S ready meals!

clutter is NOT your friend.

have a clear out as soon as possible.

if you can afford a cleaner, get one!

also put chores like ironing out to hire or stop doing them.

get a dishwasher.

and put together a rota, like moondog says, you have to be ruthless.

husbands and partners who are able-bodied are perfectly capable of helping.

What childcare have you arranged ? If possible try to get either a nursery/CM or nanny where they do the food ( which may not be until after weaning)Make sure you and your DS are 100% happy with your childcare, this will make things a lot easier.

Realise that if you are short of time then sometimes, if you have it, then you need to throw money at it.

Don't feel guilty if you end up cutting corners sometimes, my DS eats M&S kiddies meals at least 2-3 evenings per week, but you know what it saves my sanity because he eats them, unlike my home cooked meals, and they are vaguely nutritious.

Be ruthless about when you start and finish work, yes they can refuse your flexible working request, but they can't insist that you work outside your contracted hours ( unless that is in your contract). Do a great job when you are there, but be known as the person who leaves on time.

I started a long thread like this about a year ago on Going Back to Work which had lots of fab tips from people.

You might find it's a lot better than you had expected, but if its not do look for another job pronto, life is too short to be miserable.

Do you drive to work or can you do something on the commute, go through your diary, fill in forms etc?

I work nights and on my 'break' I write lists, letters, go through the kids school info anything that I can do at work, I do! I only wish I could carry the ironing board....

Otherwise, just make sure everything is ready for the next day, re-stock the changing bag as soon as you come home, shoes and coats at the door, hairbrush handy... the usual stuff, definitley second the idea of not getting down to your last outfit, the amount of times the kids have dropped something on their last school top...

Good luck, happy job hunting!!

get a slow cooker to do your meal for you when you get home . . Tumble dry and fold ,never leave in the machine . Get a chest freezer its amazing what you can freeze ie cheese . LOL . Buy birthday cards in bulk and wrapping paper ie not male or female . just plain . washing every night then it dosnt pile up . pack everything up the night befor and have spare kids stuff in car in case you forget . Buy stamps online for christmas cards . cant think of many more best of luck . LOL

You need to be really ruthless and thick skinned about your hours. I have a 9-5 job, but no-one in the office actually works 9-5.

I'm usually in the office between 8 & 8-30, but it would have to be something really special that keeps me there after 5pm.

I'm the only woman there and I'm sure they complain, but I know they get value for money out of me, that I didn't have the extended lunch break they did and that a lot of their late nights are for show rather than out of necessity. (also a large contingent who are avoiding bed/bathtime at home).

Also use you lunch break to do clothes shopping or paperwork or even order things on-line.

Agree, challenge boss first. He can't just say 'because I feel like declining your request' - he has to show business reasons

Also

get a cleaner, agree
make sure your dh does half AT LEAST of everything so that's cooking, shopping, taking responsibility for running your lives because it's all those small things that take EFFORT, like remembering outfits for school/sending money for raffle tickets/buying presents for teachers, that's the exhausting stuff imo

Pay all bills by direct debit
when post comes in either shred and/or bin it, file it or action it, don't let it build up

shop online, ideally getting it to arrive when the cleaner can put it away

meal plan, know what you're having each evening and take it out of the freezer in the morning if needed

Prepare clothes the night before for everyone

make lunch the night before if you take a packed lunch

I do my make up on the train and sometimes take it off again on the way home too

You can clothes shop online too

And agree, I get to work at 8.30 and leave dot on 5pm (I am a contractor though so it's slightly different but hey, you know your long term career isn't with this company so it doesn't matter).

thanks for all these, rookiemater im going to go and look up your old thread but does that mean you were also struggling? and how did it work out in the end, are you still doing same job or have you cut hours etc? am hoping that somehow it's worse in anticipation than it is in reality and that it wont feel as bad once im back....
ps wry laugh at wickedwaterwitch assuming my manager is a man. he's a she. with kids. who apparently thinks she did it the hard way and so should everyone else....

This was before I went back to work woodstock3.

In reality I found I had more time than I thought I would, plus I was really worried about DH as he didn't do a lot when I was on mat leave, but did do a lot more once I went back to work.

I'm still doing the same hours, but I am lucky managed to negotiate 9.30-4.30 4 days a week, so although I am away 4 days which I didn't want, its not a great rush in the morning and DS is still full of energy when I come to pick him up.

I was worried before I went back as well as the negotiations for my hours were quite strained, I had meetings with my boss and 2 HR people and basically felt they were forcing me into a corner. However we have managed to put that past us, although it helps that we both had to compromise on what we wanted. Plus I delayed going back, was originally going back when DS was 6mths but as I was going to be earning more than we had planned through doing extra hours, wI thought it would be better for me to delay for a few months and that made a real difference, I went back when DS was 11mths and by that time I was really ready and was desperate for adult company.

Seriously give it a go I think you will be pleasantly surprised, particularly if you enjoyed your job pre DS. Let us know how you get on.

Cook spag. bol. and chilli con carne simultaneously on the hob - similar ingredients & process means you can cook 3 days worth of spag. bol and 5 or 6 portions of chilli all at same time...

Don't iron anything if after half an hour of wearing you wouldn't be able to tell whether it had been ironed.

Reset your outlook to send messages to your boss 2 hours after you've really sent them - so it looks as if you've worked late when you haven't, if you've got that sort of boss who prefers work done late instead of done well (don't know WHY these people still exist, but they do...)

Freeze bread for morning toast and buy in bulk online, so you never run out.

Stop watching TV. It sucks time from your very pores.

Have a nanny agency on speed-dial for when it all gets too much and you need to take to your bed.

Woodstock - that makes sense re boss being woman. Women in the work place seem often to haev apoint to prove. I am the only woman in my office and it seems to be accepted that I will work differently to the rest of them, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. (at least not to my face).

Agree re giving up TV, but you probably need to give up mumsnetting too, unless you can do it at work

plan all meals- write down all meals for a week and make a shopping list.
wash all clothes Saturday morning and dry on Sunday
Iron on monday evening
Have cleaner come on Mondays.
ditch the car and get a bus pass to take away the stress of parking and driving in traffic.
make kids pack lunches the night before.

thebecster your email outlook trick is a work of evil genius

I iron nothing. All work tops are non iron, and I buy skirts that wash and hang up to dry. Obv suits go to dry cleaners - some will pick up and deliver to work. T shirts etc look uncreased and fine if hung up to dry on hangers. DH irons his own shirts, and I'd never buy anything for DS that needed it.
Online shopping is a must - not just for food though - have done all Christmas shopping online and have all female relatives addresses in my John Lewis address book ready for emergency flowers - everyone else in Amazon address book. Put all events that you need to remember, including birthdays, anniversarys etc into Outlook with reminders. If DH has outlook at work, send him meeting requests for stuff he needs to do if time critical (my colleague uses this so that her DH can't forget to pick the kids up if his blackberry is beeping at him).
We don't have a weekly menu, or bulk cook, but do have plenty of chicken cut into strips, mince, salmon in the steamer bags that microwaves in 2 mins from frozen, and the saviour of this house - rice noodles (3 min in boiling water). And takeaway menus . Moo UHT milk tastes fine, and comes in organic - we always have a couple of litres in the cupboard.
Don't use childcare where you have to provide meals - too much extra hassle imho. DS never needs more than a quick snack in the evening.

Don't just get stuff ready and by the front door. Put it in the car.

Provide nursery with tootbrushes and toothpaste and get them to brush their teeth after meals. Then you don't have that hassle first thing.

Ensure dishwasher is empty before you go to bed, ditto washing folded and and wet stuff in dryer.

Work out what you are going to wear the night before.

Having a handbag ready the night before and by the front door saves me- I know I only need to get dressed, pick up the bag and go, no matter how bad the night or hectic the morning.

You can take your LO to nursery in his PJs with clothes and get them to dress him - or a nanny, I would recommend a nanny if you can

Train DH to do chores around the house without you having to remind him - one less thing for you to remember

All shopping on line or personal shopping for clothes once year

Blackberry? handy if you commute on a train, you can deal with nonsense on your way to work

Wear trainers with your suit and leave shoes in the office if you do lots of walking. i reckon that saves me about 5 minutes each way . Also it means I actually can run for the bus. Wear work clothes that don't need ironing.

Ensure no-one in the home has any clothes requiring handwashing, unless you are going to pay someone else to do that.

Eat breakfast at your desk while you work through e mails.

Work late every now and again and be incredibly ostentaitous (spelling?) about it - make sure everyone there sees you.

And actually if you really truly are focussed on leaving at time you can get much more done in fewer hours. Do you do timesheets? These were my saviour when I went back to work. They PROVED I was actually doing more work than my childless colleagues, and taking less time to do it.

If your work are going to insist you work your full hours, then insist you take your full lunch break. Use this to menu plan, shop online, purchase and write birthday cards, pay bills over the phone, bank over the phone, and make lists of chores for DH to do that week if he needs training up .

Dedicated nanny who is willing to do all nursery duties and generally muck in. My ex boss (who measured time as well as money because she was a lawyer charging in 5 minute slots) said I saved her at least 6 chargeable hours a week because I did the children's laundry, batch cooked food in nap times and left the house tidy. I also took the delivery of the online shop and put it away for them.

Make sure you use your lunch hour wisely
Food shopping on line
In fact I do nearly all of my shopping on line

meant to add..

use the evenings to get organised for the next day so you can just get up and go in the morning. Watching TV is one of the most time consuming non-productive activities and I often wonder why I used to bother!!

get a cleaner
get somebody to do your ironing
meal plan
make sure dp does a fair share of laundry, loading/unloading dishwasher etc