Working moms!! I need some organizational tips!?

Question

For moms who work full-time: what are some of your secrets to running a household while bringing home the bacon? How do you keep organized? How do you spend quality time with the family?

Answer 1

This is a great question! If you had any idea the stress I've allowed in my life because things haven't been "perfect"... yikes!!

There are a couple things I tell myself over and over...

1. Remember my priorities.
2. If something has to be left undone, where will it hurt my priorities the least?
3. Build "Me" time into the schedule...

So develop a schedule of your week... just pull out a planner and figure out where/when you will be able to do things. Remember your priorities, and don't let anything get in the way of creating memories with your kids.... you do not have the ability to go back in time and "do-over" parenting your child... you can revamp your career at any time, though, right?

Think years into the future... and ask yourself whether you'd rather be remembered as the mom who made being involved with her kids the number one priority in her life and somehow managed to do it all??? Or, as the working mom with the cleanest floor in town?????

Answer 2

It depends on what time you wake up actually. For example if you wake up at 7:30 you may want to start waking up at 7. This will allow you to have an extra 30 minutes to spend with you children talking about the days activities, plans for the evening, making sure assignments are completed, etc. Also, depending on the age of your chilren- teenagers dont welcome this too much, but slip a nice note in their lunch bags or booksack. They can make a big difference in their day. If you bring them home from school spend the ride talking about the day and homework or projects. You can also get them to help you with dinner. Lastly, I know preparing a well balanced dinner can be very time consuming. You could prepare a few meals over the weekend and freeze them until the following week or prepare crockpot meals that can cook safely while you are at work. Being a career woman and mother is hard, but not impossible. Best wishes!

Answer 3

The key word here is Family........ Get them all involved in everything you do around the home. Spending quality time with your family could be done whilst you iron for example. If you iron in the dining room whilst your children are doing their homework, you can talk and work at the same time.
Work out a rota where your partner washes up 3 days a week whilst you sit with the kids and vice versa.
Involve your children with cooking dinner.
I only work part-time and my kids are 10 and 8. I am a single mum so my days are pretty hectic so I drew up a schedule of small chores for my boys to do. Once they are all done we find we have lots of time together and everything gets done...... On the ocassion when it doesn't..... it gets left until another time. Life is too short to worry so much about trivial things like washing up etc. Your family are very important so they should always come first.

The most important thing to remember is to keep work at work. Never bring it home with you. Even if you didn't manage a dead line, once you have left the office, there is nothing you can do about it, so forget about it until the morning. go home and be with your family!!

Answer 4

When I am working, I waste no time. I do not take phone calls or long lunches. The reason is that if I just plug away and get my work done, then I have more quality time. The next tip I have for you is that I allow extra time for everything. Let's say it takes 10 minutes to eat breakfast, schedule 20 minutes. If it takes 5 minutes to drive to work, allow 15. The reason I do this is that something always comes up... the phone rings, someone gets butter on their new shirt. It's just that things always always always take longer than you expect. If they don't once in a while, you have extra minutes for fun things. Be very strict with your time management. Pick out clothes for work and school the night before. Always do this. Never wait until the morning.

Answer 5

get everyone help. Even the youngest child can pick up stuff. Make menus up so you know what to cook that night,
take frozen meat out in morning,
make double batches and freeze the extra,
Have a list of chorses to do when everyone gets home on the frig. for every day of the week even on your days off and noone gets out of there work.
I f everyone does there share and helps out then mom will be more relaxed and everyone will be happier, cause if momma ain;t happy ain't nobody happy.

Answer 6

Well first off may I congratualte you on the fact that you are looking for help as opposed to giving up on being a working mom. I am a working mom of five with one on the way and believe I know it often feels too hectic to cope with.
I am very lucky in that my husband works from home and so is there as a semi stay at home dad, and he is very supportive of my career as it does to quote you "bring home the bacon".
As far as cooking is concerned he is awful so in order to have nutritious meals during the week I usually spend an hour or two on a Sunday preparing dinners, always after the kids are in bed so its not eating into my time with them. spaghetti bolognaise,chicken curry(mild), fish pie,lasagne,beef caseroles are all great easy to freeze nutritious meals.Having this done before the week begins really frees up the entire evening.
My kids range from 1-14 so spending time with them in a way that is fun for all is impossible, as a result I take a short lunch hour and avoid unnescessary coffees etc in work-it may sound dry but obviously some days you can afford to lounge a little.
I am lucky in that I get home at five thirty and with the dinner ready to go from six thirty onwards is quality time. I have a rule that once I am home there is no t.v or ipods play stations etc,leaving us free to enjoy eachother as a family.(this is dwindling a little with the older two 12&14 but you have to allow for change. With the bedtime routines starting at seven thirty I usually give my husband the night off and I put each kid to bed and spend a small bit of time chatting about there day reading stories or whatever we can fit in, with all the kids in bed by ten its my husbands turn for a little t.l.c.
This does not always run as smoothly as it perhaps suggests in script but we do our best to make the hours in the day work for us.
Of course at the weekend my diary is free and my husband and I share the load of ferrying them around to their variuos different activities. On sundays I chill out and I find thats the only alone time I need.
Don't beat yourself up that you have to work, you are doing the best for your kids. Tweek your timetable as much as you can to fit family in, and dont stress if it varies from day to day or week to week.
Hope this helps- best of luck and be strong.

Answer 7

I believe the 1st answerer, donate or sell what you're actually not to any extent further utilising. whether you're making plans on having yet another newborn, issues like blankets, bathtubs, agencies and sleepers can all be re-offered for low, yet they take in diverse closet area. additionally, labels are heaven despatched! Label each thing, it truly is lots much less complicated to locate issues & placed away....saving lots of time! ultimately, placed funds into between the laundry sorters for the youngsters room & your guy or woman....this protects lots complication while it's time to do laundry b/c everythign is pre-taken care of.

Answer 8

Try www.flylady.net

Do what you can when you can

If you have 5 minutes wash what dishes you can-leave the rest for when you have another 5 minutes.

Fold laundry while watching TV and put what you have folded away during commercials!

If your kids are old enough have them help. My 2 year old puts his dirty dishes int he sink (and helps me wash dishes--he rinses and puts them in the drainer) His job is to wipe the table after meals. He also takes dirty laundry to the laundry room. And I bought hi m a swiffer-I mean it's by no means perfect cleaning when he does it, but he--it's something! LOL

Answer 9

I could not live without my PDA. I keep my brain in that thing and it helps me stay organized and on time.

Answer 10

my children are still young enough that we don't have to run here and there for practices and games. however, my hubby and i throw our son in bed with us on the mornings that we are all home together. we lay around and pillow fight.