I just don’t have my sh*t together. Running late for school everyday, never doing homework, house is always a mess no matter how much I clean, dinner is always late, forgetting school notes, but I always feel like I’m run off my feet! Wtf am I doing wrong? How do people do it?! Everything just seems so chaotic all the time. How can I manage things better? How do I keep a cleaner more organised house? Everything seems so overwhelming.
12 Replies
Yep that's life!
It's about time management and organsiation - taking the time to prepare so things run smoothly.
Then it's all about balancing your life so you don't have just too much on your plate.
Figure out what you hate or never do and pay to have it taken off your plate.
THEN it's all about self care. Make the time to take care of yourself and you'll have the energy and motivation to keep all the plates spinning.
Try to recognise the cycles, so when the wheels fall off you know why and what you're looking forward to, and that it will change.
And be kind to yourself. Let things go. Say fuck it and just have a laugh or get ice cream instead sometimes. It's definitely not you.
Pffft. You're not alone
PS I said to my prep yesterday "are you still doing homework this term?" And she said "no. I stopped last term. Well all the other kids are but I decided I don't want to do it anymore." It's basically the end of the year, I laughed but meh, ok then 🤷
I love this… can you blame them. It’s been a crap year.
Set a schedule. Have bags packed (including signed school notes) and clothes out the night before. Set an alarm for 6:30, make breakfast straight away. NO TV BEFORE SCHOOL! Set an alarm for when you have 10 minutes before you need to leave. Make sure everyone is ready by that time. Stick to it.
Hire a cleaner every once in a while. It's worth it, trust me! Do a clean out of the toys and other clutter.
I was a single mum for years and my house was beyond chaotic. But doing these things helped.
Are you home during the day? If yes, work your day backwards. Cook dinner in the mornings ready to heat up at night. You can take your time cleaning up after it. Get lunches ready for the next day after lunch (this is OK, everything you would use doesn't get older just because you've put it together 😉), think of what is happening the next day and get ready for it. I know how you feel, I have 4 kids and it all gets away from me sometimes and I feel so overwhelmed trying to get back on top of it. This routine makes my day so much easier though, my problem is I'm too tired to do anything at night so by getting it all done when I don't feel tired helps.
That’s my life too! Stuff the house. Once you let go of all that you feel better.
I have a white board with what needs to be done each day. I take a breathe and stop to check it. I always wake up and hour before the kids do, i have my breakfast, throw on a load of laundry, get kids lunches ready, get dressed and do my hair, kids are waking up so help them make breakfast and brush their teeth and hair. While they are getting ready i check their school bags and fill out forms. Drop them at school and hang out the washing, dust, then vacuum then mop. Do dishes and clean stove and benches. Make beds and find more washing then do it. I have 2 boxes, 1 upstairs and 1 downstairs they are for things that don’t belong. ANYTHING that doesn’t belong in those areas goes in those boxes, then i put those things away. My house stays perfectly clean and i only dpend an hour MAX a day cleaning. My children clean their own rooms usually (but i still find clothes on the floor and beds unmade) they also do not leave their toys any where but their room.
Everyone needs to help out to keep a house running. It’s important for the kids to help and do stuff, after all it’s their mess, they made it, they can sure as hell clean it up.
Good luck and breathe you’ll be ok x
When I’m like this it’s because we have no routines in place anymore. Start with small routines and you’ll start to move forward. Honestly I can’t handle living in chaos, it just makes me more stressed and even less efficient.
Look at your families schedule and what is reasonable to achieve. That may mean cutting back on some things and that’s ok.
Look at how you can simplify.
I don’t cook every night. We cook every second night but enough food that does two nights, it’s drastically improved our nutrition and cut down on dishes and just not having to plan what we eat every night is a time saver.
We pack for school the night before, bags packed as the step before bath time. When the kids were young they got changed for school in the one room where I could supervise them. As they got older and more responsible they got changed in there own rooms.
Sounds like my entire life. Adhd is why I’m like it.
I know this is outside the box and I don’t know you’re gender but look into ADHD for women. It presents very different and feeling like you can never finish something and having anxiety could be a sign.
Good luck. We’re all just treading water here!
lots of great organisational tips a here, you also don’t mention if you work.
It’s hard work you do need to set a schedule and get the kids to do more for themselves but you sound depressed. I think seeing a psychologist should be your first course of action.
Good Luck.