If you have young kids and work full time what is your daily schedule?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do you do OP? You work a lot

9-5:30 is basically 8 hours a day when you consider half an hour for lunch. OP does some later emails and such to prepare for the next day (I can sympathize - being on calls all day sucks because you have no down time to get anything done or catch up on things). That sounds like a pretty typical Fed employee to me. At least at my agency.

But then why can’t she workout during lunch and eat her lunch at her desk? That’s what a lot of people do. It’s logistically easier than trying to squeeze a workout in the morning or evening when you have small kids. I sympathize with the chaos of the AM/PM schedule because those are really difficult times in our house even with my DH pitching in a lot. But I just do midday workouts during lunch and it’s fine. It’s why lots of people like HIIT and other workouts that are quick and intense.

OP here - I don't really take a lunch break, just grab lunch in 5 minutes between calls and eat off video. I really am on back to back calls all day - my role is both very senior in the organization (so I have a lot of direct reports that need to check in on things and and also need to coordinate my team's activities and priorities with other senior teams so lots of leadership meetings) and external facing (so lots of customer meetings). I'm trying to hire in a layer of middle management so I don't have so many direct reports but don't have them today. I might have one or two 30min blocks between 9-5 where I'm not on a call but I usually use that to catch up on emails / slacks / get a snack. It would be a tough time to get sweaty and hop back on a video call after all red faced.

I posted earlier, but a few thoughts seeing your update:

-Having the nanny do preschool drop off sounds like the easiest way to find time, given your work schedule and mornings issues with your husband and kids (and believe me, I completely understand not wanting to fight that battle)
-If not, can you make at least one of your calls via phone or leave your camera off, so you can do a workout right before? Or do some of these check-ins via email? Direct reports shouldn't need to see your face, right? I can understand needing to be on for other senior leadership and for customers, but not for direct reports (at least, not every single call)
-Work hard to hire someone to take some of the load off you. That schedule sounds unsustainable

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do you do OP? You work a lot

9-5:30 is basically 8 hours a day when you consider half an hour for lunch. OP does some later emails and such to prepare for the next day (I can sympathize - being on calls all day sucks because you have no down time to get anything done or catch up on things). That sounds like a pretty typical Fed employee to me. At least at my agency.

But then why can’t she workout during lunch and eat her lunch at her desk? That’s what a lot of people do. It’s logistically easier than trying to squeeze a workout in the morning or evening when you have small kids. I sympathize with the chaos of the AM/PM schedule because those are really difficult times in our house even with my DH pitching in a lot. But I just do midday workouts during lunch and it’s fine. It’s why lots of people like HIIT and other workouts that are quick and intense.

OP here - I don't really take a lunch break, just grab lunch in 5 minutes between calls and eat off video. I really am on back to back calls all day - my role is both very senior in the organization (so I have a lot of direct reports that need to check in on things and and also need to coordinate my team's activities and priorities with other senior teams so lots of leadership meetings) and external facing (so lots of customer meetings). I'm trying to hire in a layer of middle management so I don't have so many direct reports but don't have them today. I might have one or two 30min blocks between 9-5 where I'm not on a call but I usually use that to catch up on emails / slacks / get a snack. It would be a tough time to get sweaty and hop back on a video call after all red faced.

That’s tough... can you audio only for some of those meetings? DH takes one meeting a day on audio and we run at the park... it has to be a meeting where you are only listening though... I am lucky that my work is more independent and I rarely have more than a couple of meetings per day.

[Anonymous]

Kids enjoy being weights, and bench pressing toddlers will really increase your strength.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do you do OP? You work a lot

9-5:30 is basically 8 hours a day when you consider half an hour for lunch. OP does some later emails and such to prepare for the next day (I can sympathize - being on calls all day sucks because you have no down time to get anything done or catch up on things). That sounds like a pretty typical Fed employee to me. At least at my agency.

But then why can’t she workout during lunch and eat her lunch at her desk? That’s what a lot of people do. It’s logistically easier than trying to squeeze a workout in the morning or evening when you have small kids. I sympathize with the chaos of the AM/PM schedule because those are really difficult times in our house even with my DH pitching in a lot. But I just do midday workouts during lunch and it’s fine. It’s why lots of people like HIIT and other workouts that are quick and intense.

OP here - I don't really take a lunch break, just grab lunch in 5 minutes between calls and eat off video. I really am on back to back calls all day - my role is both very senior in the organization (so I have a lot of direct reports that need to check in on things and and also need to coordinate my team's activities and priorities with other senior teams so lots of leadership meetings) and external facing (so lots of customer meetings). I'm trying to hire in a layer of middle management so I don't have so many direct reports but don't have them today. I might have one or two 30min blocks between 9-5 where I'm not on a call but I usually use that to catch up on emails / slacks / get a snack. It would be a tough time to get sweaty and hop back on a video call after all red faced.

Maybe I missed this - but where is your partner? My partner is making kids breakfast and dressing them in the morning so I can workout. I am making dinner and wrangling kids in the late afternoon so my parter can workout, run errands, etc. You need another adult to take over the kids on a regular schedule.

[Anonymous]

You and your spouse should alternate early morning/breakfast duty so the other can work out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there a reason your husband can’t take morning a couple times a week? I work out 30-40 min 2x a week in the AM abs those are the days my husband takes. The kids are sometimes dressed funny and the kitchen can be a bit of a disaster but it is what it is.

Both kids have an incredibly strong preference and will just stand at the gate screaming for me. They’re totally fine with the nanny, dh is just kind of agitated and grouchy in the morning and they all feed off of each other and I feel guilty that the kids are starting the day on such a negative tone. I could get up at like 615 and do a 30min workout right away in my room so he wouldn’t be on his own with them for long (yes it’s a bigger problem and dh just needs to suck it up and slap on a pleasant attitude but I unfortunately can’t solve that)

I solved this by leaving my house. I wake up before the kids and put in my running shoes and leave. At first I would come home to a 3yr old in his PJs sitting on the front steps waiting for me. They eventually figured it out. Now the kids are trained to find my husband when they wake up - so even on the weekends they come to his side of the bed first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do you do OP? You work a lot

9-5:30 is basically 8 hours a day when you consider half an hour for lunch. OP does some later emails and such to prepare for the next day (I can sympathize - being on calls all day sucks because you have no down time to get anything done or catch up on things). That sounds like a pretty typical Fed employee to me. At least at my agency.

But then why can’t she workout during lunch and eat her lunch at her desk? That’s what a lot of people do. It’s logistically easier than trying to squeeze a workout in the morning or evening when you have small kids. I sympathize with the chaos of the AM/PM schedule because those are really difficult times in our house even with my DH pitching in a lot. But I just do midday workouts during lunch and it’s fine. It’s why lots of people like HIIT and other workouts that are quick and intense.

I'm not OP, but I can't get a workout in and be presentable for video calls again in half an hour. Also, I can't just eat at my desk after that because I'm on video calls again (or even regular calls, during which people don't want to hear me chewing). OP said she's on calls almost all day. Maybe your life isn't like that, but when it is, it can be really tough to do ANYTHING during those 8 hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there a reason your husband can’t take morning a couple times a week? I work out 30-40 min 2x a week in the AM abs those are the days my husband takes. The kids are sometimes dressed funny and the kitchen can be a bit of a disaster but it is what it is.

Both kids have an incredibly strong preference and will just stand at the gate screaming for me. They’re totally fine with the nanny, dh is just kind of agitated and grouchy in the morning and they all feed off of each other and I feel guilty that the kids are starting the day on such a negative tone. I could get up at like 615 and do a 30min workout right away in my room so he wouldn’t be on his own with them for long (yes it’s a bigger problem and dh just needs to suck it up and slap on a pleasant attitude but I unfortunately can’t solve that)

I solved this by leaving my house. I wake up before the kids and put in my running shoes and leave. At first I would come home to a 3yr old in his PJs sitting on the front steps waiting for me. They eventually figured it out. Now the kids are trained to find my husband when they wake up - so even on the weekends they come to his side of the bed first.

+1

This is your real problem. A "negative tone" won't kill them, husband and kids will find their way. Just leave.

[Anonymous]

When my kids were young, the only way I could find time to work out was to actually schedule it on my calendar, with just as much priority as anything else. If that meant blocking my work calendar from 12:30-1:30, or putting "mom's workout time" on our home calendar at 6:00 in the evening so that DH knew he'd have the kids then, so be it. This was partly logistical - nothing else would get scheduled on top of it - but I also found that the only way I could mentally make the time for it was if I had the time identified and blocked out to do just that. If I waited until I magically had free time, it never happened. The key is to not let this be the one thing that always gets dropped - you have to treat it as being just as important as work.

Later, when the kids were old enough to enroll in rec sports, I incorporated my workouts into their practice schedules. Drop kid off at soccer practice, jog laps around the field while they are practicing, head back home.

[Anonymous]

OP, I second the poster who said it's easier if you can leave the house. I struggled with this for years because I am a morning person and DH is not, so I was always the one up with my kids when they were little and it was a really special time when I could get some focused, non-stressed time. But I found there was no other time to work out. So when my kids were toddlers I would wake up 15 mins before I expected them to get up, 3 times a week. Meet running partner outside. and go for a 30 minute run. When kids woke up they would look for dad. I hated missing morning time but I was in such a better frame of mind it really helped me.

Now I do T25 or 20 minutes on the bike while my youngest is around, but it's just not as effective. I tend to take a lot of breaks or stop if she needs me for something.

[Anonymous]

For me, the time comes out of sleep. Here's my schedule, roughly:

7 am: wake up
7 - 8:30: Bfast, DD bfast, shower, scan emails, get DD set up for school (or DH drives her in if it's in-person day)
8:30 - 5: Work. If I don't have many morning calls, I'll take a walk for a coffee
5 - 6ish: Prep dinner, cook, do dishes
6:30 - 7: Dinner
7 - 8: Hang out with DD, get her showered
8ish - 9ish: Exercise
9:30 - 11:30: Any leftover work
Bed between 12 - 1am