Curious how others are finding time for themselves these days because I can’t seem to make it work and am seriously burnt out. DH and I are both working from home while homeschooling a 7 year old and trying to keep our 2.5 year old alive. Younger one is up by 6:30 latest and I am on duty from then until 12pm during the week. After lunch DH and I switch and I work from about 1-5pm before prepping dinner and then spending a little time with the kids before bedtime at 7pm for the younger one and 8pm for the older one. From 8pm until midnight or sometimes later DH and I log back on to finish work. Unfortunately we both have a lot going on with work right now so while our companies are flexible about when we are working, we still have a lot to get done.
Weekends are better but we do each spend 2-3 hours catching up on work as needed, and it’s really the only time we have to clean up and do laundry. The kids are generally glued to me so sometimes DH will sneak off to go for a 20 min jog but I can’t seem to find even half that amount of time. How do others do it? Need to figure something out that does not involve me waking up earlier because I can’t function on any less sleep than I am already getting. |
We aren't. What parent is? These are unusual and difficult times, Op. I hope this GS why easier for you, as I hope they do too for me. |
Gets* |
I have a 5 month old and there really isn’t any down time. Is we aren’t watching him or working we are doing housework |
I mix errands and alone time by going to the far away grocery store |
I have a ton of down time, but I am in a unique position. I am an essential worker who works every other week and cannot work at home at all.
I am on paid leave when I’m not in the office. DH works from home in a private sector job. We have a 3 year old, but she naps every afternoon, so I have a large chunk of the day when I can clean, do laundry, or just relax. It’s one of the many reasons I love my job. |
We trade off days of not doing after work. It’s not enough but being able to blow off at least some responsibility for a few hours every few days helps. We also have a very low standard on housekeeping right now. |
I stay up an hour or so after everybody else goes to bed. Its the only time the house is truly quiet and I can just relax. The kids are asleep by 9 and my husband is asleep by 10. I go to bed between 11 and 11:30 (although midnight isn’t unheard of). My husband gets up at 6:30 for his quiet time. The kids and I are usually awake by 7:30. It’s working for us because he’s naturally a morning person and I’m a night person. |
Thanks for coming out. |
+1 ![]() |
We do something like this but on the weekends. DH sleeps in until 10, while I get up with the kids at 7. Once he gets up, we spend late morning and lunch together, and then I get 3 hours free to myself, usually 2-5pm. On weekdays, it's a $#!%show... We might get 45 minutes to ourselves after the kids are in bed. |
The closest thing I get to me time is nursing. |
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I've been staying up way too late just to get some "me" time. I've got three kids age 7 and under and am working from home. I'm considering setting an alarm to get up before the kids, but that would be at like 5 am. Kids are up at 6 am without fail. |
At the end of the work day one of us takes the dog and kids for a walk while the other of us gets at minimum 20 minutes home alone. We switch off every day. Sometimes I do yoga, sometimes I take a bath, sometimes I call a friend. |