# For those at home either full time or part time



## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

Do you have a work plan?

I'm used to running my own businesses. And am staying at home for the first time ever.

It's weird and I find myself sometimes just doing things without aim or goals.

Do any of you have a "work plan" or a "business plan" but to manage all of your home, animal, family, etc?

I started working on one today because I feel like I need goals and more direction.

If you do, can you share how you manage it? Do you write it down/type it down, just keep it in your head, not have one, etc?


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

I just have a basic routine. I get up take dogs out, pour some coffee check the internet, do the dishes. Go out feed and water everyone. Come back in do laundry, sweep mop etc. check my email. Go out and work on any projects going on be it mucking pens, chickens boxes and eggs, building feeders etc (we've been working on things for about 11mos after moving in here). Go out hang out a little with the animals. Spring through fall is the busiest, adding in gardening, milking etc.


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

Yes and no. 
I'm living at home with my parents and several brothers and sisters. So I don't have as much to do as a mother would.
Home: Recently I took it upon myself to design a plan to keep the house clean. I divided all cleaning and meal-making jobs among us, and every day at 3:00 we all do our daily chores, except those chores that have to be done at other times or throughout the day. Every Friday, we all do our daily chores AND our weekly chores. The plan seems to be working well so far.


Farm: One of my sisters and I do most of the farm chores - it's our hobby. I'll go into more detail here since I love this subject so much.  There are 4 important things I try to remember: make goals, streamline your setup, cut costs, and KEEP IT PRETTY!

Make goals: My main goal is modest - to have a pleasant, pretty, productive little farm, that will eventually produce enough food for the family to live on with a minimum of monetary input. We won't necessarily live entirely off the farm, but we can if we need to. Then I set goals for the different "sections" of the farm - garden, orchard, chickens, goats, etc. Even if I don't write them down, I have them in my head. The goals sometimes change, but I always have something I'm heading for. Recently I decided to make our rather useless backyard into an herb garden and I'm really excited about that!

Streamline your setup: Do all you can to make your chores simple and efficient. Try to really focus your energies on this from time to time, because any time spent on streamlining your chores is more than made up for by time saved doing them.
This doesn't have to take a lot of money, if you use your imagination. I'm talking about things as simple as locating the feed bins in a convenient place that the goats can't break into; inventing a gate that allows chickens through but keeps the goats in; inventing a latch that isn't too much trouble to open - things like that. This is where the imagination comes in. I love inventing things!

Cut costs: I keep hearing people say that keeping goats is not cost-effective. I don't think this has to be true, though I have no proof yet as I haven't been into goats very long. The natural care I give my goats did take some work, thought, and research to implement, but now I'm used to it, it really saves time, money, work, and worry - and vet trips. Cut feed costs by feeding less grain, buying hay in rolls, and letting the goats graze on the lawn/brush you have available as much as possible. This works great for me, and the goats are sleek and healthy! This is actually a double-whammy (the good kind) since many of the same things that cut costs are healthier for the goats, thus reducing costs even further. Okay, off my soapbox. 

KEEP IT PRETTY! I like the farm to look nice, and the nicer it looks, the more I enjoy working! Again, energy spent here will make your work that much more pleasant.

Well, I kinda rambled a little, but maybe that will spark a few ideas for you!  I'll be watching this thread and try to glean as much as I can!


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## JaLyn (Oct 10, 2012)

I have no plan whatsoever lol..I was curious to see what others had to say..


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I have been at home for the last 14 years. Through 2011, I was extremely busy with my alpaca business. Now that I'm done with that and have downsized my goats, I have no plan. But we are also in the process of selling a home and making the new one ready to move. So now I'm busy with that. 

To be honest, our plan right now is to simplify our life and start enjoying it a bit more. The alpaca business took a lot out of us.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

No plan here either lol I've been a stay at home mom for 6 years. I'd planned to go back to work this past fall when my youngest started kindergarden...but didn't for a few different reasons.

I have 3 kids ages 6-11-14.
None of them are into sports, or after school stuff, so there isn't any running around to do.

A typical day would be:
6:30am get the kids off to school
If there is frost on the ground/it's cold I might lay down for an hour or two and feed around 10am so I can let everyone out <most mom's have babies>.

Check email/internet
feed/water/hay goats - I'm usually out for an hour and a half or longer depending on what else I need to do & weather.

Eat lunch, check email/internet
Go run errands if I have any

Husband works nights so I have to keep it quiet during the day.
After he gets up, I usually start dinner, kids get home around 4. They start on homework, then eat dinner.
If weather is good hubby & kids go outside to mess around usually in the woods - trying to clear it enough to plant grass.
I clean the kitchen, bathrooms,do laundry, vaccum, etc. at some point through the afternoon, and after we feed the goats.

I feed about 5:30-6pm as we are losing daylight, oldest 2 help me. Takes about an hour or so, gotta visit with everyone, especially the babies 
Everyone is locked in for the night.

Get kids to take their showers/shower my youngest
Somehow manage to get my shower in lol
finish chores/laundry
help kids with homework/projects 
kids get free time, I check my email/internet
Read to my youngest & get her in bed
Get oldest 2 in bed at 9:30pm
The internet, or whatever for me. Sometimes I watch tv especially if I am folding laundry.

I'm pretty much a hermit anymore lol I don't go out with friends, etc. very often unless it's 'horse' related - races, sales, etc.
So my 'adult conversation' is here on the net. I'm okay with that, I've never been a big socialist.

I'd still love to get a job, but then during summer break, who is going to watch my kids? One reason I stayed home is so we didn't have to deal with having to get a sitter. Plus the kids show their goats in the summer fairs, so that keeps me very busy.
They are starting to work with their babies, but by spring they'll really be busy, and I'll have to supervise.

1-2 times a month they have a 4-H livestock meeting that I take them to.

That's a typical day. I'm a total nightowl, always have been, usually go to bed around 1am, but I've been trying so hard to get myself to go to bed earlier.


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## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

Getting a good routine going when I came home after working full time was hard at first. I timed myself for tasks and it has helped me be able to budget my time at home. I also try to get to bed in a good time to wake up early. Having the animals to feed each day has really helped get me on a good consistent routine. I still am learning to stick to one task at a time and having a daily chore schedule has really helped me as long as I don't frustrate myself by putting unreasonable goals to accomplish for a day. Flexibility and learning to shave off time here and there is a big plus for time management and routine.


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## Macyllehub (Jan 6, 2013)

Yes and No. 

I work "full time" as a child birth doula. I have a routine to check in with my families that are near their birthing times and of course live on call which means I absolutely NEVER set down my phone. It's in my pocket always. I schedule my appointments with clients on specific nights of the week. 

When not at a birth, I do have a routine for my home. I homeschool our children and have a very active "in the city" social life for our home. It's full and has room for letting loose and being free too. I love it. 

M-W, We school from 9-1. Break for lunch and do activities crafts in the winter or go outside any other time. I REFUSE to stay inside mostly.
Th, We participate in a homeschool co-op from 9-3. At 6 we have girl scouts. 
F, This is the day we chill. I grocery shop and clean out. The kids get to do projects, do whatever they want. Be KIDS! 
Sa, social day. There is always something we're doing!
Sun, Ahh.. We appreciate the Sabbath and spend it unified as a family doing something together. 

Now, that's a general outline. We have set chores that the kids just do as habits now (such as room chores - when you wake up, you make your bed, great dressed, pick up clothes off the floor all before being served breakfast). Then we have a night time routine that just tidies the house up too. 

There is an ebb and flow but this routine works for our home.


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## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

I also make lists that are off the normal 'have to do' routines of a normal day. House work list, repair list, and my sunny day lists is different than a rainy day one. I have goals we type out on the computer for our home repairs and projects. It's fun to look back at those and see how many years it takes to get some of the jobs done sometimes but it gets done. Everyone's list of a routine and goals will be so different. 
Everyday at 10 a.m I visit my mother next door for about half hour as she is a resent widow and we are thankful to have her as our closest neighbor.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Thanks for posting this thread Dayna...I recently (in this past year) went PT from 40-60 hours a week for years, to 16-20 hours a week. So big change!

I have been having a heck of a time this winter with motivation and winter "blues". I find I have no set schedule, and I think it is driving me nuts.I am anxious to hear how other people handle it as well.

I think for me, the biggest problem is my sleep schedule. I work 2 overnights a week, and every other week, they are split up. So i stay up all night, try to take just a short nap if I am off the next day, but find myself up all night again even when i am not working :shrug: 
Right now, nights is the best option, other than the sleep thing.I can take care of all the animal chores after work and then sleep.....but then when i am off, it can be at anytime because it depends on when I slept :sigh:
Not to mention, when I work, I am on my own all night (taking care of 12 old folks), and then when I am up all night at home, i am alone then too  Very depressing...I get most of my socialization in on here, sad, huh? 

Anyway, not to make this thread about me, I am glad to hear of other peoples routines and how they handle it.

Oh, and my animal chores take about an hour and a half in the am and maybe 45 minutes in the evening.
What is your schedule now? Do you work at all from home?


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## Jessaba (May 13, 2010)

No plan here...I've been a stay at home wife since 2008. I just have a routine to do and try to get everything done in a day, but sometimes that doesn't always work out as something usually comes up.

In the spring we are a little busier than the winter because we hatch eggs and raise chicks along with having goat babies and such. But I just do the important things first (feeding animals and all) and then come in to do housework, run errands that type of thing. I just try to manage my time where I can get most of everything if not everything done. 



So really my "work plan" or "goal" is to get as much done as possible


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