@ARC I love your priority list! It’s SO hard to figure out how to best use the kid-free time when it’s only 3 hours (that’s more or less my average, too). Since our kiddos are the same age, one thing I do that might help you is to do the same sorts of stuff they’re doing — that can mean giving them new chores, or doing yours alongside their existing ones. Like doing desk admin (depositing checks, answering mail, etc) while they do homework, prepping dinner while they pack lunches, tidying up together, etc.

Ledys, I also struggle with transitions! I can easily spend 15 minutes just moving from one task to another — maybe because there are so many distracting things we think of as “breaks” (checking instagram and email and blogs, for me, or miscellaneous housework). One thing that helps (though I haven’t done it this week) is to plan my breaks — I write a list of the things I can/need to do during the break and set a timer. Of course, I have to not let myself ignore the timer 🙂

I also like recording on the sheet with 15-minute increments.

YES! I just figured this out in the last couple of weeks. I’ve been shuffling my schedule during my precious kid-free 3 hours to do the high priority stuff first (currently exercise, making sure we have a solid plan for lunch & dinner, and scrapbooking) and then getting to the ‘errand/admin’ stuff. I’ve also been thinking harder about “can I do this with kids around” and saving the stuff that I can, for when they’re home.

@Ledys – thanks so much! Transitions are tough. Definitely something I intend to explore more.

@Meghan – thanks! I really need to not do admin work in the morning but…it happened.

@Nancy – very true. Though apparently I still couldn’t get my act together to do much more than email yesterday!

@Maureen – thank you! They were great to work with.

@Kathleen – I’ll report back on how it goes! So far so good, and I tend to like sports writing.