1. Set a schedule for yourself, and do your best to stick to it.

I had a good routine going but things have changed alot since then and then schedule no longer works very well. I have alot more energy and stamina now with my Pramipexole and the weather has been amazing, so instead of studying horticulture of a morning I've been more in the garden doing it for real. Jenni's idea of doing some work first thing and then stopping (in her case to go to the gym, in mine to garden) would probably work better and I could then make up the hours when I'm too tired to carry on weeding or whatever.

2. Live "off peak." 

I'm hopeless at remembering to do this, but it does make a big difference. Wednesday at 10am is a far better time to go to Tescos than Friday at 4pm!

3. Get served! 

I really should use Tescos delivery more often...the spoons and time going there myself takes are worth more than £4. The main reason I don't is that I forget more things buying online as I can't wander up and down aisles. However, if I did what Simon's been suggesting for ages and set up a standard shopping list, I'd forget less.

We definitely need a cleaner. Cleaning take so many spoons and it's so low down in my priorities that it pretty much just doesn't get done. I do laundry, dishes (with a dishwasher!) and try to keep the kitchen surfaces hygienic and stop the floor from disappearing but that's about it. We're definitely getting a cleaner now Si's got this new job, but first we need to finish the floor edging in the hallway and finish the dishwasher surround in the kitchen so we can put the kickboards on properly. We've now made a resolution to have this done by Si's May payday so we can then get a cleaner.

Although I don't mind laundry, I hate ironing. I get hot, achey and frustrated. Si's getting into it but he's very slow so it takes him ages to do just one shirt. If when we get a cleaner they aren't the kind that irons, I'm finding an ironing service! Si now needs to look okay at work so he likes to wear (ironed) shirts and (ironed) chinos most days. Getting someone to do the ironing so he can look good for work is definitely needed!

4. Embrace the kitchen timer. And caller i.d.

The kitchen timer idea is fab....I think I'm getting one for by the phone!  Since our old phones died, we've been without both caller id and an answering machine...both of which I think are essential. My Fibro can cause me speech and cognitive (thinking) difficulties, so some days I just don't want to talk to anyone who doesn't understand what's going on.

5. If you can, use public transit.

Now this one I don't agree with. If I were going quite a way, had someone to take me to the train station and the money to get a cab at the other end, then I'd definitely see the point. But train fares here these days can extortionate, especially when compared to an LPG car that carries 2 people, a dog and lots of luggage! And although I don't mind buses and could usually cope with the short walk to and from the bus stop, what I can't cope with is having to wait at the other end with noisy, smelly, smoking people.  If there were a complete ban on smoking and hideous migraine and nausea inducing deodorants, then maybe, but not now.

6. Group "like" tasks.

Do this!  Why go into town and do one chore when you could do three in the same trip?

7. Thumb your nose at perfection.

Definitely do this!

8. Set aside weekly "prep" time. Meals, laundry, errands.

I think I should do this. I already do my pill boxes Sunday night and I could do the weeks taks then too. And working out a weeks meals beforehand would beat trying to count meals as I shop in Tescos.

9. Stop volunteering for every opportunity that comes your way.

I'm not perfect at this, but I've slowly learnt to get better at it.

10. Declare some ME time.

I think gardening, card-making and beading count for me, but I do need to set more Simon-&-me time aside.