New Ways to Do the Same

When I started working as a tax specialist in June, I honestly wasn't sure what to expect for what might happen to my normal schedule. Sure, I knew I would be busier, but I wasn't sure how much.
Of course, then I agreed to do a few content edits here and there for my publisher, too, which added even more to my already full schedule.
So, I've gone from working two days a week as a preschool teacher and one as a babysitter, to two days a week as a preschool teacher, three days a week as a tax specialist, and usually squeezing in book stuff in the evenings (marketing, editing, writing, etc). It adds up. Especially when there are deadlines to be met (taxes and books both!). Needless to say, I've had to readjust the way some things work in our lives.

I was already fairly good at finding easy dinners to make. But sometimes, when you've been working all day, even easy dinners don't sound easy. So, more advanced planning and more crock pot usage is happening. Or buying things that make dinner even easier, like pre-cooked meats. It doesn't always happen, but I'm glad for such things when I need them.
I had been doing fairly well at making sure the house stayed straightened. I'm not doing well at finding time to do that now. Let me tell you, the piles are getting to me. So, I'm implementing some new practices. For instance, every time I walk through the house, I try to return one or two things to wherever they belong. It's not much, but if I walk through three or four times, that's that many items put up. And we've also started telling our children they have to clean for five minutes every time they start fighting--some days that adds up quickly!
I'm one of those weird people who actually enjoy grocery shopping--going through and picking out exactly what I want or price-comparing or even just catching a good deal on the clearance rack. But on busy weeks, there isn't always time. So, I'm taking advantage of the pick-up option several of our stores offer. I'd used it in the past, but I don't always get exactly what I want that way. But when we need things NOW, sometimes, it's just easier. And I am trying to be okay with that.
We're still doing the whole pack-lunches-the-night-before and lay out clothes and have everything as ready as possible. That helps.
And now, instead of coming back home after dropping kids off, on preschool days I just hang out at the church building where I teach and work on other projects like editing or writing or things that don't need internet for the hour between when I arrive and when we need to start getting ready for kiddos. It saves gas and encourages me to accomplish a few extra things, too. It doesn't always work, but on the mornings it does, I feel good about it.
Our ways aren't perfect. And we're still working through problems as they arise. But we're making it work and getting into a new groove. And now that I've survived the extension deadline last week, maybe I can have a better idea of what to expect in March and April next year for the main tax deadlines. ;) Or maybe not.
Have you ever had to readjust to a something in life that was good but also complicated? Do you have any tips for making things even easier when life is nonstop?