Life is insane. We are all chasing our tail in one way or another. It's okay to slow down once in awhile.
With canning, you're forced to. Food preservation takes time. Preparation of the product you're going to can, and the time it takes to do the processing. Canning is also something you cannot set and forget. You have to be close by and working with the equipment and product to keep things going safely. Wanna know how Grandma blew up her kitchen with the pressure canner? She walked away from it for too long. Even the new electric pressure canners need to be monitored closely than they seem or they throw an error code or set themselves on fire.
I've seen so many posts on bookface from people, "I'm in a hurry... can I just do X?" NO! Freeze whatever you're working on and come back to it later. You still need proper processing times and termperatures; rebel canner or not. Haste truly does make waste. Don't try to fit in an entire processing session between work shifts. Canning while you're exhausted can also be dangerous just because of all the opportunities for burns and cuts.
If I'm going to be canning; I need the entire day. I better not need to be running to the store or the bank in the middle of the work. Whatever else needs taken care of will have to be done another time. Even getting multiple phone calls while I'm canning can upset the whole apple cart because brain took a detour. Very often, I will set up canning weekends when Handsome has to work; then he can't show up and charm me and make me forget what I was doing.
By setting aside the time to do the work; I can stay focused and get more done during the time I'm given. I can keep my mind working on the particular product I'm canning and not foul up the recipe.
I wasn't blessed with littles. I don't have a reference point for managing little kids and trying to preserve food. If the teenagers are willing, I bet it's probably a big help to have their assistance.
What are your strategies for creating time to preserve while juggling life?