Being a stay at home mom is hard work. Managing a routine and everything else that needs to be done is time-consuming and exhausting.
Between housework and diapers, bath time, and dinner, it’s simply impossible to do it all, all the time.
I used to pick and choose what tasks I would neglect that day. The next morning, I would focus on what didn’t get done, and choose something else to neglect.
But then I had two babies 18 months apart.
Having two in diapers forced me to reevaluate how I was getting things done. Eventually, I found a few ways to organize my daily schedule and stick to a routine within that schedule. I also found an awesome way to step up my to-do list.
If you’re having trouble managing your routine as a stay at home mom, keep reading!
Here are four tools that will help you rock your day and check things off like a boss!
#1 – ALARMS
If you’re home with your kids all day, you probably have every intention of staying one step ahead of yourself.
It’s a full-time job making sure your kids get to bed on time, eat balanced meals, and brush their teeth.
But staying one step ahead of yourself is easier said than done! Especially if you’re struggling with mommy brain or if you’re simply exhausted.
The trick is to set different alarms throughout the day so you can stay on top of everything you need to do:
- When to leave the house
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Screen time
- Your kid’s bedtime routine
Personally, I also have an alarm to remind me what exact time I need to get dressed to prevent us from running late in the morning.
When you’re knee-deep in diapers and boogers, checking the time is the very last priority on your list. 🤔
But once an alarm goes off, you’ll instantly be notified of what needs to be done next!
Before I started using alarms, I was really struggling to keep my kids on track of their daily routine.
Nap-time was all over the place, we were always running late, and we ate dinner at different times every night.
But alarms have been a total game changer! They have completely streamlined our family life and made my job as a mom SO much easier.
To Incorporate Alarms into Your Family Routine
Make note of what time of day you tend to forget about most often.
Using your phone, set an alarm to go off every single day at that specific time.
You can even name it something practical like, “Make Dinner”.
#2 – TIMERS
A timer is the second tool that will help you slay motherhood!
Similar to using alarms, they will help you stay on top of your game and prioritize the time you spend on certain tasks.
Which will ultimately give you more time for yourself at the end of the day! 😉
As a mom, there are two different ways that you can use a timer:
For Cleaning
When your house looks like it was hit by a tornado (mine does all the time), using a timer will help make the process more doable because you’re simply breaking up your cleaning process into bite-sized pieces.
- Choose an area to start with, like the dishes in the sink.
- Set a timer for 15-20 minutes and work as fast as you can to finish all of the dishes in that amount of time.
- Once the timer goes off, stop. Even if you haven’t finished the dishes yet, move on to the next task.
- Keep going. Setting 15-minute timers and breaking up your cleaning duties into manageable chunks of time.
When you take a break, use the timer again to keep yourself on track. Aim for 10-minute breaks to prevent losing motivation.
Using a timer will make your housework less intimidating. It’s easy to get up and convince yourself to do it when you know it will only take a few minutes.
The next time your house is a disaster, try using a timer to get you motivated. You’ll be surprised by how much you can accomplish in a few minutes time.
For Your Kids
You can also use timers to help your younger kids interpret time.
Telling a child that he has to put away his toys in “5 minutes” is the equivalent of speaking a foreign language.
Five minutes, 10 minutes, 1 hour… It’s all the same to kids. They have absolutely no idea how to grasp the concept of time.
A basic timer can help them understand how long they have to spend on certain activities. And timers are great for transition periods!
For example, you can let your child know that he has 20 minutes left of screen time and then set a timer for 20 minutes. When the timer goes off, he’ll be less likely to throw a fit since had ample warning.
If you have really young children, I highly recommend the Time Timer.
It’s a timer that allows kids to literally see how much time is left.
It functions as a basic timer, but there is a red disk that disappears as time elapses.
Since kids can truly visualize how much time is left, they are able to understand the concept of time more easily.
You can purchase one through their website. The PLUS version is more sturdy and comes with a handle so it’s easy for kids to use.
I use ours multiple times a day to let my kids know how much time is left before they have to stop what they are doing.
We also use it as a timer for screen time and homework.
My favorite thing about it is that my kids love it and ask to use it!
When I say that we will be leaving the house in 10 minutes, they understand exactly what I mean.
#3 – THE FABULOUS
The third tool that can help you rock your daily routine is an app called The Fabulous. It’s a science-based app that was developed at Duke University’s Behavioral Economics Lab.
It’s a Google Play Awards Finalist and one of the 2019 Best Apps for Self Care.
I was drawn to it specifically because I was looking for a way to track my self-care routine.
At its core, it’s a simple habit tracking app, but it is really so much more than that. You can create multiple routines, with many different habits structured into each one.
Each Routine has an Alarm Function that You can Toggle On or Off
You can set alarms for some or all of the routines and you can even specify whether or not you want the alarm to keep ringing in silent mode.
I chose the full-screen alarm notification because it keeps me more accountable.
Below is a screenshot of my morning routine. The alarm goes off at 730 am, prompting me to start my first habit.
You can choose from a generalized list of habits, or you can add your own items to your routine, as I did with ‘open blinds’.
When you select a specific habit, it opens up to a screen like this:
Each habit has a built-in timer function that you can specify to your personal needs. (blurb)
You can either follow along for the timer’s duration or you can simply ignore the timer and take as long as you want.
Once you’ve completed the habit, selecting the pink check-mark will move you on to the next habit.
You have the option to keep going until you’ve finished every habit, or you can skip ahead to a specific habit.
#4 – BLOCK SCHEDULE
The fourth and final tool to help you rock your routine is Jordan Page’s Block Schedule System.
The basic idea is that you go through your day block by block instead of hour by hour.
Using her system helped me create a routine around what I was already doing on a daily basis (laundry, dishes, making sure my kids don’t strangle each other, etc.).
So I can consistently know from one hour to the next when I should be doing something.
It’s a phenomenal system that has completely changed the way I schedule my day.
To start using Jordan’s Daily Blocks, I made note of what time of day I was completing certain tasks.
Because of COVID-19 and the fact that we’re currently doing school-at-home, our schedule has changed quite drastically.
For example, in the mornings/early afternoons, we typically eat breakfast, get dressed, complete a few household tasks, run errands, and focus on school work. The kids also have free play and outside time.
I decided to create a new block schedule that reflects our current routine during the stay-at-home order. This schedule will also work well for us during summer vacation.
Next, I categorized each of those tasks into different blocks.
I have an early morning block that consists of my personal self-care time.
Our afternoon block is primarily devoted to lunch and quiet time.
And we have “Family Time’ from 5pm to 9pm that includes extracurricular activities, dinner, chores, baths, etc.
Finally, I added everything to Jordan’s Block Schedule printable.
You can snag a copy of Jordan’s free printable at the bottom of her post.
The image below shows the finished product containing all of my blocks.
It’s a typical day in the life of a stay at home mom!
The Block Schedule allows me to quickly plan my month in advance because each and every task that might possibly come up already has a designated time slot.
If I need to schedule a hair appointment, I automatically schedule it during my ‘Outing Block’ because that is the most practical time of day for me to get out of the house.
Using the Block Schedule for Working Moms
Don’t skip ahead just because you’re not a stay at home mom!
This scheduling tool can absolutely work for you too!
The best part about this system is that it’s completely customizable.
Up until the end of 2019, I had a part-time job two nights a week.
My work schedule varied from one week to the next, so it wasn’t practical for me to add it to my original blocks.
Instead, I created a second schedule for the days that I work.
And I used a different color to denote my work block since it lasted until 1am.
Before I started using this system, my days and nights were completely out of whack.
I was constantly running around and I was always running late.
I went to the grocery store whenever I was able to “fit it in” to my day, which always resulted in forgetting various items.
Worst of all, I never had any time for housework, let alone any personal time.
Now I have time to myself because I have a block that is 100% devoted to me!
YOUR TURN
Managing a family routine can be downright exhausting. Part of our job as parents is to stay on top of everything 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
By using any of these four tools, you will be rocking your routine in no time!
Once you have your routine down, it will be easy to find time for yourself.
More time to yourself means more of yourself to give to your children.
And that makes for a happy, balanced home life! 😉
Need more help getting things done?
Snag the free Weekly Planner and To-Do List!
- Keep track of your to-do list
- Plan your week
- Rest assured that everything is planned and organized!
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