Oh yes, hindsight is 20/20. I wish I had these awesome time management tips before kids. I could have found the cure for some of the world’s most terrible diseases, invented a new product, or built a school in Africa. Okay, those are a little exaggerated, but I’ve been forced to become super effective at managing my time and getting organized after becoming a stay at home mom – and I want to share these tips with you!
Nothing like nap time to teach self-discipline to work at home moms, am I right?
From learning to get up early to dreaming of BIG goals, I’m on a mission to help moms in overcoming mom burnout and learn to be more present, one blog post at a time.
Let’s talk about the best time management tips for stay at home moms! Don’t miss the tips to create your own stay at home mom schedule below as well as the free weekly time blocking printable!
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Genius Time Management Tips for Stay at Home Moms To Try Right Now
The first question you need to answer is why you are looking to improve your time management skills?
Are you overwhelmed with household chores? (Psst… you might like how to use Trello to Organize Your Home Life (Family Style), or here are some tips for quickly cleaning before guests.
Do you want to start earning income from home but don’t think you have the time?
Are you overwhelmed with everything you NEED to do and feel like you don’t have time to do what you WANT to do?
Then these time management tips for stay at home moms will:
- Help you establish goals
- Stay focused
- Hone your priorities, and
- Create more time for your most important things (like creating family memories).
But first, if you’re struggling with finding the perfect routine that works for your family with young kids — I just loved the chapter about it in Family Routines*. You’ll walk away with actionable tips to start right away — and more. I think you’ll love it — in fact, she guarantees it*. Join for a month, or a year — you can cancel at any time — you can even save 10% with code SIMPLYMOM10*.
1. Establish long-term goals.
Do you have big goals for this year (here were my 2018 goals), but you haven’t been able to really take action on them? You might find the Improving Goals Worksheet helps you state your goals in such a way that they inspire action. You can find it in the Simply Mom Freebies Library.
This goal worksheet and your goals will give you something to look forward to each day, and motivate you to push past your fears and initiate a big dream. You’ll begin feeling motivated to DO again (and help you get out of the mom funk).
2. Get dressed every day.
You see this often, but it is oh so true. Absolutely get dressed every morning. You’ll be tempted to have “pajama day” more often than not. But I promise you, you’ll feel 100% better just by getting dressed for the day.
Sometimes I personally get lazy and don’t get dressed. And I feel soooo blah when I do.
Getting dressed puts you in the right mindset to begin your day.
Here is what to wear as a stay at home mom (and why it matters).
3. Focus on your Daily Firsts.
I don’t know about you, but I always have an endless to-do list. That’s why I started using the idea of “Daily Firsts.” At the beginning of each day, I write down my TOP 6 most important tasks for the day. Then tackle them.
Not sure how to make an effective to do list? Check it out here. Also, you can download the FREE Daily First Agenda printable. <–Download here.
4. Establish the perfect morning routine.
Your body loves routines and so does your brain. If you do the same thing every morning (preferably something you enjoy), it will be easier to get your day started. Some ideas for morning routines for stay at home moms:
- Drink your coffee alone (while it’s hot)
- Do yoga without the kids crawling all over you
- Go for a run in the stillness of the morning
- Work on a side hustle for 30 minutes
- Read a fun book for 30 minutes
- Put away the dishes
- Make your bed
- Take a cold shower
- Take the dog for a walk
- Crochet a new project
- Make the kids lunches
- Pull out meat for dinner to defrost
- Pre-chop veggies for dinner
- Write down your Daily Firsts
- Set an intention for the day
- Yoga (I love this free YouTube channel!)
5. Be flexible for the week.
You have your long-term goals. You have your Daily Firsts priorities. Now, it’s important to keep in mind the bigger week. Each day doesn’t have to look the same. In fact, it shouldn’t!
Remember to build in rest time, extra time for tasks, and time to play. If you don’t get everything done on Monday, then remember you can flex it to another day. No harm, no foul, since your schedule isn’t overburdened. Here’s a weekly planner that might be helpful.
6. Get organized with your favorite planner.
A lot of this list is all about organizing the micro-moments. One of the ways I love to do this as a mom is to use an online list tool like Trello to organize our family life! There are so many versatile boards and templates to quickly get organized and become more efficient!
I also love making an old-school written to do list at the beginning of the week. I write it in a bullet journal and check it off throughout the week. Easy-peasy!
7. Learn to time block
I love to focus on activities for a certain amount of time rather than specific tasks. For example, 30 minutes could be devoted to decluttering the kitchen cabinets.
The best thing about timeblocking is it teaches you to write down the everyday stuff that we sometimes forget about. We have to set aside time for eating lunch, walking to the bus stop, or even showering post workout.
If we forget to add these things to our calendars and to set aside time in our schedule for the little things, our schedule can easily become over busy. Here you can grab a free time blocking weekly schedule and to do list.
Remember, fill every hour even if you just write “Netflix time” or “eat a snack with the kids.”
8. Make an evening routine checklist.
Most days, after I put the kids to bed, I simply want to collapse on my own and pass out (often laying sideways). But, once I started my mantra of making sure my evening routine checklist was taken care of, I started feeling so much better about my home management skills!
I told myself “just 15 minutes” and then pushed through the checklist until the end.
Normally, after 15 minutes, I was done with what I needed to do, and then I was able to actually relax and enjoy time with my husband rather than pass out on the bed or couch with a crick in my neck!
Here’s an example of our evening routines that we do at our house. As a reminder, at the time of this post, my kids are 6, 4, and 1.
- Kids put away their laundry before dinner (we do laundry every day).
- While I’m making dinner, kids help clean up the floors in the living room, hallway, and kitchen. My oldest will also wipe down the table for dinner and help get drinks for the other kids. If they finish in time, they can start a show while dinner finishes up.
- While I cook, I declutter the counter and wash up any dishes still on the counter. I find that Instant Pot meals, while not necessarily faster, provide more time to tidy up while cooking.
- We eat dinner together as a family, talk about highs and lows, and then finish eating.
- During clean-up, the kids help clear the table and wipe it off. As my husband and I do dishes, the older two kids go upstairs to get in jammies and brush teeth. And one of us puts the baby to bed.
- After teeth brushing, we read a book, sing songs, and pray.
Here’s my daily evening checklist items that I try to make sure happens every night:
- Coffee pot cleaned and ready for the next morning
- Load of laundry in the wash with the timer set
- Counters decluttered
- Kids homework signed off and put in backpacks
- Lunch boxes out and ready for the next day
- Floors swept in the kitchen/kitchen table
- Toys picked up in the living room
- Kids craft table cleared off
- My laundry put away for the day
- Counters wiped down
9. Set aside time each month to plan ahead and be proactive.
Speaking of planning out your week, at the beginning of the month, think of the “big rocks” that you have coming up. Maybe your in-laws are visiting, or you’re going on a weekend get away with the hubs.
Whatever it is, by planning ahead and being proactive, you won’t be scrambling at the end (and then being late to something fun causing unnecessary stress). I love to look at travel for the next 3 months so that my husband and I are on the same page, and we can start book travel arrangements if necessary.
10. Grocery shop once per week.
Do you know how you learn to grocery shop only one time per week? You learn to meal plan. If you’re looking for creative dinner ideas and pre-built meal plans, one of my favorite websites is Skinny Taste (here’s a December meal plan)! Yum!
Grocery shopping once per week saves you time because you don’t have to drive as much (or deal with the kids at the store) and saves you money (for that budget you’re going to start… ahem… look below!). It also saves you the stress of “having to decide” what’s for dinner! You already planned this, so it’s a no brainer when the time comes around.
11. Declutter your finances.
You might be wondering why this one is on here. Stress from finances is a HUGE part of “feeling” overwhelmed for most moms. Whether you’re a working mom wondering how you’ll pay for daycare, or you’re a stay at home mom wondering if you can afford MOPS or a Mom’s Day Out Program plus balancing diapers, formula, kid activities, Chick-fil-a outings, just to name a few…
Decluttering your finances and starting a budget, can give you peace of mind that you at least KNOW where you are with your budget and money and you can gain freedom from the knowing.
I felt SOOOO much freedom when we started using You Need A Budget, it wasn’t even funny. And 7 years later. I’m still using it. Try it free for 34 days*.
12. Start a simple budget.
As mentioned above, finances contribute to the “overwhelm” feeling. This simple budget guide and free printable can help you get started on your budget, and thus save you time and energy in the long run.
Yes, it takes time to set-up, but when you do little by little, you’ll start to see the difference.
13. Set a timer for tasks.
What’s worse than not having enough time? Constantly checking the clock when you’re trying to be productive. If you have 20 minutes of quiet time to do some work, then just set a timer and feel confident that you can keep working until the timer goes off. The Pomodoro technique is awesome!
Setting a timer lets you stop worrying about “not getting it done fast enough” and lets you focus on actually getting it done step-by-step. I love the Pomodoro technique as a stay at home mom!
I particularly like this when it comes to cleaning tasks. Because I’m always wondering when I’ll be done. Haha. Thankfully I found this weekly cleaning schedule* from Hilary at Pulling Curls because it helps me stay organized with the cleaning tasks!
14. Do laundry every day.
I was totally against this time management technique for the longest time. But once I tried it, it has changed our laundry life. There is no longer a glaringly huge load of laundry staring at me every day waiting to be folder. It’s super easy to match socks because there’s normally only a couple of pairs. And the kids can put away their own laundry because it’s not overwhelming.
Just tryyyyyy it. It’s a game changer.
15. Limit social media.
I know you’ve heard the social media argument before, so I just wanted to share why I delete the Facebook app from my phone during the week and turn off notifications.
Once you get on Facebook, I get easily sucked in. What was just a quick message to a friend, turns into 15 minutes of mindless scrolling. Afterward, I feel… just blah? I’m not sure there’s a better word for it. I DON’T feel good after scrolling through Facebook (or even Instagram sometimes) because I constantly compare myself to others.
Maybe you don’t have this problem, and if that’s true, then I’m happy for you. Truly! But I’ve felt so much weight lifted off my shoulders by limiting my social media (Read for Ideas to do a Digital Detox).
16. Give yourself mini rewards.
I learned this trick from the Power of Habits: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business*. If you want to start a new habit, then give yourself a reward at the end!
So, if you want to keep your kitchen clean for the week. Reward yourself every night that it’s clean with a hot bath or 10-minutes of a good book you’re reading. Pick something simple that you wouldn’t mind rewarding yourself with every time while you’re establishing the habit.
Once it’s established, you can stop the reward but the habit will remain!
17. Get out of the house.
This doesn’t mean you need to go to Chick-fil-a every day. But this does mean go to the gym, go for a walk, get outside, brunch with friends, meet for a play date, join a MOPS group, a Bible study, run an errand… basically anything that can mix up the monotony of the day.
Having something on your schedule will motivate you to get more done because you have something to look forward to!
18. Share responsibilities with others.
Yes, you need this one was coming. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and like you don’t have enough time, then it’s time to talk to the hubby about shared house responsibilities.
Check out this article on 14 Remarkably Simple Dos and Donts to Support Your Spouse for an example House Responsibilities breakdown.
Also, in the freebies library there’s a house responsibilities chart that we made for the kids, so they can learn too!
19. Go for a walk.
It’s counter-cultural and counter-intuitive, but going for a walk can save you time. When you get outside and stretch your legs, your brain can relax and assimilate information. It can organize and solve problems in the background.
You also will come back refreshed and ready to work harder than before if you just pushed through without the walk. It doesn’t have to be an hour, but 10-15 minutes will do you wonders!
20. Establish a “work station.”
Finally, one of my biggest headaches and least favorite activities to do is “administrative” work for the family. This is stuff like figuring out medical bills, making phone calls for appointments, or writing thank you cards (I know, I know… I’m terrible).
Anyway, it helps me to have a good “workstation.” I know I’ll be comfy in the workstation and once I sit down, I’m ready to focus and knock some things out.
Trying to get things done in the living room while we’re watching This is Us, just don’t work for me. I have to have an area to focus!
21. Absolutely, do NOT try to multi-task.
It’s actually been proven that it’s impossible to multi-task. It’s better to set increments where you are focused on one task, and then transition to another. Give your WHOLE attention to what’s in front of you. Rather than trying to split your attention.
If you have little ones at home, my trick is to set them up with an activity that I know will last them 15-20 minutes, and then I go from there. I break-up my own projects into smaller and smaller pieces so that I have actionable progress during small windows in time.
22. Say “no” to extra stuff.
This is probably counter cultural, but being “too busy” makes it super difficult for me to maintain my home without feeling overwhelmed!
While I definitely encourage you to get out of the house for a little variety everyday and to spend some quality time outside with your kids, I try to limit play dates to once (or MAYBE twice per week).
We also do our best to limit extracurricular activities for our kids – especially when they are young! You can teach your kids so many things from home without spending all that extra money and time on the activities!
Simple Stay at Home Mom Daily Schedule Example
This daily routine is assuming it’s summer or that you have little kids at home under the age of 5, not yet in school! My oldest is almost 7, and this is the schedule we follow during the summer. It’s nice because he can help out with the littler kids and I get a lot more flexibility in my schedule!
P. S. You might also like these clever routine ideas to simplify your family life!
Example Morning Schedule
- 5:30 Wake-up/Quiet Time/Coffee/Exercise/Read a Book
- 7:00 Kids Wake-Up/Breakfast
- 7:30 Clean Kitchen: put away clean dishes and clean after breakfast
- 8:00 Morning Routine: Get dressed, make beds, brush teeth, start load of laundry
- 8:30 Educational Time: Easy at home preschool activities, baking, practicing letters, dance party, etc.
- 9:30 Free play for kids: teach them to play independently, make sure to tidy-up before going to the next activity, move laundry to the dryer
- 10:30 Outside time: play in backyard/park/go for a walk
- 11:30 Prep for lunch/pre-lunch 15 minute tidy-up
Example Afternoon Schedule
- 12:00 Lunch: eat, clean-up after lunch, put away laundry
- 1:00 Nap time for the kids/Free time for mommy: I use this time to work on blogging, admin stuff for the house, bigger cleaning/organizing projects, or sometimes to take a nap myself!
- 3:00 Kids awake/snack time
- 3:30 More outside time: great if you have activities kids can do on their own!
- 4:30 Dinner prep started/tidy before dinner
Example Evening Schedule
- 5:30 Dinner-time
- 6:30 Bedtime routine: bath/shower, read books, music time, family time
- 7:30 Bedtime for kids
- 7:45 15 minute of clean-up prior to bed: finish tidying kitchen
- 8-9 Relax time with hubby!
Creating Your Own Stay at Home Mom Daily Schedule
The key to creating your own stay at home mom schedule is to be flexible! do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, fill every single moment with an activity. Rather, give yourself a little flex room.
I love time-blocking and the Pomodoro technique (along with these other time management tips to try). You can do this, mama!
- Establish your goals.
- Get dressed every day.
- Focus on your Daily Firsts.
- Establish an easy morning routine.
- Know your weekly schedule.
- Get organized with your favorite planner.
- Make an evening routine checklist.
- Set monthly goals.
- Grocery shop once per week.
- Declutter your finances.
- Start a simple budget.
- Set a timer for tasks.
- Do laundry every day.
- Limit social media.
- Give yourself mini-rewards.
- Get out of the house.
- Share responsibilities with your spouse and kids.
- Go for a walk outside.
- Establish a work-station.
- Do NOT try to multi-task.
- Say “no” to extra stuff.
Whew! This ended up being longer than I expected. But I hope you learned a trick or two to survive stay at home mom life. Share your favorite time management tips for moms in the comments!
If you made it to the end… get yourself a glass of wine. Haha.
Mom life is busy enough as it is. But there are some highly productive people out there that we can all learn lessons from.
I’m not saying I’m one of those, but I like to learn about those people and share the information that I learn!
Until next time,
If you loved these tips, please share! These are the best time management tips for SAHMs! I love these time management strategies for overwhelmed moms to be more present and less stressed!
These effective time management skills for moms will help you create the perfect routine at home with a baby or toddlers! These are seriously the best tips to be an organized stay at home mom – be more productive, stop feeling overwhelmed, and get actually enjoy life with kids! Sample stay at home mom daily schedule included, so again, thank you for sharing and helping other moms 🙂