The Ultimate Bedtime Routine for Adults – Free Printable Chart!

The Ultimate Bedtime Routine for Adults – Free Printable Chart!

Evening Routines for Adults

 

 

 

 

Even adults need a bedtime routine! As parents, we know how key it is for our children to have a solid routine to make bedtime easier, so why don’t we do it for ourselves? An evening routine can help you go to bed less stressed and wake up ready to take on the day and be more productive.

 

 

 

By the end of the day, we’re often so tired we just want to relax and ignore everything. I know for me, I have a little mini ritual that I do. As soon as the kids are in bed (around 8:00 pm), I walk across the hallway to my bedroom, lay in my bed, and take 10-15 minutes to scroll social media, decompress from the day, and enjoy having no one touching me (come on mama, you know what I mean).

 

Evening-Routine

This post may contain affiliate links which cost you nothing extra to use but may provide me with a commission. To read my full disclosure head on over here.

 

The hardest part of that ritual is what I do after. Once I’m laying in my bed it’s super easy to get a little lazy, spend closer to 45 minutes on my phone and not get the motivation to do anything. I set a 15 minute timer, and use the principles from the 5 second rule to get myself out of bed and moving downstairs.

 

 

Daily and Evening Routine Examples

 

 

When I get downstairs, I often just sit in the chair and think, “Look at this mess and my to-do list, where should I start”. I used to become paralyzed with all that I had to get done and feel helpless about getting started.

 

It wasn’t until I came up with a simple system that I realized that my evening routine can  be done easily and doesn’t have to be daunting. I truly can get all that I need to get done pre-bedtime in just 20-30 minutes.

 

I firmly believe that a concrete bedtime routine can set your day up for success. There is nothing more frustrating for me than when I wake up and the house wasn’t cleaned up the night before, I Have to rush to get lunches going and I just generally start the day already feeling behind.

 

When you consistently implement a bedtime routine with yourself and your family, you are setting the next day up to be more productive, less stressful and a win for everyone.

 

Related Post: Creating a Nighttime Routine for your Infant

 

There are a lot of different things you could do in the perfect evening routine and I suggest that you come up with a list of (no more) than 5 things that would have the biggest impact. When we try to put too many things on our to-do list, we often quit the routine before it becomes a habit because it’s unmanageable.

 

 

A quality and effective evening routine has a few simple things in it:

  1. A Clean Up
  2. Preparation for the Next Day
  3. Reflection, Gratitude and Unwinding

 

 

Related Post: The Ultimate Cleaning Routine for Moms

 

 

My personal bedtime routine has been the same for a few years now. I do it almost every night with the exception of Saturday nights (which I always regret Sunday morning). I take Saturday ‘off’ from most things; I don’t work unless I feel like it, I don’t follow any of my week day routines, I try to take a nap if I can, and I just generally relax.

 

 

Evening Routine

My bedtime routine is (typically) as follows:

 

10 minutes - Load Dishes, Clean Up Dinner and Table, Make Lunches for Tomorrow, Fill Up Coffee Pot  (while this is happening, I listen to a bible study or a podcast. I find it makes the time go so much faster)

 

Related Post: 5 Podcasts to Jumpstart Your Positivity 

 

10 minutes - Quick Pick Up: I put on a 10 minute timer and do a quick pick up of our kitchen and living space. I find the rooms we spend the most time in and just see what I can get put away in 10 minutes. If it’s not done in 10 minutes, I can either keep going or stop. I find I get a lot more done than I realize I can when it’s with the timer.

 

10 minutes - Reviewing Schedule and Setting Priorities: I go through my list from today on Trello, move anything over to tomorrow, check out what tomorrow looks like and determine my top 3 priorities and tasks that I want to get done before the kids get up (this helps me when that 4:30 am alarm goes off to only snooze a few times and not just ignore it completely)

I then take some time in prayer, thanking God for the day, and focus on the gratitude in the moments. I’d love to say that I have a better gratitude practice but honestly, at the moment, I don’t. I highly encourage you to get a gratitude journal or find a practice that works for you! (making it one of my next month goals too!)

 

Bedtime Routine Chart

 

When you’re first getting started with a new evening or bedtime routine, I suggest using a chart to track your behaviors. While it seems silly, as a former high school teacher, I know that every one of us likes to get that gold star and see our progress.

 

I use a simple printable chart (like the one below) in the beginning to help reinforce the habit that I am trying to create. It takes me almost a month to really establish a good routine of any type and only a few days to get out of the habit.

 

Using a chart can help you stay focused on what you’re hoping to get done, see which things you skip more than you should (like that quick pick up) and applaud yourself for mini wins and success along the way!

 

You can download this blank checklist to use and put on your fridge to keep motivated until it becomes a habit! This chart is also great when you want to involve your spouse or kids because they can see what to do next, you can assign them a task and more can get done in a short amount of time!

 

Make sure you PIN this post for later when you’re ready to start your bedtime and evening routine!

 

Want to Read More in this Routines Series?

The Best Way to Get Organized for Back to School

Simple Steps to Make Your Morning Easier

How to Set up Your Week to Be More Productive

How to Schedule Your Day as a Work at Home Mom

How to Fit Self Care Into Your Day

How to Find Time to Workout as a Busy Mom 

Digitally Organize Your Prayer Time to Become a Prayer Warrior

Create a Morning Routine in 3 Easy Steps

 

 

The Ultimate Guide to Achieving Your Goals for Busy Moms

The Ultimate Guide to Achieving Your Goals for Busy Moms

by | Jan 7, 2019 | Mom Life | 0 Comments

The Ultimate Guide to Achieving Your Goals For Busy Moms   As busy moms it can be hard to achieve our goals since we have a lot on our plates. We have to juggle things for ourselves, our families, our homes, our jobs and more. It can be hard to get things done, let...

21 Day Fix Extreme while Breastfeeding

21 Day Fix Extreme while Breastfeeding

by | Dec 31, 2018 | Healthy Living | 0 Comments

Weight Loss While Breastfeeding   It can be hard to lose weight while breastfeeding. You have to make sure that you're eating the right amounts of food, foods that are higher in fat, and drinking enough water just to produce your milk. When you make changes to your...

Habit Stacking to Make Routines that Stick

Habit Stacking to Make Routines that Stick

Habits for Success: Achieve the Goals that Matter

 

 

When you work to achieve the goals that matter to you, you need to come up with a plan to create habits and routines that will work. Using habit stacking will get you closer to your goals faster.

 

So often, we set out to hit these big goals and fall short. We’re told DREAM BIG and REACH FOR THE STARS but we go about achieving these goals the wrong way.

 

I’ve been there. I’ve created an ‘all or nothing’ mentality way too many times in my life. Maybe you’ve been there too.

 

You’ve created these grandiose statements about how you’re never eating sugar again, decluttering your entire house in one day, or finally sitting down to write that book you’ve always dreamed of (which you of course plan to finish in just one month).

 

Making big goals and not creating a system to attack them is just setting yourself up for failure. If you’ve ever started a diet on Monday and by Wednesday are back to your old habits because you’ve ‘fallen off the wagon’ than you know what I mean.

 

Related Post: 5 Steps for Creating a Virtual Vision Board

 

This post may contain affiliate links which cost you nothing extra to use but may provide me with a commission. To read my full disclosure head on over here.

 

 

 

Habits of Successful People

 

When successful and productive people make habits, they do it strategically. Yes, they dream big and make huge and mighty goals (because playing small never served anyone) but they also come up with a PLAN to get things done.

 

 

To create habits that really will produce results and get you to your goals, you have to make them concrete. It doesn’t do you any good to say that you’ll ‘eat better’ or ‘read more’ or ‘be happier’. Those are just words tossed up in the sky. You need to put a concrete measure on what you really will accomplish.

 

 

Change ‘eat better’ to ‘eat 5 servings of veggies a day’ and ‘read more’ into ‘read 2 books a month’ and ‘be happier’ into ‘have coffee with a friend each week, take a dance lesson every month, or go on a solo vacation’.

 

 

Writing down your goals in such a way that you can measure will set you up for tremendous success. When you know exactly what you’re shooting for you can create a plan to track your results and take steps to achieving it.

 

 

Related Post: Successful Goal Setting in 3 Steps

Habit Stacking and Creating Routines

 

But how do you actually make a plan that you’ll stick to? How can you take your goals and DO SOMETHING with them without quitting?

 

 

Enter habit stacking.

 

 

Habit stacking is the #1 way that I’ve seen success with my goals and the way I teach all of the women I work with to go after theirs. Instead of trying to change everything overnight, you need to pick small pieces of the goal to tackle each week.

 

 

Let’s go back to the weight loss example. If you’ve decided that you want to lose weight and eat healthier, you might decide overnight that you will only drink water, eat vegetables at each meal, eliminate unhealthy carbs and stop eating after 5pm. Where you set yourself up for failure is when you try to do them all AT THE SAME TIME.

 

 

Related Post: How to Find Time To Workout as a Busy Mom 

 

 

 

There is nothing wrong with wanting to change and do better but, if you truly want to make lifestyle changes and achieve long term goals, no one says that you have to make all of the changes overnight! By breaking them down into smaller habits, and really developing those habits as part of your day to day routines,  you can create systems in your life that just become second nature and impact you long term.

 

 

So, if you’re looking to get healthier and lose weight, you might want to pick one of those small goals to work on for 1-2 weeks. Take 2 weeks to just focus on your water intake. Don’t worry about any of the other stuff and put all your efforts into doing one thing really, really well. You’ll become a water expert, hitting your water goal won’t feel as hard after two weeks, and you’ll be able to celebrate the small success and win that you had.

 

After 2 weeks, now that you’ve tackled that goal and it’s become second nature, ADD in a second small goal. For the next 2 weeks you’ll not only focus on your water intake (which won’t be as hard to achieve since you’ve mastered it these past two weeks) but you’ll focus on eating one serving of vegetables with each meal. Focus on that for two weeks and then add your next small goal.

 

 

 

 

The Best Way to Organize Your Goals

 

 

 

Will it take you longer to get all of your habits down? Maybe. But by tackling your goals this way you’re more likely to not quit along the way because you’re trying to change too much too quickly. This way you’ll start to create habits that last you a lifetime and not just for the short term. And you can celebrate the little wins along the way!

 

 

Staying Motivated

When you’re on your way to achieving your goals, how can you stay motivated?

 

Well with habit stacking, it’s not as tough. I suggest using a goal tracking sheet to mark down which habits you’re sticking to. There is nothing wrong with giving yourself a gold star or needing to check a box to stay motivated in the beginning.

 

As you are tackling these new habits and making them more part of your lifestyle, external motivation will be a big part in keeping you going. After a few weeks of seeing success with your ‘little wins’, these habits will become more internal and you won’t need to track them each day.

 

But to start, don’t hesitate to track! Tracking will keep you focused, help you see the big picture, and allow you to applaud yourself for your success. Without tracking, it’s so easy to miss a day of your new habit and completely stop. When you track your new habits, you get that little reminder of what you need to get done and that little push to keep going!

 

 

So this week, break your goals down and pick 1 thing to focus on and get really great at it! Comment below with what you're focusing on this week and keep me updated!

 

 

Want to work on being more productive? Download the weekend checklist to get started (and just pick one area to focus on this weekend) 

 

Want to Read More in this Routines Series?

The Best Way to Get Organized for Back to School

Simple Steps to Make Your Morning Easier

How to Set up Your Week to Be More Productive

How to Schedule Your Day as a Work at Home Mom

How to Fit Self Care Into Your Day

How to Find Time to Workout as a Busy Mom 

Digitally Organize Your Prayer Time to Become a Prayer Warrior

Create a Morning Routine in 3 Easy Steps

 

 

The Ultimate Guide to Achieving Your Goals for Busy Moms

The Ultimate Guide to Achieving Your Goals for Busy Moms

by | Jan 7, 2019 | Mom Life | 0 Comments

The Ultimate Guide to Achieving Your Goals For Busy Moms   As busy moms it can be hard to achieve our goals since we have a lot on our plates. We have to juggle things for ourselves, our families, our homes, our jobs and more. It can be hard to get things done, let...

21 Day Fix Extreme while Breastfeeding

21 Day Fix Extreme while Breastfeeding

by | Dec 31, 2018 | Healthy Living | 0 Comments

Weight Loss While Breastfeeding   It can be hard to lose weight while breastfeeding. You have to make sure that you're eating the right amounts of food, foods that are higher in fat, and drinking enough water just to produce your milk. When you make changes to your...

How to Use Time Blocking for a Simple Weekly Schedule

How to Use Time Blocking for a Simple Weekly Schedule

Time Blocking for a Simple Weekly Schedule

 

As a mom, it’s important that I have a simple weekly schedule to guide my day. By using time blocking, I find that I can spend more time getting things done and less time complaining about not having any time.

 

Because let’s be real, as moms we’re SUPER busy. We have a million things on our plants, our brains are constantly running in circles, and we often feel overwhelmed and at the mercy of the to do list.

 

But there is a better way.

 

There is a way that you can set up a schedule, not to ‘get everything done’ (because that’s just ridiculous to put on our shoulders) but to get MORE of what MATTERS done. To create a schedule that aligns with our priorities, help us maximize the time that we have in a given day, and actually go to bed feeling good about everything we’ve done.

 

 

This post may contain affiliate links which cost you nothing extra to use but may provide me with a commission. To read my full disclosure head on over here.

 

Since I began being a work at home mom, I knew that I needed to be more in control of my time. There are a different set of challenges when you work from home, and you have to really be the master of your time. I needed something that would let me have the structure of a schedule but the flexibility to deal with the day to day craziness of having small kids at home.

 

Related Post: How to Schedule Your Day as a Work from Home Mom

 

 

When I found time blocking things really changed for me. Instead of having a rigid schedule where at 9:00 am everyday we did our daily cleaning and at 1:30 pm every day was reading time,  I use time blocking to organize out sections of our day so that the have some semblance of order but the flexibility to do things on our own time.

How to Organize Your Schedule as a Busy Mom

 

The principle of time blocking is that you chunk your day into sections (early morning, morning early afternoon, nap time etc….) and assign 3-5 tasks to get done during that schedule.  By doing this, you’re making sure that when that time comes, you’re not overwhelmed and wondering what you should be doing but focused on the tasks at hand.

 

Time blocking also leaves room for the typical day to day life with kids where toddlers need you, it’s always snack time, and some days things just don’t get done because extra snuggles are necessary.

 

As a work at home mom, who has kids who still are napping, I block my time into small chunks that make the most sense for me.

 

Early Morning 5:00-6:30 (pre-kids waking up)

Morning 6:30-9:00

School Time 9:00-12:00 (my 3 year old is at school on MWF)

Afternoon 12:00-2:00

Nap Time 2:00-4:30 (on the day all of the stars align and my 1 year old makes it until 2 and my 3 year old actually naps. This time happens maybe 3-4 times a week)

Evening 4:30-8:00

Post Bedtime 8:00-11:00

 

By chunking my day this way, I have small parts of my day already split up where I can decide what I am hoping to accomplish, what my kids will be doing, and which tasks make the most sense.

 

 

Related Post: Create an Action Plan that Works in 4 Easy Steps

 

 

 

 

 

Take time and chunk out your day so that it makes sense to you. Try to have 2-4 hour time blocks that you are working with that just naturally fall in your day to day.

 

 

Once you’ve determined your time blocks, the next step to productivity is to pre-determine what happens during those chunks of time.

 

 

Now again, this isn’t where you make something super rigid that you must still to right to the minute, but a general idea of what is happening. And by predetermining what happens, you can make sure during that chunk of your day you’re more intentional with all that has to happen.

 

 

This is a sample of my ideal day in a time block:

 

 

Early Morning 5:00-6:30

 

  • Workout
  • Bible and Devotional
  • Shower
  • Small work task

 

 

Morning 6:30-9:00

 

  • Breakfast
  • Clean Up Breakfast
  • Start Laundry
  • Get Dressed

 

 

School Time 9:00-12:00

 

  • Run Errands or Playdate
  • Daily Household Cleaning
  • Make Important Phone Calls

 

 

Afternoon 12:00-2:00

  • Lunch
  • Clean Up Lunch
  • Floors
  • Put Away Laundry

 

 

Nap Time 2:00-4:30

 

  • Work time (which I'll spare you the details of but I put 3-5 work tasks to get done each day)

 

 

Evening 4:30-8:00

 

  • Dinner
  • Clean up Dinner
  • Pack Lunches
  • Load Dishwasher
  • Family Time

 

 

Post Bedtime 8:00-11:00

 

  • Bible Study
  • Finish daily work tasks
  • Evening Routine

 

Related Post: Organize Your Prayer Time to Be a Prayer Warrior

 

 

 

 

As you can see, I’m not super specific about at what time during that chunk things happen but, it gives me a guide of what I should be working on during that period. Before I had this system, I would continuously put off things like phone calls or cleaning, feel like I was never accomplishing anything, and felt frazzled and overwhelmed by housework.

 

I suggest after you go through and assign your tasks, look again and make sure it’s a realistic set of things to accomplish. Then you can create smaller goal charts and checklists for what they mean. For example, I write down that in my “school time” block that I do my daily household cleaning but have a separate Trello board where I put down what that actually looks like each day.

 

Time Blocking Template - A Trello Weekly Planner

 

You may be a paper planner person, and so was I, until I found Trello.

 

I know use Trello to keep all of my time blocking charts, as well as my weekly schedule. It took me a bit to figure out how to create a board that fit my needs with time blocking but, by using labels, I can separate out each day into sections and drag and drop the tasks from day to day.

 

Trello allows me to make a checklist on each card so that when it is ‘daily household cleaning’ time, I can look at see which day i focus on today and what tasks should get done during that block.

 

You can also use Trello on your phone as an app so it makes it very easy to see when you’re out or share your schedule board with your family so that you’re all on the same page.

 

If you want to see more about this board and how you can use Trello to simplify your life, go and grab this free mini course! In it, you’ll learn the Trello basics AND get to snag my ‘my week’ (along with 2 other) boards absolutely free!

 

 

This week, I encourage you to take time to start to implement time blocking into your schedule and see how it changes things. My hope is that it helps you be more productive, more accomplished and less like you’re stuck on a rigid schedule trying to squeeze everything in!

 

And if you need any more help figuring out how to make a schedule that works, go and grab my e-course Design Your Day: Time Management for the Busy Woman. 

 

In the course, I break down exactly how to map out a schedule AND get done what you need PLUS work on your goals! It's a self paced course and we go step by step together to helping you design a life you love!

 

 

Want to Read More in this Routines Series?

The Best Way to Get Organized for Back to School

Simple Steps to Make Your Morning Easier

How to Set up Your Week to Be More Productive

How to Schedule Your Day as a Work at Home Mom

How to Fit Self Care Into Your Day

How to Find Time to Workout as a Busy Mom 

Digitally Organize Your Prayer Time to Become a Prayer Warrior

Create a Morning Routine in 3 Easy Steps

 

 

The Ultimate Guide to Achieving Your Goals for Busy Moms

The Ultimate Guide to Achieving Your Goals for Busy Moms

by | Jan 7, 2019 | Mom Life | 0 Comments

The Ultimate Guide to Achieving Your Goals For Busy Moms   As busy moms it can be hard to achieve our goals since we have a lot on our plates. We have to juggle things for ourselves, our families, our homes, our jobs and more. It can be hard to get things done, let...

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21 Day Fix Extreme while Breastfeeding

by | Dec 31, 2018 | Healthy Living | 0 Comments

Weight Loss While Breastfeeding   It can be hard to lose weight while breastfeeding. You have to make sure that you're eating the right amounts of food, foods that are higher in fat, and drinking enough water just to produce your milk. When you make changes to your...

How to Make Mom Friends and Beat Stay at Home Mom Depression

How to Make Mom Friends and Beat Stay at Home Mom Depression

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How to Make Mom Friends and Beat Stay at Home Mom Depression

 

It can be lonely  as a stay at home mom and easy to slip into stay at home mom depression if you don’t intentionally surround yourself with other mom friends.

 

So often our spouse doesn’t understand what we’re going through, our family and friends might not be in the same season of their life, and the expectations that we put on ourselves (or society or loved ones) can make the mom guilt unbearable intense.

This post may contain affiliate links which cost you nothing extra to use but may provide me with a commission. To read my full disclosure head on over here.

 

 

 

After my son (who is currently a year old) was born, I struggled with Postpartum Anxiety and Depression. I found myself isolating myself from even my other SAHM friends, withdrawing from my family, and feeling generally worthless. It was one of the hardest times of my life and I’m thankful that I currently have seen the ‘light on the other side of the rainbow’.


But during that period, I struggled deeply and felt so alone. I am so thankful that I had a mom tribe that I connected with, both in person and online, because it helped me realize that, no matter how tough things were, I wasn’t alone.

 

What type of SAHM are you?

 

My first suggestion when it comes to connecting and meeting other moms is to think about the type of SAHM you identify with.

 

When I first started to meet up with moms at the library or ones that I met in groups, I made the mistake of thinking that I would immediately connect with them all right away. And while I still am close friends with some of the first moms I met, there are many that I didn’t connect with.

 

Your energy is so valuable and you don’t want to spend it with people who are going to bring you down or make you feel bad about the type of mom you are. And it’s OKAY if you don’t connect with everyone.

 

There are a lot of different types of moms out there so you’ll want to find your tribe. If you’re a “Pinterest Mom” you might not want to spend your time with moms who make you feel bad about wanting to craft with your kids.

 

Or if you’re more of an “Amazon Prime” mom, you might not want to spend time with moms who want to spend more time creating homemade decorations for every event.

 

Give yourself permission to feel other moms out on playdates or in groups but know that you don’t have to vibe with them all. Don’t allow yourself to feel guilted into a friendship that makes you feel bad about yourself or drains all of your energy. You deserve to be around others that make you laugh and feel joy!

 

 

 

 

Finding Mom Friends Near  You

 

There are two main ways I’ve been able to connect with other moms friends and that is in person and online. There is an incredible power in meeting up with like minded moms in person for coffee, a walk, or just to get some sanity and talk to another grown up.

 

Some of my closest mom friends are ones that I have randomly met in Facebook groups and we’ve just clicked. We connected because our 2.5 year old were super close in age as babies and now, we all have 1 year olds too!

Once A Month Meals

 

The first place you should go to find moms near you is Facebook! Search and see if you can find a local moms group. You can be bold and simply post that you’re looking for like minded moms, and put a few words to describe this mom (coffee loving, like to craft but isn’t that good at it, enjoys working out, primarily seen in a mom bun… wait I’m describing me!) and suggest a time and place to meet up.

 

One of the easiest suggestions is to suggest going for a walk at a local park or place where you can get to actually talk to them. I’ve met up with moms places where it was super busy or my kids were all over the place and I felt like I didn’t get to talk to them at all!

 

Always start with meeting at a public place (free is best!) before inviting them over for a playdate! There is nothing more awkward than having a mom come over for the first time and you don’t vibe or your kids don’t get along (and I’ve been there!)

 

You should also look and check and see what local mom groups already exist (we have a MOMS group in our town), check out your church or religious center or see if you can find a MOPS group (Moms of Preschoolers)!

 

Often many of these places will offer child care for you and it can be a great time to refuel yourself and connect with others!

 

Meet like minded friends online

 

Because life is so busy, I sometimes only see my ‘in person’ mom friends once a month. I knew that I wanted to feel more connected on a daily basis and needed someone other than my kids to talk to.

 

Insert my virtual MOM TRIBE!

 

Over the past few years I’ve been able connect with so many moms from around the world who are feeling similarly than me all online! Heck, it’s one of the reasons that I created A Purpose Driven Mom! I knew that there were more moms out there like me, I just had to find them!

 

 

 

Social media is going to be the best place for you to connect with other like minded moms. You can use hashtag or group searches to find other communities where your ‘mom’ is hanging out.

 

Search things like ‘crunchy breastfeeding moms’ or ‘work at home moms’ or ‘2 under 2 moms’ and a BUNCH of suggestions come up (make sure you search A Purpose Driven Mom and come join our group too!)

 

Become active in those groups, answer questions from other moms and ask questions! I can’t tell you how life saving it was at 3am when I was cluster feeding my daughter to have other moms awake in baby sleep groups to talk to!

 

Once you find mom groups you love, ask for suggestions for podcasts or other groups that they love. I have found so many other members of my mom tribe by connecting with other podcasts and blogs that moms have suggested to me!

 

Some of my favorite podcasts for moms include;

Young Wife’s Guide

Cultivating the Lovely

Mom Struggling Well

God Centered Mom

Raising Arrows

Hello Mornings

 

 

 

 

 

 

All of these are perfect podcasts for Christian Moms who want to get some inspiration and find communities that they can connect with! Many of these bloggers also host virtual conferences which can help you feel even more connected!

 

Virtual conferences are my FAV (Heck I even ran my own this past year! You can go back and get all the recordings here) because you don’t have to leave your house and you can connect with some many incredible women.

 

One of my favorite ones is coming up in just a few weeks so, if you’re looking for a great place to start connecting with moms, I highly recommend the Homemaking Ministries Conference this upcoming September! And if you're reading this after September, go and grab the recordings!

Stay at Home Mom Quotes

 

Being a stay at home mom is tough. We get lost, we feel lonely and stay at home mom depression is a real thing.

 

So when you’re feeling lost, make sure you reach out to other moms, connect with people, and surround yourself with positive influences that bring you joy!

 

In the meantime, check out this list of positive mom quotes and affirmations (you can grab a copy of my fav ones here) to build you up when it’s tough.

 

Because mama…. It’s going to be TOUGH! But you’re doing a GREAT JOB! 

 

 

Make sure you SHARE this post with of SAHM who probably feel just like you! PIN it to read for later!

 

The Ultimate Guide to Achieving Your Goals for Busy Moms

The Ultimate Guide to Achieving Your Goals for Busy Moms

by | Jan 7, 2019 | Mom Life | 0 Comments

The Ultimate Guide to Achieving Your Goals For Busy Moms   As busy moms it can be hard to achieve our goals since we have a lot on our plates. We have to juggle things for ourselves, our families, our homes, our jobs and more. It can be hard to get things done, let...

21 Day Fix Extreme while Breastfeeding

21 Day Fix Extreme while Breastfeeding

by | Dec 31, 2018 | Healthy Living | 0 Comments

Weight Loss While Breastfeeding   It can be hard to lose weight while breastfeeding. You have to make sure that you're eating the right amounts of food, foods that are higher in fat, and drinking enough water just to produce your milk. When you make changes to your...

How to Set up Your Week To Be More Productive

How to Set up Your Week To Be More Productive

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How to Set Up Your Week for Productivity

I intentionally take one day off a week. I started this practice 2 months ago and am so thankful that I did. Prior to this, I was just go, go, go and didn’t rest, felt pulled by my to-do list, and was starting to burn out again. I knew the feelings of burn out, I had been there before. 5 years ago, I left teaching to become a full-time entrepreneur and work at home mom because I felt the same feelings start to creep in. Now that I’m running my own business and family, I decided I needed some preventative measures to make sure that I was still taking care of me.

 

Hence… my Saturday’s off. I decided to take Saturday ‘off’ so that I could really just do what matters. The only work that I do on Saturday is what I just feel like doing, no pressure or to do list. On Saturdays, if I don’t want to do laundry, house cleaning, or other ‘mom duties’, I don’t. I don’t really make too many plans unless it’s something we really want to do. Oh… and I take a nap.

 

I really love my Saturday nap.

 

But in order to make my Saturday rest day really work for me, I needed to make sure that I had a system for being very productive the rest of the week so I could relax, guilt-free. And once I decided that I was going to schedule out a day of rest, it became so freeing. The week started to go more smoothly because I knew that I had a day to chill coming up, I didn’t feel guilty anymore about letting myself decompress, and I just started to laugh and enjoy our family time more.

 

productive mom

 

I chose to have my rest day on Saturday rather than Sunday for a few reasons. Sundays, since we go to church, still have us on a schedule to make sure we get out of the house on time. My husband delivers the newspaper as a side job right now so, he works Sunday mornings and I want to make sure I can give him rest time when get gets back at 6 am before we go to church. Sundays are also my day to set my week up for success. I may do some grocery shopping (though I often like to do that on Saturdays. I actually really like grocery shopping because I love to coupon and it’s a hobby for me and on Saturdays I get to go without kids!), I’ll meal prep so that I can save time during the week, and I’ll work on organizing my week, my planner, and other work tasks that I need to have a super successful and productive week.

This post may contain affiliate links which cost you nothing extra to use but may provide me with a commission. To read my full disclosure head on over here.

 

There are a few things that I like to do on Sundays to make sure that my week goes as smoothly as possible and I am going to share my system and routine with you! I think that if you spend some time on Sunday (or whatever day you choose to set up your day) preparing for the week then, the rest of the week CAN be more productive and run smoother. I find on the weeks that we are away or I don’t take the time to do this system, the week is much harder. Things fall through the cracks, I feel more stressed and I start the week feeling behind and having to play catch up on Monday (which then sets my whole week back)

Creating a Sunday Routine

Meal Prep

The #1 thing that I suggest you start your Sunday with is meal planning and preparation. I actually have a system where I make the meal plan on Friday, shop on Saturday and cook on Sunday so that I don’t do it all on one day.

However you decide to do it, make sure you plan out your meals for the week. We keep it pretty basic and have a rotation of 2-3 breakfast, lunch and dinner options each week. My husband doesn’t mind eating the same thing each day and it’s easy to be predictable with the kids.

I’ll spend some time doing some basic preparation like cutting up fruits and veggies, making salads, cooking up rice, steaming veggies, browning some ground turkey for quick lunches, and boiling some eggs.

I then make sure that I have listed out what’s for dinner each week so that I can check the fridge and see what I still need to get at the store. I try my best to make our plan from what we already have to save money and not have to go to the store as much.

I suggest even packing out as many salads for lunches in Tupperware as much as possible (even if you stay home) because then you can grab and go instead of preparing things. This helps a ton if we decide last minute to go to the park, or meet up with friends because the food is ready to go. It also prevents me from running out of what we need or knowing what i have to stop for.

Cleaning and Organizing

 I have a cleaning system where I do a little cleaning each day so that it doesn’t pile up but that doesn’t mean I don’t do anything on the weekends. Often after my Saturdays off, my house needs a little more TLC since I probably didn’t do as many dishes or pick up as much. And what I have now just come to accept as a mom is that my house will probably always be covered in stuff, things will be out of place, and everything will just be sticky.

 But that doesn’t mean I won’t try to make it just a little cleaner. I also find that when the clutter builds up, my anxiety peaks and for me ‘outer order leads to inner calm’ so taking time on Sundays to clean up really helps.

 My suggested Sunday system includes laundry (I do 1-2 loads each day so that it’s easy to put away so my Sunday laundry is normally the same), sweep and mop the floors, vacuuming the playroom, and doing a Zone clean up.

 We do a Zone Clean Up as a family after church on Sundays where everyone is in charge of a room or area (My 11 year old or husband normally does a zone with my toddler). I put on a 15 minute timer and everyone is in charge of putting away things that don’t belong in their zone. This really helps all of the out of place items to find their way back home and means that I”m not the only one picking up the books that have been on the floor for 2 days and everyone walks around (you know what I’m saying!)

 Before I go to bed on Sunday, I make sure that I’ve done my typical evening routine and an additional 15 minute clean up. There is nothing more exciting for me (I know this is going to sound really nerdy haha) than waking up on a Monday morning where there are no dishes in the sink, my kitchen table is cleaned up, and the clutter is gone. It’s really my favorite way to start the week.

 

Organize Your Weekly Calendar and To Do List

 

The last thing that I do to set my week up for success is to make sure I have a plan in place. Often, people ask me how I can be so productive and get so much done and, while I have some hacks that help, one of the things that helps is that I always take the time to plan.

 I took a training with the Franklin/Covey system once that really changed the way that I planned. I learned all about the power of weekly and nightly planning and have since been implementing it for years. It’s what I do in my life, what I teach the moms that I coach and what I teach in my e-book and course; Design Your Day; Time Management for the Busy Woman.

 

On Sundays, I take out my planner (I use a mix of a paper planner from Erin Condren, google calendar, and Trello) and look at my week ahead.

 I start with putting in all the dates of things that I cannot change like doctor appointments or meetings. We use a family calendar in the kitchen so these things always get written on their first and then transferred to my digital system.

 After those dates are in, I then plan out what tasks I want to accomplish that week. I create a list of personal items, business items, and projects (around the house and for work) that I want to complete. I break them down into 20 minute tasks so that I know they are manageable and easily can be accomplished in a day, rather than overplanning myself and getting frustrated when it doesn’t get done. 

Next, I go into my planner and actually assign 3-5 tasks for each day. I split them up so that I Pick 1 personal task (call grandma, put pictures in frames etc….), 3 work tasks (write a blog post, create images, email clients….) and 1 project task (brainstorm ideas for a birthday party, work on mother’s day scrapbook etc….).

 Assigning those things to a day BEFORE the week starts allows me to know what is going to happen and have a plan. This way, when it’s nap time and I get to work, or I have free time after dinner and want to work on a project, I’m not wasting time thinking about what to do, I can just take action.

 

 Trust me when I say that if you set up your week for success you WILL be able to get more done, feel more accomplished and actually take a day off to rest and not feel the mom guilt!

 I challenge you to start using this system (or one that works for you) to take more control in your life!

If these tips helped, make sure you share on your social media and PIN them for later!!

 

The Ultimate Guide to Achieving Your Goals for Busy Moms

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How to Schedule Your day as a Work at Home Mom

How to Schedule Your day as a Work at Home Mom

How to Get Work Done as a Work at Home Mom

 

Being a work at home mom has become my dream job. Prior to being a WAHM, I was a school teacher and loved it. I would have stayed teaching forever except for one big problem… I was burnt out. After 8yearsr, I was having major anxiety going into work, putting in so many hours I barely saw my family, and really had lost myself. And 4 years ago, I decided that enough for enough.

I got into entrepreneurship through network marketing because I had found a product I loved and couldn’t stop talking about (and wanted a great discount) and it was a catalyst for me. I started to believe in myself, to believe that I didn’t have to feel so burnt out all the time, to believe that I could do things that lit my fire and that I loved, and to believe that I could stay home with my kids.

Over the past 4 years since I’ve been a full time entrepreneur, I’ve shifted my focus from primarily helping women with their health and fitness to being what I call a ‘mom empowerment coach’. I help women create systems and routines to decrease their stress, feel more in control and design a life they love. I get to do this via this blog, e-books and e-courses, virtual conferences, mentoring, coaching and more! 

And boy do I love it… but dang it can be hard to create time to work when you’re home with the kids.

This post may contain affiliate links which cost you nothing extra to use but may provide me with a commision. To read my full disclosure head on over here.

Why it’s hard to work from home when you have kids.

As much as being home and working around the kiddos is my dream job, it can be so tough to do. You need to prioritize time with them, not always been on your phone or computer, make sure you’re still working your business, do the home chores, and stay focused.

It took me a while to come up with a routine and system that allows me to be the most productive but, I’m excited to say I have found a good groove!

And even though I find myself often moving and grooving with my routine, I still know to give myself grace. Kids need you, someone gets sick, naps get messed up and life happens. Working from home is very different than leaving to go someplace each day. Your hours are less predictable, you have to make adjustments and you need to give yourself grace when things don’t go as well.

You also need to make sure you have realistic expectations. Because here is the thing, mama, you CAN have everything… just maybe not at the same time. My husband and I have had many conversations about roles and responsibilities and he understands, while the children are my numero uno, I also am running a business. That means that sometimes, some of the house stuff may get a little neglected, gourmet dinners don’t happen that often, and I’ll need a little help, support and if possible, a few times each month where I take 3-5 hours on a Saturday to work at Starbucks and get things done.

work at home mom schedule

Creating a Schedule that Works 

 

While crafting a workable schedule for yourself, realize that your season and my season of life may be very different. I currently am responsible for my 11 year old step son who is with us every other week and goes to school 45 minutes away. While my husband luckily works right by his school, there are still times I am in charge of the commute, attending school events, and all of his friends and sports are in that area. I also have 2 small kiddos at home (currently a 10 month old and a 2.5 year old).

Your children may be school age so you have more time during the day, or you may be a new mom with a newborn working in the fringe hours when you are up nursing… whatever your situation is, you need to create and adapt your schedule to fit your needs.

But no matter what… you NEED a routine and schedule. I don’t believe you have to live your life by the minute but I use power pockets and chunking to make our day run a little bit more seamlessly.

Depending on your work at home job, you may have required hours that you have to work so you’re schedule is more rigid. This might require you to get a mother’s helper during that time, a babysitter, or utilize daycare. I think a mother’s helper is a great idea if you can find one! Mother’s helpers are often junior high or high school students who will come and play with your kiddos while you do things around the house like work or clean. Because you’re home, you can often pay them a really reasonable rate as well! They are easier to find in the summer or over school vacations and breaks.

If you currently aren’t working at home but are interested in ways that you can make money, check out my fav ways to make money, that isn’t just doing a million surveys and getting $3 each month! 

Sample Schedule for a Work at Home Mom

 

Below is a copy and description of my current routine that really works for our family. It allows me to feel more ‘balanced’ and get more done. It’s taken us some time, and we’ll have to adjust again in September because my 2.5 year old will be starting preschool (eeep!!!) so I’ll have more time from 9am-12pm each day … and I CANNOT wait!

 You’ll see that I break up our day into sections called power pockets. I never say, “At exactly 9:33, Isaiah will sleep” but we use a round-about time and chunk out what actions will happen during that time. My goal is also to be as present as possible with my kids (I mean they are the reason WHY I do this, right?) but there are times where you do activities that allow me to get small bits of work done. There are also times, like as I am typing this blog post, that I have a busier work season and maybe am launching a product so I may have my mother in law come by so I can work more or the TV helps us out a bit. I do my best each day to make sure though, that she watches limited TV (because she turns into a gremlin if she watches too much), we do intentional play, I have 1:1 time with each of the kids for even just a few minutes, we add in reading and some fun learning, and aim to let them play independently.

 Does it happen beautifully everyday?

Nope.

But that doesn’t mean I won’t try!

 As for reference below, I’m going to show you a typical day when it’s just me and the littles. My stepson is with us every other week and things change a bit, but for this example, Arianna is my 2.5 year old and Isaiah is my 10 month old. I will also write down what I am doing and put down what the kids are doing at that time in {brackets} to differentiate the tasks.

 I also have learned when I work best and have created a schedule around that. I know my brain is best for writing in the early morning or midday. During my evening work time, I don’t even bother to put out quality unless I have to because I’m fried. I try to do more rote tasks than that I could do easily or even when watching a show with my husband.

 

 

Power Pocket 1: Morning

 

5:00 – 5:30 Wake up, Quiet Reflection, Bible and Prayer and Morning Routine.

5:30- 6:30  Work Time (write blog post or emails)

6:30 – 9:30 Kids Up

  • Nurse baby (answer emails, messages + DMs while nursing) + Breakfast
  • Bible Reading with Kids
  • Clean Up Breakfast, Start Laundry, Quick Sweep of Floors, Dishes {kids play in playroom independently}
  • Workout in Playroom {kids watch a show and play}

9:30-11:30 {Isaiah Nap}

  • Shower {Arianna either jumps in with me or keeps watching her show. This is a very quick ‘mom shower’ + dress. Often, after I get out of the shower, I’ll let her play in the bathtub while I get dressed}
  • 20-30 minutes 1:1 time with Arianna where we do some tot school activities, puzzles, or intentional play
  • 20 minutes of manual pinning {Arianna has snack and does a craft, puzzle or colors}
  • Daily cleaning tasks (check out my cleaning routines and systems here).
  • Put laundry in the dryer.
  • Eat lunch (I purposely try to eat lunch before Isaiah wakes up so I can get their lunch ready and done without worrying about me).

schedule for work at home mom

 

Power Pocket #2 Afternoon

11:30- 2:00 {Both Kids Awake… Mom hat ON!}

  • Nurse Isaiah (get back to those messages and emails)
  • 20-30 minutes where kids play in their bedroom. I sometimes use this time to scroll my phone for blog post ideas, connect with people on social media, clean up their room or put away laundry upstairs.
  • Run and errands or a play date. I HATE car naps so unfortunately, we only have about 60-90 minutes a day where neither of them is sleeping and we leave the house. I’m okay with that but, do try to get out of the house each day, even if just for a small Target run. I go a little crazy staying in each day and like to split our errands up throughout the week)
  • Lunch
  • Clean up lunch, dishes, sweep up floors, fold laundry straighten up. This is a great time for me to listen to podcasts or audiobooks and get some personal growth and learning in. {Ari might play outside or watch a show and play in the playroom}

 

Power Pocket #3 Late Afternoon

 2:00 – 5:00 pm {Yay! We made it to nap time!}

  • Hopefully they go down easily between 2-2:30. My kids share a room so it’s been interesting finding nap routines that work but, fingers crossed, they keep it up! They are both pretty good nappers and I know I’m lucky there.
  • After I put them down, I sit on my bed to listen for them to stop talking to each other and read a personal growth book for 10 minutes. This helps me stop, slow down, feel gratitude, and get my head in the right place. Would I love to get moving, pee, eat, and conquer my to-do list? Sure. But I found that if I don’t do this than I am not as productive and my self-care matters too.
  • This is my best time to write so I use this time to get a snack, grab my coffee, curl up on my couch where I love to write and get going. During this work blog I work on blog posts, write emails, continue any project tasks that I need to do and have previously determined needed to get done that day. I use Trello to organize all of my tasks so, when I sit down to work, I never wonder what to do, I can just get started.
  • Isaiah will wake up between 3:30-4:00 so I use this time to nurse him (check social media + messages) and then have 1:1 playtime with him.
  • Arianna will stay asleep until around 4:30-5:00 pm or when I drag her out of bed.

 

Power Pocket #4 Evening

 

5:00 – 11:00 pm 

  • Make dinner {kids play in playroom, Ari asks me for a snack a million times and I let her watch a show while she wakes up and stops being grumpy}
  • My husband comes home between 5:30-6 (which is such a blessing because at his last job, he wasn’t home until almost 8pm) so we have a tech free dinner and I get to sit down and breathe a little.
  • Clean up dinner, take out trash, do dishes, fold and put away today’s laundry (okay.. This might happen haha. Often I’m folding yesterday’s laundry because it was in the way when I went to put today’s in the dryer), make lunches. {Kids are playing outside or in playroom with daddy}
  • We then get about an hour or so of family time which might include outdoor play, a walk, a movie or just all hang out in the playroom.
  • My kids go to bed at 8:00 pm and I then promptly toss myself in my bed so I can have some alone time and center myself again. I literally just sit there for 20 minutes and mindlessly scoll social media (no shame in my game!)
  • I start my final work block around 8:30-9 pm. Like I said before, I’m not all that productive at this time so the tasks I normally do include; creating images or freebies for my site, scheduling social media posts, putting together outlines or workflows or getting on calls with my Beachbody Team, coaching clients or accountability buddies.
  • I try to shut my brain off around 10:30 so I put on some terrible reality TV, scroll social media, and decompress, heading up to bed around 11. Some days, I am up much later finishing work and some days, I’m so fried that I don’t work at all.

 

Then I get up and do it again! I love routine and our system really seems to work for us. There are always curve balls being thrown my way and adjustments that need to be made.

Currently it’s summer break so when my stepson is home, I work less during nap so that we can have 1:1 time together. If my kids don’t sleep through the night or someone is sick, I make adjustments. I follow this schedule Monday through Friday, take Saturday completely off to rest and relax (and nap!), and use Sunday for church, to complete grocery shopping and meal prepping, organize my calendars or work tasks and set my week up for success.

On average, I work on my blog and business somewhere between 20-30 hours a week. Some weeks are less and some weeks are more. I love what I do so much though that the time often just flies by and I wish I had more hours. I also try to go ‘off site’ 2-4 times a month and take a few hours to get extra work time in while hubby or my mother in law stays with the kids.

Get Organized and Focused 

 

While it can be super hard to get things done at home, it’s completely possible. No, I don’t get everything done but I do feel that I am much more productive with a routine than without. I do allow my schedule to get flexible once and awhile, and that’s the best part of being a WAHM. If I want to take the day to visit a friend or go to my sister’s, I totally can. I just change up my schedule, move things around and go for it! Knowing my plan for the week allows me to do those things without guilt, spend more time cuddling or playing some days, and still run a business.

 

I recommend getting as organized as you can so that when you do sit down to work, you have limited distractions and waste minimal time. Your time is so precious when you are trying to be a WAHM and handle it all that it’s silly to spend time trying to remember what blog post or email you have to write instead of just writing. I can waste 20 minutes ‘deciding’ what to do and that could be 20 minutes I use for my business.


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The Ultimate Guide to Achieving Your Goals for Busy Moms

The Ultimate Guide to Achieving Your Goals for Busy Moms

by | Jan 7, 2019 | Mom Life | 0 Comments

The Ultimate Guide to Achieving Your Goals For Busy Moms   As busy moms it can be hard to achieve our goals since we have a lot on our plates. We have to juggle things for ourselves, our families, our homes, our jobs and more. It can be hard to get things done, let...

21 Day Fix Extreme while Breastfeeding

21 Day Fix Extreme while Breastfeeding

by | Dec 31, 2018 | Healthy Living | 0 Comments

Weight Loss While Breastfeeding   It can be hard to lose weight while breastfeeding. You have to make sure that you're eating the right amounts of food, foods that are higher in fat, and drinking enough water just to produce your milk. When you make changes to your...