Time Management Tips For Stay At Home Moms

For my fellow stay-at-home moms, if there is anything that you need to learn while you are home with your little ones, it is time management.

I have had entire days get away from me in the past due to poor time management.

You would think since I’m home with the girls most days, that I should have all the time in the world to get any and everything is done.

Well, that is false.

For anyone new here, I have a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old that I’m caring for on a daily.

Both of my girls are in two different phases of childhood that require two different levels of my attention.

For instance, my 1-year-old still breastfeeds 3 to 4 times a day, so I have to make sure that I am available for that at certain points during the day.

And of course, she needs her diaper to be changed and to be feed food at several points throughout the day.

My 3-year-old is pretty independent in that she is potty trained, can get dressed by herself, and can feed herself but she still very much needs me.

She still needs to help make her food, bathe her, brush her teeth, and brush her hair.

So independent but not independent.

One of the things that I pride myself on is being an organized stay-at-home mom.

And part of the way I remained organized is learning how to manage my time between being a mom and also a blogger and content creator.

I love sharing my tips on how I’m an organized and productive stay-at-home mom here on the blog because I know that I have fellow stay-at-home moms follow me who are trying to figure out how to manage their days with younger children.

If you are looking for some time management tips that are great for stay-at-home moms, then just keep reading.

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Why Are Home Moms Failing At Time Management?

Before I get into my time management tips that will help you thrive as a stay-at-home mom, let’s talk about this.

Why are moms failing at time management?

Because it is really easy to do.

I know I can tell you why I was failing at managing my time daily.

And that was because I was trying to do too much.

I found myself trying to do everything and then would be extremely frustrated with myself when I didn’t get what I wanted to get accomplished done.

I feel like this is a common denominator amongst stay-at-home moms.

Many of us feel like since we are the ones home with our kiddos most of the days, we feel responsible for doing the majority of our household tasks such as cooking, cleaning, and caring for our little ones.

This can become a problem when you find yourself knee-deep in burnout from trying to do all of these things without help or some level of structure.

If you have ever experienced mom burnout, then you know that it is not a fun state to be in.

You feel everything from anger to resentment and you are just not a fun person to be around.

Part of preventing mom burnout is learning how to manage your time and days in a way where you are still getting things done without being overwhelmed.

I know some people don’t think they can be the organized and productive type, but I’m here to tell you that you can be.

It starts with having the right mindset.

Try out at least one of the tips that I’m mention below.

Who knows?

Maybe that tip will help and you will want to try out another one.

And next thing you know, you are trading those bad habits for good ones.

With that being said, let’s get into some of the time management tips that I use as a stay-at-home mom.

Time Management Tips For Stay At Home Moms

Wake Up Before Your Kids

The first tip that I want to mention is to wake up before your kids.

I know that this is not always feasible because kids are unpredictable but if you can, I highly recommend getting up before your kids.

Set an alarm if you have to.

I have an alarm set to get up by 8 AM every day, but I usually get up before then between 7 and 7:30 most mornings.

On a normal day, my girls will sleep to either 8 or 8:30 AM.

Based on the time that I get up, I can have anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour and a half to myself.

During this time, I like to do a couple of tips as a part of my morning routine as a stay-at-home mom.

Get Ready Before Your Kids

After waking up, one of the first things I like to do is get dressed.

If you have been keeping up with the blog, then you know that I like to put together as a stay-at-home mom.

Nothing fancy, but I don’t like to be in my pajamas all day.

For everyday wear, I am normally in leggings and a presentable shirt for running errands if needed.

After being a mama for almost 4 years now, I have learned that it works better for me to get dressed before the girls.

In the past when we had to be somewhere at a certain time, I used to get them dressed first and then myself.

Which did not work out for me.

I would get so caught in making sure they were ready that by the time it was ready for me to get dressed, I was rushing and would just have to throw something on.

Now I prefer to wake up before them, get dressed, and then get them dressed so I’m not rushing myself or them.

Write Out A Daily To-Do List

The other thing that I like to do in the mornings before the girls get up is making a daily to-do list.

This is something that you will consistently hear me talk about.

Especially when it comes to being a productive stay-at-home mom.

Writing down what you want to accomplish that day puts you in the right mindset to get started doing just that.

In order to avoid overwhelm, I recommend only noting 3 tasks that you want to get done in a day.

By narrowing it down to 3 tasks, you are more likely to get them down, and whatever else you get done is just a bonus.

If you don’t complete all 3 tasks that you wanted to get done that day, that is fine.

Just move whichever tasks that you didn’t get completed to the next day.

That is what I like to follow and I have found myself feeling so much more productive when I’m checking things off my list.

Create A Schedule For Your Kids

I know I have some moms who swear by not having a schedule, but I’m telling you having your kids on somewhat of a schedule works.

It works out for everyone.

Not only does it create some level of structure for your kiddos, but it gives you back some of your time.

Once again, kids are unpredictable so you can’t have a super strict schedule with children.

But having a rough outline of your day will work wonders for your productivity and give you the space to work things out.

I have shared my daily routine with my baby and toddler on here in a previous blog post as a schedule I used when it was just my older daughter and me.

I will share the links to those below.

• Read More: My Daily Routine With A Baby And Toddler
• Read More: My 21-Month-Old Toddler Daily Schedule

Time Block For Important Tasks

Obviously, as you can see, I’m a blogger.

I have been asked more than once how I am able to things done on my blog with smaller children home with me.

And the answer to that question is that block out times during the day to work on my blog.

Also known as time blocking.

Within my daily routine that you can check out above, I usually work on my blog between 2 PM and 5 PM.

This is the time of day when both of my girls are napping.

There are some days when my 3-year-old will resist taking a nap and she will have quiet time instead with no screen time.

I get the most done during this time period.

And whatever I don’t get finished, I will in the evenings after putting the girls to bed.

Utilize Alarms, Reminders, & Scheduling Apps On Your Phone

While on the subject of time blocking, I like to also utilize alarms, reminders, and schedules on my phone to remind me of certain tasks, appointments, or events coming up

Mom brain is real.

I don’t think you will find a mom that disagrees with that statement.

Because I’m a one-woman show running my blog, creating content for my social media platforms, and caring for my girls, it is very easy for certain things to slip through the cracks because I’m processing a lot of tasks at once.

I already mentioned above that I set an alarm to get up every morning if I’m not already up.

Other things I make sure to put in my calendar on my phone are doctor and dentist appointments, events that we will be attending, deadlines for brand collaborations, and other important things that I need to be aware of.

Along with inputting these things in my calendar, I like to set up reminders that these things are coming up so that I’m reminded of them.

By having these reminders set up, I am able to keep up with the things that I need to do and keep them at the forefront of my mind as a priority.

It’s like a mini virtual assistant.

Meal Prep/Plan Meals Weekly

The next tip that I have to mention that will without a doubt save you some time is meal prepping and planning your family’s meals weekly.

If you are anything like me, meal planning is not your forte.

But ever since we went from a family of 3 to a family of 4, I feel like it has become necessary.

Especially with my 1-year-old eating more table food.

Around 5 PM every evening, everyone in my home is ready to eat and the last thing I want to do during this time is figuring out what to cook.

At least having an idea of what I am going to make is better than not having any clue at all.

In our family, there are certain meals that I keep in the rotation because everyone eats them.

So I make sure to have 1 or 2 of those meals within our weekly meal line-up.

By planning our meals, I save time trying to figure out what we are going to eat in the evenings and I can properly prepare in advance by making sure we have the groceries and meat thawed if needed.

Delegate Chores & Household Tasks

And my last time management tip for stay-at-home moms is to delegate chores and household tasks.

I picked this tip up over at Simplified Motherhood and I completely agree that sharing responsibilities is something that should be done in every household.

I mentioned above that it is very hard for me to ask for help when trying to manage the cooking, cleaning, and caring for girls.

But I have learned that it is necessary to.

My husband has been very supportive of me as a stay-at-home mom by not only being a great father to our girls but also helping out around the house in his free time.

Some of you may be familiar with the daily cleaning routine that I have as a stay-at-home mom.

It consists of some smaller tasks that I do daily to maintain a clean and tidy home with a baby and toddler.

Usually, on Saturdays, we do a deeper clean when my husband is off work in which he will help with more of the cleaning around the house.

I have also introduced chores to my 3-year-old that she completes daily so she has some responsibilities of her own.

Sharing the household tasks takes some of the pressure off of me and gives me the ability to show up in other areas where I’m needed.

Your Turn

Well, those are my time management tips for stay-at-home moms that I utilize personally. I want to hear from you all now. What are some tips that you would add to this list to help you manage your time as a stay-at-home mom? Let me know in the comments and while you are still here, check out my previous post below. Until next time!

• Read More: Great Board Books To Read With A 1-Year-Old

Love,

Just Jass