How do stay at home moms organize their day & how does a typical day in the life of a stay at home looks like? I used to wonder & think about this question often earlier. And rightly so since I had never really got to see the life of a stay at home mom closely enough in my life to know these answers.
And how life has its own ways of unfolding itself, I am here writing about how do stay at home moms organize their day? And rightly so since I now have lived this life in the most fulfilling way for almost 13 years.
Well, here is a sneak peek at a fulfilling day of my life as a stay at home mom.
How Do Stay at Home Moms Organize Their Day?
A well organized day in the life of any stay at home mom starts with planning for it. This planning can happen early morning before you start your day or night before the basis of your habit or comfort level. Usually like to know how does my upcoming day looks like, and hence I sit for planning my day at night before.
Planning the Day of a Stay at Home Mom
Before I start my day, I usually spend time to plan it in detail. To start with it, I make a plan for all the important things I need to accomplish during the course of the day. And I do this planning a night before. After I have populated my To-do List for the next day, I roughly chalk out the time I need to finish the tasks in my To-do List. And basis this Rough plan in my mind, I draw a schedule for my day.
My entire day is planned in 3 parts – The Morning Schedule, the Mid Day Schedule, & the Evening Schedule. Please note that these schedules are very different from my Morning Routine & Night Routine which are sacred and do not change with every day.
The Morning Schedule of a Stay At Home Mom
The Morning schedule is a set of activities that I plan to accomplish from 9:00 – 11:30 am. For a Morning person like me, this is usually a highly productive time of the day. So it is a good idea to plan activities that require focus, attention, and are critical to be completed on that day.
For me, my Morning Schedule starts with initiating my work related to my 2 blogs, replying to my business mails, making ay important work calls & planning my work to Do list for the day. I try to finish these between 9:00 – 9:30 am.
9:30 – 10:00 am is my time to step out for a walk in the sun. This is my time to care for my health & fitness.
At 10:00, I start getting into the super mom mode and start doing the chores for the day. Making the beds, air drying the laundry, finishing the cooking for the entire day, & picking up & tidying the house, I multitask & finish these at a supersonic speed.
With this, I easily finish my tasks by 11:30 am for the day and slip into my Mid Morning Schedule for the day.
The Mid Morning Schedule of a Stay at Home Mom
Set of activities that are scheduled from 11:30 – 4 pm forms the mid-morning schedule for my day. The major component of my mid-morning schedule is my work. This is the time when I have finished most of my chores for the day, & kids are still in school. So I sit down to write and do my other research work for the blogs.
Depending upon my Work To-Do list for the day, I try and take a quick 15-20 mins of nap in between my Mid Morning Schedule. By the time, it is my time to pick the kids up from school at 4 pm, I am usually free from house & work chores and am fully available for them.
The Evening Schedule of a Stay at Home Mom
This starts at 4:30 pm and goes on till 7 pm. This is my time to help kids with their school projects, give them healthy snacks to eat, take them out to play, meet up with my friends outdoors, or just simply read a book in the park. I enjoy my evenings with kids and like to mould my evening routine based on their priorities and schedules.
At 6:30 pm, it’s time to head back home, A quick bath for kids, and serving dinner at 7:00 pm. While the kids are busy getting ready for the night, I usually spend some time with my husband who gets back home by 6:30 pm.
7-8 pm is dinner time and leisure time for us. We usually talk about or days at the table and after finishing food, spend some time on our screens, watching something or playing the games.
Ending my Day
8:30 pm is my time to load the dishwasher and just retire to my room to end my day. My husband usually is there till 10 pm in the living room watching his favourite sports or documentaries. And kids get into the bed after finishing their leftover homework latest by 10 pm.
However, they are not allowed out of their room post 9 pm. This is the time when they can simply read a book or listen to some soft music and prepare themselves for a good night’s sleep.
I did follow an elaborate Night Routine until last year when my younger one was 5 years old. I used to read them stories and tuck each of them to bed. However, now I feel my kids are grown up to manage to sleep on their own. Also, they do share a room and hence have a company in each other to communicate amongst themselves.
Another reason I brought about this change in the nIght routine is that I do spend my one on one time with them during the evening routine & hence I ensure that their love and attention bucket s filled in every single day with exclusive time with me.
8:30 – 10:30 pm is my time which I spend on my skincare rituals, meditation and praying, planning for the next day, reading or listening to music. There is also some time that I spend with my husband and connect with him.
Self Care Is an Important Part of My Every Day as a SAHM
Any discussion regarding How do stay at home moms organize their day cannot be complete without talking about the self-care routine. Having a well thought of and structured self-care routine is equally important for a SAHM as it is for any working mother. I indulge in self-care routines every single day of my life as I do understand the importance and significance it has on my overall sanity and well-being.
Having my Morning Routine and spending my Me time consistently every day, eating healthy, taking a power nap in the afternoon, working on my blog everyday, spending time with family, speaking to my mom every day, & reading some spiritual guidance every day are few things that I indulge in every day, These are the things that I love doing and they make me feel refreshed and joyful.
Spending Quality Time With Kids & Spouse Is an Important Part of My Schedule
Like self-care is an important part of my everyday routine spending quality time with kids and my husband is equally an important part of my each day. This is something which is sacred and I never would want to mess up with this time. I love spending time with my family when I am mindfully present with them. And yes this includes staying away from my mobile phone and other distractions for the time I am with them.
The part of my evening routine that I spend with my kids it’s something I really cherish. Be it helping them out in their goals, taking them to the sports practice, or simply taking them outdoors for their everyday play, I love being around them and looking after them. I ensure that all of us including me enjoy this time and look forward to this time the next day.
Few days when we are unable to step out, we indulge in playing board games, or my favourite wii games. Sometimes it’s also painting & craft that we all engage in. These are some meaningful ways that I spend time with my kids.
While this is all about How do stay at home moms organize their day, I would also like to lay down some healthy tips For SAHM that help them thrive & stay happy.
Include These 6 Habits in Your Day to Help You Thrive as Stay at Home Moms
Dress up Well Every day
There is no lack of explanations on how important dressing up well for the day is for SAHM. With focussing on looking your best, you also tell yourself that you are ready for life.
Outdoor Time During the Day
I love spending time in the middle of nature. And I make sure that I get to do this every day. In fact I draw my energy & feel grounded when I am amongst the trees, plants, birds, and flowers. I can spend hours just looking at the squirrels play and breathing the fresh air while simplifying my thoughts alongside.
A small stroll in the park followed by a good book to read in my hand would be my ideal way to spend a lovely afternoon. By the way, I am hooked to this book called Blue Ocean Strategy by Kim. Add it to your reading list if you are fond of reading about business & strategy.
Time With Friends Every Day
It is extremely important for stay at home moms to spend some quality time with your friends and support systems. Staying at home can be full of boredom and loneliness. And hence stepping out each day for a casual chat with your neighbourhood friend or for a coffee to the neighbourhood cafe is a good idea to keep your life as a SAHM alive and kicking.
I stay in an apartment complex and I meet up with my friends in the complex every now and then. And I have realised a quick 2-minute chat in the elevator while I am going to drop kids to the school in the morning helps light up my day.
So I try to spend 15-20 minutes every day either walking in or inviting them over to my house for a tea/coffee chat during the day.
This is usually a part of my mid-morning schedule as kids are still in school at that time. Also, I usually end up skipping my power nap on days I do this.
Exercise During the Day
While we are always engrossed in doing things for our loved ones, we SAHM usually end up overlooking things that are critical for our wellbeing. Exercising daily is one such thing. However, intentionally making efforts to add this to your day every day has its numerous benefits. And so, I ensure my 30-minute walk before I get into mid-morning schedule.
Me time Every day
Spending some Me time is essential for the wellbeing of all the moms. Do what you love doing, enjoy your time with only yourself, and feel the joy it gets into your life.
I do cherish my “Me time” every day as a part of my Morning Routine, I chant, meditate, breathe, and just be in silence with myself. Sometimes I also indulge in mandala colouring or working up the dough for my bread baking or listening to my favourite music These are all therapeutic for me and make me feel ready to face the challenges of the world.
Choose to Be Happy Every Day
This sums it all up. Your happiness is in your own hands and it’s a choice that you make every day to be happy or unhappy. Life presents trying times to everyone but what we make of that is what we decide in our head.
So this is all about How do stay at home moms organize their day, I hope you would be able to pick up some ideas and try out as a part of your day. Do let me know what worked for you in the comment section of this blog.