My Daily Routine as a Working Stay-at Home
I love routines, schedules, and to-do lists. Always have, probably always will. Throughout the past few years, my routine has changed quite a bit. When I worked in an office, I was more flexible with my home routines because I spent around 9 hours out of the home every day. Home was my place of rest, and that’s it. Now that I stay home with a toddler and have baby on the way, I have had to become quite more structured with my days. If I’m not careful, I can easily fall into a cozy routine where I just enjoy my couch and lattes all day. That’s fine for Saturday or Sunday, but I try to treat Monday through Friday with a typical 9-5 schedule. This helps me stay on track with cleaning, food prep, helping Abel, running a business, etc. Without a daily routine, I just kind of go where the wind takes me.
Before I dive into my current routine, I’ll will make two caveats. This is by no means a perfect routine for every single person, not even me. This example schedule is what currently works for me and my home, so please do not feel like you have to copy and paste this for your own life! Each of us were made uniquely with different strengths and weaknesses, so I never want to make anyone feel like I have it all figured out—I assure you, I do not. Second, this has been my routine for just a few months. If you have little kids, you know there are seasons for routines. When Abel napped twice a day up until last summer, our schedule was quite different than this current one. And as I write this, I’m eight-months pregnant, so I know our family routine will be shifting drastically in the near future! All this to say, there’s no perfect routine and it’s totally fine and normal to adjust to the season of life you’re in.
So let’s get started! What has helped me to develop a routine is to start with prioritizing what’s important to me and what needs to be done. Here’s my list of priorities:
Quiet time and prayer
Exercise
Being with Abel
Homemade meals
A clean home
Client work
Business growth
As you can see, it’s not a massive list! This list doesn’t factor in other things like doctor’s appointments or family birthday parties, rather it’s the typical priorities of each day. Because I have a toddler, I have to work around his nap time and schedule, but for the most part he comes along with me for the ride of the day. The two things I have a hard time doing when Abel is awake is quiet time and client work, so I schedule those around when he’s asleep. Everything else can be scheduled throughout the day, and I try to include him where I can. And please note, we do use screen time as needed 🙂 No shame here.
An example of my current daily schedule is . . .
5:00 am: Wake up / coffee and food / quiet time and prayer
6:30 am: Work out (I use the WRK app—it’s perfect for busy mamas)
7:00 am: Get Abel up / make breakfast / prep for the day
8:00 to 11:00 am: Typically in this morning slot I’m doing laundry, washing dishes, deep cleaning, grocery shopping, walking with Abel, meal planning, meal prepping, etc. I consider this my “homemaking” slot of time. Usually Abel plays with toys, reads books, helps me prep food, etc. I don’t currently have a specific cleaning schedule, but am working towards one.
11:30 am: lunch with Abel / clean up kitchen / vacuum
12:00 pm: The final hour before nap, I try to spend time solely with Abel. We’ll do crafts, read books, play, go on a walk, etc.
1:00-4:00 pm: Abel goes down for his nap / the laptop is OPEN. I usually have anywhere from two to three hours of time to focus on work. I have to be extremely disciplined with this because it’s easy for me to become distracted by house chores or to put my feet up and relax (especially now being so pregnant!).
4:00-5:00 pm: Abel usually wakes up and he either watches a show for a bit while I wrap up work, plays with toys, or helps me prep dinner (if he can). I love having a homemade dinner mostly done by the time Uriah comes home from work, so we typically eat early.
5:00-7:00 pm: Family time. In the spring and summer we like to go outside and walk after dinner, but in the winter we’re usually cozied up in the living room hanging out.
7:00-7:30 pm: Bath time, books, and Abel goes to bed. Uriah and I watch a show, eat dessert, catch up, and clean up the kitchen.
9:00 pm: Bed time! I wind down with a book, sometimes tea, and iron supplements, then go to sleep.
A lot is packed into every day, but this structure has served our family and home well. I’ve been using this pretty consistently since September, so it feels very natural to our family rhythm at this point. As you can see, I keep somewhat of an 8 to 5 routine for all the work that needs to be done throughout the day, whether home-related or business-related.
If you feel like you’re floundering with a consistent routine or schedule for your home/family/work, I’d encourage you to (1) make a list of your daily priorities. It doesn’t have to be huge, but should include the things that are nonnegotiable to you. Once you make that list, (2) try time blocking out your day and fill in things where they make the most sense. (3) Build in your habits that you want to work on as well (for example, I literally schedule my supplements in my daily planner to remind me when to take them). Then, (4) give the schedule a solid week of a test drive. Figure out what works and what doesn’t work, then (5) edit it. Keep refining until you find yourself in a rhythm that feels good and right for your family. Maybe you want to work on keeping a tidier home, so try scheduling out specific chores for each day to build into your routine. Or maybe you have no kids and don’t have to worry about nap schedule, but you need to schedule a lunch break for yourself.
Like I said earlier, there are so many ways to go about your day. Create a routine that works well for you and your family, and know that it’s not in vain. The Lord is honored in our mundane days, and we can glorify Him by properly stewarding the responsibilities He’s entrusted to us. What motivates me on days where I want to be lazy and idle are actually some biblical truths:
"Teach us, Lord, to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom”
Psalm 90:12
“She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.”
Proverbs 31:27 (ESV)
If you’re in a season of life with little ones, or running a business, or both, oh girl—I see you! It’s not for the faint of heart, and I hope that this offered some encouragement and/or help. If you ever want to chat more or ask any questions, my DMs on Instagram are always open. God will give you the strength you need to steward what He’s given you, even when it seems like all the plates you’re spinning are crashing down (I’ve been there plenty of times).
