If you want to get more organised as a Stay-At-Home Mom, you will need some scheduling tips for Stay-at-Home Moms. Find out from a mom who has had real experience and is still on the journey!
Scheduling Tips for Stay-at-Home Moms
Here are the top scheduling tips for Stay-at-Home Moms:
- Use your school timetable as a framework to guide other activities
- Use physical or digital planning tools such as diaries, Google calendar or Trello
- Have a day or time of day to sit down and account for everything
- Be flexible in case of surprises
- Join good mom groups to stay inspired
- Make it fun!
How can a Homeschool Mom Get Alone Time?
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On February 14, 2023, I shared an article about working outside the home after 10 years at home. As I had suggested in that article, my heart is really to be at home.
Well, after working for four-and-a-half months, I was back home fulltime again! I know – it didn’t last long! lol!
Now that I am back home fulltime, I have nothing much on my plate, right?
If you’re a homeschool mom or a SAHM, you will know the answer to that is, NO. When you decide to come home fulltime you quickly realise that you might not even have enough time for yourself!
If you are looking for more efficiency at home and even more alone time, here are some scheduling tips for stay-at-home moms that will work for you.
How to Get Organized As a Stay-at-Home Mom?
The most important and newest change our family made in recent times was to switch to homeschool.
The curriculum we initially decided on is called the Genesis curriculum. It is a Bible-based curriculum with workbooks and several FREE online resources to supplement our lessons. We had also opted to do a four-day homeschool week, which would have left us with Fridays to do all the things, like:
- Visiting the library
- Going on field trips
- Music lessons
- Swimming lessons
- Hair grooming
Saturdays would be for rest (no, we’re not Sabbath keepers by denomination but I think it’s important to rest!)
So, we’d stay home on Saturdays, watch some Christian movies, maybe go for walks, visit friends or neighbours and check up on our garden.
When it comes to shopping, it would end up being on Sundays. That’s because we are already out for church on a Sunday, and it just always falls into place.
And by the way, that bullet list of activities for Fridays would not be EVERY Friday. We’d mix according to our needs and what’s available. Library trips, for instance, could be every other Friday, since we would be able to get books for two weeks at a time.
Your School Timetable Helps with Scheduling Tips for Stay-at-Home Moms
As it turned out, we ended up not doing a true blue homeschool but rather getting enrolled in an online school.
Because of that decision, things look different than what I had anticipated. That’s mainly because our online school timetable is stricter than the one we originally planned.
So, if you’re trying to get organised as a SAHM, first look at what school arrangements you have for your children and start from there. That school timetable should now form the framework around which other activities revolve.
How to Make a Stay-at-Home Mom Schedule?
Making a SAHM schedule does not have to seem like a senior manager’s stressful job. Here are some scheduling tips for Stay-At-Home Moms that will help even if it’s your first time.
Using Good old pencil and paper is a Scheduling Tip for Stay-at-Home Moms
This has always been a sure way to visualise your hours, days and weeks.
Make sure you have an eraser handy because you won’t have a perfect schedule on the first draft. You can also have an actual diary where you can input events and plans according to the dates.
One advantage with a diary is that it will keep you alert about holidays. You don’t want to be planning for appointments on public holidays!
Still, others use a whiteboard and sticky notes to track everything and rearrange if necessary.
Using these physical options helps you limit your screen times too. Plus, you get to make your schedule as messy as you want it.
Use your cellphone’s Google Calendar to Make a Stay-at-Home Mom Schedule
If you prefer to use gadgets, your phone will likely have a Google calendar that allows you to input events, tasks and reminders.
The advantage of this method is the option to set alarms for each item you have saved. That means even if you are absent-minded, the sound of your alarm will remind you that something is up.
So, if you’re not sure you’ll be disciplined enough to check a physical paper or whiteboard, this simple organisation app may be just what you need.
Use Online Planning Tools
For this level of planning and scheduling, think Trello, Slack, Asana and others. These tools are really detailed and fancy. I tried using Trello twice but just never got around to using it. I guess I’m just a pencil and paper gal!
But if you are doing a lot like running a business from home along with the other duties of managing your home, you might need something more sophisticated like one of these online planning tools.
Have a Planning Day or Planning Time of Day
To make scheduling way easier, you need a special moment to think it all through. Designate yourself a time, day, and space where you get to step back and view the big picture of what you need to get done.
It might seem daunting or even boring at first, but it helps you to capture everything from your grocery list to homework all in one go. It’s like a time when you’re viewing the world from outer space and seeing how all the islands and continents fit into place!
Doing this makes sure you don’t overlook anything. You will have shopping, laundry, school, family trips, meal preps, birthdays, medical/dental appointments and church all accounted for!
The Morning B’s Example of Scheduling Tips for Stay-at-Home Moms
The most important method we had tried using to get ready for our homeschool switch was the adoption of a fun mini-routine.
When the children wake up (most times around 7:30ish), they have to do what we call their Morning B’s:
- Bed (that is, making their bed)
- Breakfast (having breakfast)
- Bathe (have a shower in this case)
- Brush teeth
- Bible (basically have their devotions)
I have also found that a time had to be set for the children’s bedtime. At first it was set to 9 o’clock, but as the months went by, I found that we needed to move it up to 8 o’clock.
From a practical standpoint, this means the children would start settling down from around 7:30, in terms of finishing up any snacks, brushing and flossing their teeth, and watching the last thing on TV.
Then by 8 o’clock, it’s bedtime devotions and lights out.
Final Scheduling Tips for Stay-at-Home Moms
If you’re seeking to be more organised at home, here are some additional tips on how to manage your time:
- Don’t be afraid to readjust what you wrote down – play around with what works best for your family. Like I said before, I had to change the children’s bedtime!
- Always have an eye open for surprises – my unhappy example was the death of a church member which meant many things got shifted around to visit the family, help with making funeral arrangements and even cancelling everything we had planned for the day of the funeral.
- Stay in touch with mom groups either in your church or online via Facebook and Instagram – I can’t tell you how many times I have seen an IG post from a fellow mom that gave me encouragement or a life hack that improved my efficiency at home!
What’s your favourite scheduling tip as a SAHM? Is there an app that you use? Let me know in the comments.
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Good for you for stepping out and proceeding in the best direction for your family! I enjoyed connecting here today!
Hi Stacey! Thanks so much for stopping by 💖. I’m blessed to know you enjoyed it🤗
This was an insightful reading Yaneke, I have always browse ideas of doing meaning activities with the children and preserving their faith .Continue to blog and all the best for the new direction for you and your family.
Wow! I’m GLAD you found value in it. Thanks for sharing your comment 🤗