What does a working mom daily routine look like? When you feel like there’s no time to get things done during the week, there is hope. Try this solution.
My husband and I have a lot on our plates. I leave the house shortly after 7am, after getting the kids on the school bus. Often, my husband is gone before the sun comes up.
Working, keeping our house in order, and wrangling my two kids requires a lot of organization, some planning, a few deep breaths, and a lot of letting go.
I gave up on trying to have and maintain an organized house at all times. You should see my bedroom. There are clothes everywhere.
Despite having a messy bedroom, I do have one secret to our family’s success: working together to have systems keeps things running smoothly.
I believe that the secret to a great daily routine is to look at the week as a whole. Grab a free printable at the end of this post to create your own routine.
10 Secrets of a Working Mom Daily Routine
1. Use the Weekends
Use the weekends to catch up on housework with a speed cleaning or have a weekend getaway with the kids. Limit your social and extra-curricular activities on the weekend so you can use this time to get ahead for the week (instead of feeling like you have to catch up!).
2. Tag Team Cleaning
As a working mom, the best way to reduce stress in caring for your family is to delegate chores and household responsibilities.
It’s an overwhelming responsibility to try to do everything yourself. I thought I was helping my kids and my husband by trying to do everything. Only, it wasn’t fair to me…or them.
Instead, tag team cleaning with your husband and kids.
3. Keep Things Tidy
Keep things tidy to prevent the need for lots of cleaning (but if you need a weekly cleaning schedule, I’ve got you covered).
Have the kids help keep their rooms clean and try to have a 5-minute maintenance routine for your bedrooms and family spaces.
4. Plan Your Meals
This is one of the most important components of a working mom daily routine. In as little as 10 minutes, you can plan the next week’s dinners, snacks, and lunches. Here are some additional posts for you to check out:
- How to Put Breakfast on the Table in 5 Minutes (or Less)
- Dinner Tips for Working Moms: How to Make it Actually Happen
- 5 Easy Meal Solutions For Working Moms
If you’re looking for more printables to help you get organized, you will love my Life Planning Kit. This 55-page printable pack includes everything you need to help get life in order like goal planning sheets, task lists, cleaning checklists, meal planning, and more! Get it here.
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5. Grocery Shop Early
To make it easy for you to grocery shop on the weekend, I’ve created this free printable grocery list. If you want to kick this up a notch, I’ll even help you get started with How To Rock Online Grocery Shopping to Save Tons Of Time. By the way, here are 5 Reasons You Should Order Groceries Online.
6. Prioritize Family Time
I remember when I used to work swing shift at a fast food restaurant. Working for this local restaurant after my layoff, I only had about an hour of time with my son each work day. My daughter was in half day preschool so we were able to spend time together before my son arrived from school.
I was only available to help with homework, sign papers, and get dressed for work. I also worked weekends.
Above all, prioritize family time – it’s not the quantity of time I spend with my family, it’s the quality. Often, my husband brought the kids in for dinner, which definitely gave me a bright spot in my work day.
Even if it’s the few minutes between homework and eating, or the drive home from her after-school program, that’s our time. Certain evenings we set aside for doing special things together, cherishing the moments we have.
7. Batch Cook
Batch cook on the weekend. Bulk cooking, also known as batch cooking, multiplies your efforts in the kitchen and leaves you prepared for many meals. If you have 30 minutes, you can be well on your way to building the base for many meals. I’ve even shared my secret for How I Cook Ground Beef.
8. Prep for the Week
Wash and chop fruits and veggies when you bring them home from the grocery store. Think about things you have to do every day and how you could only do it once a week. Things that come to mind are laying out kids’ clothes, prepping snack bags, and ironing.
9. Have Date Night
I am convinced that date nights are what keep the romance alive. I know it’s not always the easiest thing to pull off, but I’ve got tips on How to Make Date Night Happen and 5 Ways to Make Date Night Your Favorite Night of the Week.
10. Take Care of You
What does that include? Exercise, me time, and a hobby. I will show you how to Get the Me Time You Deserve, How to Make (& Keep) Mom Friends, and let you in on 10 Places to Hide When You Don’t Feel Like Momming.
See my 31 Days in the Life of a Working Mom. It’s filled with ideas for a working mom daily routine from moms of one, two, three, or more kids; single, married, and divorced moms; moms in all industries (from State Department, attorney, creative, to health industry); moms with babies on up to grown children.
LC @ A Life of Authenticity says
OMG, these are such great tips! I will incorporate these in my routine; especially the batch cooking…oh and I will dust off my crockpot and rice cooker for quick meals. Thank you!!
OutsideTheBoxMom says
Thanks for stopping by! It amazes me how much I can get done in the same time I would spend cooking ONE meal.
Raki