Adjusting to life as a stay at home mom takes time and consistently getting it all done takes a well thought out stay at home mom schedule. Moms are taking care of poopy diapers and stopping tantrums while also cooking, cleaning, and possibly even running their own side hustle. There is so much to remember every day and getting it all out on paper will help you not only get it all done but also enjoy the day more. Plus, we all know we are too tired to actually remember it all without a list.

This post is all about a stay at home mom schedule that will truly transform your days. If you have been wondering how to be a happy stay at home mom, this may just be the jump start that you need to start enjoying the days again.

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Stay at Home Mom Schedule

How do I use this stay at home mom schedule?

To make the most use of this schedule, a physical copy of it is an absolute must. To start. print my stay at home mom schedule printable from the “New Mom” section of my free printables page. I then suggest displaying this somewhere central in your home where you will see it frequently throughout the day, such as a fridge. Here are two ways I suggest you display it to turn it into an easy to use checklist.

Print out only one copy of the schedule and put it inside either a 8.5 x 11 picture frame that you hang up or slide it into a sheet protector to put it on your fridge. With either one of these options you can use an expo marker to fill out the check boxes and easily wipe them off each day. These acrylic photo frames have a kickstand to set them on a table but also have magnetics if you want to stick it to your fridge! If you go the fridge route, I highly suggest these magnetic expo markers to stick right next to it!
Print off 365 copies and throw them all into an adorable binder that you want to look at every day (because you will)

How do I fill the stay at home mom schedule template?

Start with Time Blocking

If you want to stop wasting time as a stay at home mom, get it all done, and also spend more time with your kids, time blocking is going to be your best friend. I used to think time blocking wouldn’t work as a mom, but if you do it right it is truly the best system for moms. While some people time block every 15 minutes, I time block for each hour. Sometimes there are multiple tasks in that hour and sometimes there’s just one. Aim to schedule enough for 45 minutes, that way you have 15 minutes of margin WHEN something pops up.

Consider Your Current Schedule

Before you start filing out this stay at home mom schedule, I want you to think through what your days currently look like. Think through what works well for you and your family and what things seem to consistently go wrong. Consider if these things aren’t happening at the right time of day, if you don’t have enough time to make them happen, or if it doesn’t belong in your schedule to begin with.

Schedule in Your Kids' Activities

The very first thing I schedule into my day are my kids morning routine, naps, bath time, and bedtime routine. While we know that our kids won’t always make it to bed on time but, the more consistent I can be the better those off days go. And even though we don’t give our kids a bath every day, having it scheduled makes sure that they don’t get to bed late on the days they do need a bath. If your kids are a little bigger, you may be scheduling in sports, choir, or even homework.

Determine What is Non-Negotiable

The non-negotiables of my day are a mix of logistical things to keep things running smoothly and things that are important to me.

The logistical things on my non-negotiables list are dishes, at least one load of laundry, and a quick 5-10 minute declutter of the house. The days start out much better when I don’t wake up scaling a mountain of laundry, stepping on legos, or eating breakfast like cavemen without clean silverware.

The other items on my non-negotiables list are things that are important to make sure that I am the best person possible for my family and friends. This involves making my bed when I get up in the morning, getting dressed (aka out of my pajamas), a 30 minute workout each day, and quiet time with my Bible.

It is important that you schedule your non-negotiables into your day to make sure that they happen. But if you miss that time frame and it doesn’t get done, that’s why I only schedule 45 minutes of every hour.

If you are still struggling to come up with your daily non-negotiables, here is a list of some ideas that can help you get started:

Quiet Time
Reading # Pages
Not Pressing Snooze
Getting Up Before Your Kids
Get 10,000 Steps
Go on a Walk
Get Dressed and Ready (get out of pajamas…a struggle some days)
Do at Least 1 Load of Laundry
Don’t Go to Bed With Dishes in the Sink
Don’t Go to Bed with a Dirty Kitchen
Journaling
In Bed by X Time
Be Active/Exercise

Determine Your Work Times

If you have any sort of work from home job or side hustle, it is important that you outline when you will be working during the course of the day. This not only makes sure that it will get done, but it also frees up your mind to not be in work mode 24/7. Working from home means there isn’t that distinct separation of driving to and from work so setting boundaries is very important for your work and your family.

Schedule In the People That Matter

My husband and I both know that if we don’t specifically schedule time for just us, it won’t happen. We like to have what we call a “pseudo date night” every Wednesday night to talk, play board games, make yummy snacks, watch our favorite shows, or have an excuse to get the takeout we’ve both been craving. This is one of the best ways we’ve found to stay connected while also not having to constantly find a baby sitter.

Outside of my husband, I also like to schedule in time with my kids. When possible, I like to allocate time early on in the day to communicate to my kids that spending time with them is a first priority to me. We spend this time in their room, out at a park, or sometimes on an ice cream date. It doesn’t really matter what you do but it’s important that you schedule it. Otherwise, the many many tasks that moms have to get done throughout the day can fill the day quickly.

Schedule Exercise Into Each Day

I personally find it easiest to schedule exercise into every week day so that I can develop consistency within my daily mom schedule. This also allows me the time for a good long stretch and mobility session once a week. To keep things realistic, my workout schedule is only comprised of 30 minute workouts so that I can schedule an hour to both workout and shower/get dressed. You can print my workout schedule for busy moms for free and see if my system works for you too.

Schedule in Cooking & Plenty of Time for Meals

I know cooking is necessary but man do I wish I could feed my kids dino nuggets every day. Since I can’t do that and my kids do have to eat, I’ve learned to lessen my hatred of cooking with a cute menu board. I fill out the dinner menu at the very beginning of the week which takes stress out of dinner time and also helps me save money on groceries!

On top of planning meals ahead of time, I highly recommend allocating at least an hour for each meal time. Between the spills and breakdowns about the size you cut their food into, meals can get lengthy fast. Take stress off you by having plenty of time to sit down and enjoy the meal with your kids (even if it is filled with spills and struggles).

Consider Scheduling in Prep for the Next Day

If you choose your clothes, prep your coffee maker, and set out whatever you need you are not only far more likely to get up and you’ll also get things done far faster in your morning routine. If you have school lunches to pack, putting them togthe rthe night before may avoid some stress.

Allocate One Cleaning Task to Each Day of the Week

If you don’t stay on top of the cleaning, you will end up spending every single weekend cleaning or you’ll find yourself in a frenzy every time people are coming over. I’ve found that one main cleaning task a day (alongside my non-negotiables like dishes and laundry) allows me to keep a clean home in 20-30 minutes a day. You can check out my daily cleaning breakdown from my Realistic Cleaning Schedule.

Have a Place in Your Schedule for Apts/Errands

While doctors appointments and errands aren’t a part of every single day, they are a frequent part of a mom’s day and need to be accounted for in a stay at home mom schedule. I keep a section of my top 3 priorities for the day each day and this is where I put any errands, appointments, or must-do tasks for the day.

Make Sure to Schedule “Me Time” at Least Once a Week

Scheduling time to yourself is the best way to avoid mom burnout. Sometimes a few minutes away from your kids is all you need to remember that you couldn’t possibly do life without all the little hands that just drew all over the couch. While it likely isn’t realistic to schedule a chunk of time every single day, make sure you schedule a minimum of one hour each week. Take a bath with some wine. Do your nails (grab this nail machine I have and love to get nail polish and the kit for under $30 right now). Call a friend. Shave for the first time in a while. And if you need more ideas check out these Me Time Ideas for Moms.

Practice Gratitude Regularly

When I get caught up in the craziness of life the thing that most quickly gets me grounded is an intentional attitude of thanks. As a mom, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the dishes, the laundry, the clutter, and the constant stream of questions coming from your kids.

And while things do need cleaned up, you get to decide what mental space you are in while you clean. This is something that hit me the other day when I was overwhelmed with the state of my crazy house and it quite frankly opened my eyes to just how much I take for granted.

As I was doing dishes, I started thanking God that my family had food to put on our plates and make them dirty, that my children have more than enough clothing to wear, and that I had the ability to be a mom and answer all the little questions that come my way all day. Gratefulness can change your perspective quickly and drastically.

This post was all about a stay at home mom schedule that allows moms to get all the work done that they need to while ultimately spending more time with their kids. Efficiency frees up time which means that scheduling your time can help decrease the mom guilt that surrounds all the work you have to get done in the day and let you enjoy the little moments with your sweet kiddos.

Don’t forget to head over to the “New Mom” section of my free printables page to print a copy of my stay at home mom schedule template.

-Beautifully Busy Mom