Creating the Perfect Working Mom Schedule (That Works for You)

Over the years, I learned some tricks to create the perfect working mom schedule. And when kids are involved, the schedule is constantly shifting.
Image: IN-SPACES

When I returned to an old job after baby number two, a handful of people said, “Something is different about you, but I can’t put my finger on it.”

I didn’t realize it at the time, but a few years later it hit me. That difference was motherhood, specifically, being a working mom.

We work moms have so many balls in the air at one time to be masters of our household, our games, and our desks—wherever that desk may be, or if you even have a desk.

Over the years, and with much trial and error, I learned some tricks that helped me create the perfect working mom schedule. And as you know, when kids are involved, the schedule is constantly shifting.

6 ways to hack your working mom schedule

Over the years, I've learned some tricks to create the perfect working mom schedule. And when kids are involved, the schedule is constantly shifting.

  1. Blocking chunks of time on your calendar. This by far has been the most effective way to protect my time and my sanity. If I need to leave to get the kids to their after school sports at 4pm, then I block my calendar starting at 3pm. This way, no one will schedule a meeting with me right up until 4pm, leaving me rushing out the door with my head cut off. This also goes for time throughout the day. I always block time for coffee breaks and lunch. This is the time I need to have the white space to be able to do my job.
  2. Set expectations about when you will and won’t work. This might mean having a conversation with your boss and colleagues about when you’re available. It’s also tremendously important to walk your walk. What this means for me, is that just because I sometimes do work and need to reply to emails at 9pm, doesn’t mean anyone needs to know. I never send emails after 5pm. If I’m working to get ahead for the next day, I’ll use the email delay delivery feature to schedule the email to go out the next morning. If people see you’re working in the evening, they’re going to expect you to keep working in the evening – so keep it on the down low.
  3. Working from home. As an introvert working in a big open office space, being in the office sucks the life out of me. I come home completely depleted, not to mention whiny and cranky. Basically, I’m like a 4 year old. Once you have the trust of your colleagues, try working from home once a week and build up to a few days from there. Of course, you need to actually be working from home when you say you are. Take the same approach with your calendar. Doing this helps you carve out the perfect schedule for you.
  4. Get ready to change. Our family schedule varies with each season depending on which kid I’m shuttling to which activity. On Sunday nights, I sit down and look at what’s happening at work and what’s happening at home to plot a map for the week.
  5. Listening to your body’s rhythms. Chances are, you have a pretty good idea of when you do your best work. For me, this is from 6am-7am, 8am-11am, sometimes 2-4pm, and then from 8-10pm. Many of us weren’t meant to sit in a chair and work for eight straight hours. Building in breaks around school drop off and pick up times, along with dog walking or lunch breaks (depending on if I’m in the office or at home) all help me approach my work with a fresh brain. Sometimes, you’re going to hit that wall. The same one marathoner’s talk about. Which I think is a totally suitable comparison here because being a working mom is a marathon. Sometimes, you’ve just got to put your head down and check out.
  6. Cooking on the weekend. This is the best way to keep food bills in check. You don’t need to become a meal planning master either, I take a completely minimalist approach. On the weekend, spend just an hour or so preparing staples for the week. I recommend starting with preparing three dinners in advance and figuring out how much to make from there. Cook things that take a long time to prepare like rice, potatoes, and sauces on the weekend so you can easily grab and go all week long. Also get chopped veggies ready to go and greens washed so you can turn your kitchen into a healthy fast food restaurant. Think of all the time you’ll save from browsing Pinterest for dinner recipes and staring hopelessly into your pantry.

What one piece of advice would you give a new working mom about creating her new working mom schedule? We love your comments – let us know!

10 thoughts on “Creating the Perfect Working Mom Schedule (That Works for You)

  1. Whitney Garner says:

    I totally agree with everything except cooking on the weekend… time is sacred so grabbing cheap healthy meals on the side is the sanity saver. Thanks for great inspiration! Building in breaks is a huge learning curve but makes so much sense And seems like it should be a no-brainer excited to practice this…

  2. Great article and great tips. This question is especially relevant for me, since I am a writer at essayontime.com.au and mother of two wonderful children. I always had a problems with time management so maybe with these tips I will be able to correctly plan my time.

  3. Perfect tips for moms.

  4. Pamela Curtis says:

    Thank you for this truly amazing article. I can relate to it being one of the working moms myself. I am working form home for a service https://domymathhomework.org/ and at the same time I am looking after my 2 year old child. It is a comlicated task to combine work and parenthood.Last week I started following your tips and my life definitely became easier.

  5. Family is not complete without mom and for working mom its too heard to mange the family ( https://newyorkessays.com/examples/family/ ). So its so necessary to set a perfect schedule for working mom. This blog is too good to learn how to mange working women schedule without any problem to any family member.

  6. Christine says:

    I struggle with meal planning so I’ll Try the weekend meal
    Prep ideas it’s just hard to find recipes for That idea.if you can recommend a site with prep lists and recipes week by week that would be super helpful!

  7. I would like to thank you for the efforts you have made in writing this

  8. I try to reserve 1 day on the weekend for God, family, and rest, and the other day I’m catching up on housework, namely paying bills, reading mail, shopping, and cleaning house. I don’t have time to meal prep on the weekend, so I keep 30 minute recipes and prep the night before. I also use my instant pot in the morning for meals that cook longer. I cooking enough food for leftovers, so 8 servings instead of 4, and freeze the rest in single serving containers so everyone can pick and choose what they want on a night I can’t cook, or grab one for lunch.

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