I’m big into scheduling and tweaking little things to improve time management. If you’re working from home and juggling kids (with or without a spouse) what is your schedule like? What would you like to change if you could?
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Here’s my schedule:
6:30 - alarm goes off and I procrastinate getting out of bed. I’d like to get up and do yoga but just days I am not moving fast enough.
7:00 - shower, DS gets up and gets dressed (hooray he does it himself!)
7:30 - get DH up, help fix breakfast and make coffee
8 - start working in my office. DH and DS have a rough schedule that I printed but mostly I let them do their own thing. It’s working out pretty well, surprisingly.
12 - stop work for an hour for lunch and outdoor time for DS
1 - DS has rest time in his room for 1 hour. He gets the tablet and he’s quiet. He can come out when his light turns green. I get back to work.
Some days I have to run out and drop off equipment for work, so I leave DH in charge. DS might want to play games or watch a movie.
5ish - stop for the day and figure out dinner.
I try not to leave anything to do after this because by this time I’m burnt.
7:30-8pm is bedtime for DS, then the grownups watch some TV and I’ve gotta DH ready for bed (it’s a long process) -
I am so jealous. My DD and DS are 3.5.......
5:20 kids wake me up - I take them to potty &get ready
5:45 I get DH up and I shower
6:30 breakfast (sometimes we play a bit longer)
7:30 DH and I each take a child & start trying to WFH. For me that means a child on my lap most of the time who is needy and wants jobs to push the buttons - so that slows things down big time while I wait for her to push send, post, next etc . Then we periodically have to take breaks so she can type her name or pretend type. Eventually she hops off and will play nearby. With DD I can be decently productive- if I get DS it is rough bc he desperately wants to be with DH and will spend most of the time screaming/ crying and I have to be hands on. During this time DH has many important phone calls or conferences and I am pretty much also responsible for keeping the second child out of his office (which is a decent battle bc he has the cool toys) or take both of it is super important.
10 - if the weather is nice I take the kids for a walk to burn off energy and give DH quiet time
1130 get home play (maybe I get to work?)
1230 lunch
1:15 nap......aka try to be super produce working (when really I just want a break)
By 330 kids are up and I only get work done now if it is bad weather. Afternoon is keeping kids busy til dinner
6 dinner (which i cook)
7 bedtime routine
Once kids are asleep (which varies but i have to wait bc they have to go to the bathroom 800 times lately it feels like) then i work til midnight.I am desperate for time to decompress and not be actively doing the full time job of SAHM and WOHM (WFH) at the same time.
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DH is super busy with work so can’t really help. We have my mom twice/week.
4:45-5:15 - I get up. Make coffee, organize DDs schoolwork. If I didn’t tidy up the night before I do that now because I cannot stand working in chaos. I try to start work by 5:30-5:45 so I can get a hefty chunk in before the kids wake up.
7:15/7:30-8 - 4 y/o gets up. We lay in the couch together for about 15 minutes either silently or listening to a stories podcast. When 6 y/o gets up around 7:45 we either read a story or do breakfast.
8 - Kids play while I work.
9:30/10:30 - I get 6 y/o started with schoolwork. I’ll sit with her to do it while I work if needed. 4 y/o will usually paint, color, or do a dry erase activity book now.
11:30/12 - Lunch.
12 - 1 - Kids and I scooter and bike ride. This dedicated together time is clutch to getting work time alone the rest of the day.
1 - 2 - Kids play/do schoolwork while I work.
2:30 - 4 y/o lays in bed with me while I work in bed. If she falls asleep (usually does if I put on a stories podcast) I get in another 2 hours. 6 y/o does work and chores, and is allowed to watch one show and play educational computer games.
4/4:30 - I wrap up work for the day. We have my mom twice per week so I can do longer days then if needed by my workload is light right now so I’m doing more like 6-7 dedicated hours of work per day vs 8.
5-7:30 - Dinner, outside play
7:30 - Bath, kids play
8:30 - Lights out.
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@meadow: Oh my that sounds sooo hard. Could you and your DH alternate shorter shifts where you each have both kiddos? I’m sure it would be a nightmare to schedule team calls that way. I’m lucky that I can set my schedule right now and let my users (IT support) pick times within my availability. I did mostly WFH when my son was an infant and it was NOT easy. I’m sorry you’re struggling.
@Becky: I like this! I need to consider something like this so I can get projects done while everythibg is quiet. My struggle is my mom (lives with us) works out if the house long hours and evening are out down time together. Otherwise I’d probably be going to bed earlier.
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@meadow: if it makes you feel better, here’s an example of our end of the day mess.
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Saw this the other day and it just spoke to my soul
I don’t think I could even try to put a schedule together but basically:
DH tries to work 9-6 with a few little breaks. He tries to take a break that aligns with DD6’s ‘’PE time’’ so he can throw a ball with her.
DD6 has school 11:30-6 on zoom with a bunch of breaks strewn in (she attends school on the west coast but we are sheltering in place on the east coast, hence the weird schedule.)
DS5 has zoom MWF 12-2:30 and TTh 12-12:30.
I usually work part time remote so I just try to squeeze my work in every chance I get.
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DS (4) hasn’t started “remote learning” yet so IDK how that will affect things but right now DW works 8-12 and I have DS. Then lunch and family walk. Then I work 1-5 while she has DS. Then wine and dinner/play/family movie/bed.
We have been doing this all 7 days to get more hours in. It’s still not enough work obviously for two FT jobs but it’s what we are doing for right now.... -
@JCCovi: Dying
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