Last Updated on August 7, 2024 by Erin
Curious what a part-time working mom schedule might look like? Take a peek at a typical day in my life since making the switch from a full-time job to part-time self-employment.
I don’t know about you, but I love, love, love watching vlogs and reading posts about other moms’ daily routines and schedules. It’s fascinating to me and either gives me appreciation for the schedule I have or provides inspiration for streamlining our day-to-day.
Several years ago, I wrote a very similar blog post that highlighted my daily schedule as a full-time working mom. It’s one of my most popular posts based on web searches, so I felt like it was only right to create a new post since making a career transition. Things look very different these days!
If you’re new here, welcome to Mom Meets Midlife. As you guessed, I’m a mom entering my midlife years. I’ve also made a huge change from working in public education to being a self-employed contract worker. That huge leap inspired me to write about my journey, as well as the financial habits I’ve developed over the years to make it possible. It got me out of a huge midlife funk!
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Background Info
- I currently work Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday every week. Mondays and Fridays are days to run errands, clean house, and prep for work. It’s also the days I schedule any appointments. My youngest hangs out with me on those days. This post only highlights the days I go into work.
- My older two kids attend elementary school. It’s an early start school (7:30!), which means they are dismissed early as well (2:45).
- My youngest used to be watched by my parents but now has the opportunity to go to work with me and attend preschool there. This is new and honestly feels like a huge gift from the universe.
- My husband works at a high school and has early hours as well. He coaches several sports and manages rental properties, so his days can be long.
- Extracurriculars happen 2 nights/week and include gymnastics and soccer. We lucked out having both activities fall on the same days, but it means we have to divide and conquer. We can only handle one activity per kid per season. It’s really important to us that we don’t get super busy just for the sake of doing “all the things.”
- We are firm believers in early dinners and early bedtimes, even as our kids get older. Our schedules do not follow the typical 9-5, so it makes sense to adjust accordingly.
I want you to see this background info so you don’t think what I’m about to post is the norm. Everyone family’s schedule is so unique. What works for us may not work for you at all! I do hope you find little bits and pieces helpful, though. Take what you need!
Part-Time Working Mom Schedule
5:00 AM
- I still wake up the same time I did when I worked full-time. It helps me so much to get up early, move slowly, and be ready before the kids.
- My sunrise alarm clock is gradually starting to get brighter. A sunrise is much more pleasant than an abrupt, obnoxious alarm. Because of the brightness, I’m already awake when my phone alarm does start alert me to get out of bed.
- I take a big chug of water, put on a cuddly robe, and head downstairs to let the dog out. My coffee was pre-programmed to already brew, so that’s one less thing to worry about. I bought a flexible coffee maker that does full carafes as well as K-cups and I will never go back to a Keurig!
- I try to be in the shower by 5:30 so that I’m ready to go when the kids wake up at 6:00.
6:00 AM
- This is when my kids’ alarms go off. They don’t have to be out the door until 7:15 but we all thrive on a slow-moving, peaceful morning. Each kid has an Amazon Echo Dot in their rooms. It wakes them up with a fun little sound, tells them the day and weather, and then starts music of their choice.
- If they haven’t come downstairs for breakfast by 6:30 I’ll make an announcement on all Amazon devices. Very handy and so much better than yelling across the house.
- My husband leaves at 6:45 and if everyone is done with breakfast and bags are packed, the kids can watch a bit of TV. I usually stick with PBS Kids or Tumble Leaf on Amazon Prime. Have you seen it yet? It’s the cutest!
7:30 AM
- The older two are on the bus headed to school and my youngest and I start our commute to the private clinic I contract with. It’s a fairly long commute, 40-60 minutes depending on traffic. The nice part is we get to drive through the prettiest parts of downtown. I love it during the holidays! I let my son use his Amazon Fire tablet during the ride, or we listen to kid-friendly podcasts.
8:45 AM-1:45 PM
- Right now, I work shorter days so that I can be home in time to get my kids off the bus. This is the huge perk of being self-employed and making your own schedule! I don’t know if I’ll pick up more workdays once my youngest starts kindergarten but when I look at what today brings, I’m extremely content.
- Our commute home is much shorter because we avoid rush hour in the early afternoon. The drive is closer to 35 minutes and my son usually falls asleep after a fun day in preschool.
3:00 PM-5:00 PM
- This part of my day has typically been the biggest pain point. When the kids get out of school this early, they’re worn out but there’s still a lot of time before dinner and sports.
- If the kids want screens, they have to complete a checklist. The checklist includes making sure backpacks and coats are hung up, homework is done, and they’ve played outside or done a quiet activity like reading or crafts. I don’t love having the TV on during this time because they are on laptops during the school day, and we usually watch something together as a family in the evening.
- One thing I love to do to get us all in a calm space is to turn on classical or ambient music on YouTube. My daughter is a huge Harry Potter fan so that is typically our go to ambient scene.
5:00 PM-6:00 PM
- I am not a fancy cook, and my children are fairly picky eaters. We do not provide alternative meals, so I try to stick to a formula that works for everyone. Meals typically include a protein, a veggie (canned or frozen steamer bag), a fruit for the kids, and a grain (rice, pasta, or a crescent roll).
- Letting the kids pick different components of the meal has been a super helpful parenting hack.
- After dinner, everyone helps clean up the kitchen and kids get changed and ready for activities. If we don’t have activities, we send them outside!
7:30 PM
- At this point we encourage the kids to get upstairs, brush teeth, and get in their beds. We set up timers on our Amazon Echo devices to help with this.
- Everyone should be tucked in and in bed by 8:00 pm. We let our oldest two stay up a little bit later to read with their lamps on.
8:00-9:00 PM
- This is my alone time with a bath and a book! My husband and I also enjoy watching a show together.
- No wine for me, as it gives me insomnia. I always take a melatonin and try to be asleep by 9:30 at the latest.
That’s All, Folks!
As you can see, it’s nothing fancy and not a ton has changed aside from my work schedule. I have much more flexibility and fewer stops in the morning.
If you’re feeling stuck in a job that is burning you out and robbing you of joy, maybe it’s time you also consider a midlife career transition. It took me several years of planning to get there but I am so glad I switched from public education to self-employment. I don’t know what things will look like 5 or 10 years down the road, but right now is pretty great.
Do you have a similar part-time schedule or are we completely different? I’d love to know!
If you found this post helpful, feel free to save it and share it.
Sincerely,
Erin
