How To Create A Stay At Home Wife Schedule That Works

Trying to create a stay-at-home wife schedule that works can be really frustrating.

But if you are anything like me. You love a little structure in your days. When you don’t have a daily plan it can feel stressful. But rather than looking at it as a problem. Let it be a blessing.

On the other hand, you might be struggling to stay motivated and get things done which can also be a problem. Men and women were created to work and have a purpose even though most of the time the work we do looks different. 

Being a stay-at-home wife is a pretty awesome thing. You can literally plan your day however you want. Sure, there are things that need to be done but you don’t have the home management police knocking at your door checking up on you. 

This is where the magic comes in. I want to EMPOWER YOU to run your home well and with intention. You need to happen to life. Life doesn’t happen to you. 

Now let’s see about making the “perfect” stay at home wife schedule. (Notice perfect in air quotes, nothing ever goes perfectly. BUT you can find something that is pretty darn close.)

 Life Is Full Of Seasons And So Is Your Schedule

This is something that I had to accept over the past few years and that is the schedule you set for yourself now may not going to be the one you are using next year or even next quarter. It could be. But you have to be open to the possibilities of life-changing and your daily routines changing with it.

Routines Vs Schedule

A routine is something you do in a particular order. Not necessarily at a set time every day.

This is going to be extremely helpful with mom life in your morning schedule or honestly for anyone who has a changing time to the start of their day. 

A schedule is a sequence of things that you do at a particular time. 

This is more rigid and can be followed much easier by someone who has a 9-5 to go to because they have to be at work at a certain time. But if you don’t have to and you are starting your day at 6:30 one day and 7 the next your entire scheduling time is going to be off and you are going to feel extra frustrated with yourself and those around you. 

This is why I think it is far more emotionally healthy for stay-at-home wives and moms to work in routines and not schedules because you can start right back where you left off if something happens during the day that needs dealt with. Or you simply get up a bit later one day because you had a long night the day before. Which is ok too. 

I will touch on this later but don’t allow this to be an excuse to sleep in later either. There is a difference between being lazy and actually needing to rest.

The Tools Don’t Make The Perfect Schedule

I still struggle with finding the right system to manage all the aspects of life. When it comes to household chores, cleaning, running a business, and time management it’s easy to think that buying just the right tool or system will do the trick and you will magically feel organized and on top of your schedule.

But that’s backward.

You need to look at your lifestyle and list out EVERYTHING you do and manage. Then try to find a tool or system that works for you.

Are you on the go a lot? Carrying around a huge paper planner might not work very well for you. Do you have a lot of moving pieces in your life? You definitely need to find a tool that easily allows you to move your appointments around easily.

Do you feel more in control and less like your mind is not a whirlwind with trash flying around when you write things on paper? 

Or do you feel like your mind is clear when you use digital?

My personal struggle has been with combining the two. My brain needs paper to feel calm and in control but I don’t want to carry a big planner with me either. So meshing the two has been a challenge. I will share more about that later.

Create A Schedule That Works With Your Brain

This is something that we paid close attention to as kids when we were seeing a reading specialist. (Yep, I said it. Your girl is dyslexic…. Funny how life works out. Now I make an income using my words.)

You have to do things when your mind is ready to do them. You will have an uphill battle if you force things.

For example, there are days when my mind is focused and I can write all day long. Then there are other days when I can’t focus for noth’n. In those cases when your brain is fighting for its own way. You might be better off switching gears.

That is the beauty of creating your own schedule and being a stay-at-home wife. You have the option to do that.

It’s also another reason why I encourage you to set routines and tasks for your day instead of a strict schedule. 

If You’re Feeling Like The Hot Mess Express? PAUSE!

If you are looking for a schedule that works for a stay-at-home wife then likely you are feeling a bit frazzled.

Take a deep breath. That is ok, I am going to walk you through a few things to help you calm your mind and create a schedule that works for you.

Before we move on I want you to do THIS!

When you are feeling stressed you need to write it all down.

I’m not joking. Get a piece of paper and you are going to write everything down. When your brain can SEE everything you are trying to get done it doesn’t seem so hard or scary. You can start strategizing how you are going to get things done.

OR be able to ask yourself if you really need to do those things and it might just be something your brain is holding on to that you need to let go of.

In the online/blogging space, we call this a brain dump. But really it’s just a word vomit of what is going on in your mind to help you cool your smoking wheels. 🚗🤯

Write everything down. No matter how big or small.

Things like:

• Dusting the house plants
• Figuring out what’s for dinner
• Paying the bill that is due in two days.
• Trimming the goat’s hooves.
• Checking the laundry.
• Go to the grocery store. 

You can do it in a notepad, in the notes app of your phone or in a google word doc. Ok ready? Go!

How To Create A Stay At Home Wife Schedule

Now that your mind is clear let’s get into how to create your daily schedule that will be your baseline. Here is why I say baseline.

I don’t care how little outside influence you have on your life. You may not have kids and that’s totally fine.

But something will throw your plans off track every once in a while. Family decides they want to invite you last minute to something and you don’t really have to say no, your husband wants to do something that evening, or your chickens decide to get into trouble with the garden and you have to replant everything. 

When you have a path that you can follow you are able to look at it and pull yourself back on track after you have delt with the issue. You are also able to re-evaluate what is most important to get done that day if you have less time than you originally thought. Your brain will be much more at peace when you can move tasks to another day in the week or just say don’t worry about getting that thing done right now.

Create a Baseline Schedule Or “Template” For Your Weekly Schedule

You can do this on a piece of paper but if you want bonus points. Try it on Google Calendar or your phone app if you do that. 

Write down your weekly “have to’s” that have a time attached.

These are things you can’t change the time of or the day they happen. Things like the church, volunteer opportunities, things your spouse might need your help with, or things that will affect your time to get your own tasks done.

I would also say that this could include feeding time for your animals if you have a homestead or backyard farm. This could also be mealtime if your family likes to eat at a certain time every day. (We don’t it totally depends on our moods or if we want to get a task done before we run out of daylight.)

Write down the things that have to happen daily.

These things can change as far as the time they happen but they still happen every day.

Put down things like when your spouse comes home or when you normally shower, eat breakfast, and do your morning routine.

Let’s be honest. When your sweet husband comes home your productivity goes down the toilet.

Set a Specific Amount Of Time For Each Task In Your Stay At Home Wife Schedule

There are two things you have to think about when it comes to setting times for your tasks.

If you are a piddler or you are doing something that you could take way longer than necessary for you need to set a time limit. Whether it’s a 5-minute task or a 3 hr task give yourself a set amount of time and when the time is up. Then you are done. This is where being a “perfectionist” will get people into trouble. They will use it as an excuse to not get something done. That’s not healthy or productive either.

Giving yourself a time limit helps you number one, not take all day. But also forces you to stay focused and not allow things to deter you off the task. If you schedule 20 minutes for a social post for your business. And you end up scrooling for 8 of those 20 minutes you just used up almost half your time getting distracted. 

Have Realistic Expectations

Here is a little side note. Don’t cut yourself short trying to do a 3-hour task in 2. It just won’t work. You will end the day frustrated and annoyed at yourself.

On top of that, you need to be realistic about what you expect yourself to get done in a day. So many times people expect to get 34 hours’ worth of work done in a 24-hour day. Watch this video to really help you get a grasp on using time blocking to help you calm your mind and keep your plate from being too full.

I go through season of when I time block and when I don’t. You don’t have to do it every day but it is helpful to have a picture of what you are trying to fit into the time you have available.

Stay At Home Wife Schedule Examples

Below are some easy ways you can write out your daily schedule.

Regardless of what tool you use. Start with the “big rocks”. These are the things that you can’t change the time of or its best that they are done at a certain amount of time. 

Things like family time, nap time if you have kids, bath time, quiet time, lunch time, timed things like church or school, and any other things that you need to make sure happen in each day. 

Sample Schedule

Below is an example of using google docs if you are on the computer a lot. Or the notes app on your phone.

Monday 

• 7:30 – 9:00 [1hr 30min] Morning Routine
  • Shower / Brush teeth.
  • Dry hair and do make-up (no matter how busy you get ladies do the things that make you feel beautiful even if its just FOR YOU. Its so important for you to feel good and it will keep you motivated and your self-esteem up)
  • Breakfast
• 9:10 – 11:45 [2hrs 35 min] Home Tasks And Morning Chores
  • Meal prep, write out tasks for the day. House cleaning and maintenance. Feed animals. (This is an ok time to use a to-do list for that section of hours and work your way down the list. You could have 10 things on your list for that 2.5 hours and time blocking that gets hard.)
• 12:00 – 1:00 [1hr]– Lunch
• 1:15 – 5:15 [4hrs]– Work on a project or your business.
• 5:20 – Spouse is home
• 7:00 pm – Dinner time / Family time.

Color Coding Is Great BUT Only If You Stick To It

Adding all these fancy things to your wife or mom schedule is great. BUT if it’s so complicated it takes you 30 minutes to plan out your day and find the “right color” or you have to have a color coding card next to you to keep track of it all. That’s too complicated. 

You need to be able to know what you need to do at a glance. 

Don’t Forget That Little Things Take Time

You will notice there are gaps in the times shown above. I do this myself because little things like letting the dogs outside, or you need to use the bathroom add up. Sure they may only take 1.5 minutes. But doing those things in between household chores or prep time for lunch can add up to way more time than you realize.

This keeps you from falling behind even by a few minutes in your plan and causing yourself more stress.

How To Organize Your Tasks By Order Of Importance

Did you do the brain dump? No? Go do it. I’ll wait.

I know I might sound like I am beating a dead horse but here is why it is so important to having a successful stay-at-home wife schedule. Your brain will work so much faster if you are clear about your actions. You aren’t trying to work through a whirlwind of tasks tumbling in your brain like your jeans on wash day.

Convinced yet? Good! Ok now get that list of to-dos and it’s time to organize it.

There are two ways to decide which tasks or “thing” gets a place on your schedule.

Deadline and Importance.

This is where most people struggle because everything feels important. And I get that. But truly not everything is as important as it seems. I am going to give you a few examples to help you see what I’m talking about.

Choosing based on deadline.

Your water bill needs to be mailed out today in order to arrive on time. But you have a DIY project that you need to finish that is a birthday gift for your sister.

The mailman comes by around 11 AM and it’s 9:30 now.

Sure you COULD try to get your project done before the mailman comes. But what are the chances you would get caught up on your project and lose track of time?

Which should you do first? (…. Mail that check!!!!) 

You might be like “Duh Leah” But trust me I know several people who would flip them. Both are really important but your sister will be ok if you are a few minutes late. The water bill could result in you getting a fine. 

Order Of Importance Without A True Deadline

Here is an example with a grayer line.

• #1. Spend 1-2hrs (notice the time limit) finding education on learning to invest your savings.
• #2. You need to do the dishes and laundry.
• #3 You need to Cook Dinner in 2.5 hours ish.

Both are important but one is advancing your family’s future.

You still have to put a time limit on things because you can’t spend all day at your task learning about investing but then forget about dinner.

BUT when you give those important tasks time in your day first they don’t get put off. It would be very easy to have “learn about investing” in the back of your mind for months before you actually took action.

YOu have to give things like that in your calendar because it keeps you from never working on the truly important things that will advance your life as a whole.

In Action

Start the laundry and load the dishwasher because those are two machines that can be working while you do your research.

Have a plan of what you want to do for dinner so you can jump right in. 

But then set the timer to do your research. But also have a list of questions you need answered so you have a plan to take action on in your research time so you don’t get off track and not get anything accomplished.

Don’t Do The Things You Don’t Care About

There are so many ideas of what a stay at home wife life looks like. But really it doesn’t matter. What matters most is you are creating the life that makes you and your family happy. 

If you don’t care about a nice breakfast don’t waste your emotional energy feeling like you have to. My husband doesn’t like to eat early in the day and often doesn’t eat until lunch if he is home. So I’m not going to feel like a terrible person because I’m not setting him at the table with his breakfast, coffee, and a paper.

If you want a homestead but you don’t care about canning. Then don’t. 

What If You Have More Time In Your Schedule?

When you write out your stay-at-home wife schedule you might find more space than you thought because you are being so productive. This is a good thing by the way. You need to have breathing room on your schedule. 

I thrive off of getting things done and if I can do more I will. So on the days when I have even 15 extra minutes I will have a list of tasks that need to be completed. They are not time sensitive and are often “would like to’s not have to’s”

When you have a list of things that can be done ready to go you are able to just pick one and run with it. YOu don’t waste 15 minutes trying to find something else to do. We all have those times when we are waiting on someone to show up at our house and they are a bit late. Which is fine but what if you could use that 15-20 minutes to get one more task completed?

The most productive people find ways to use even the smallest of time gaps they have.

Hobbies You Can Fit Into Your Stay-At-Home Wife Schedule

Yes it’s good to have hobbies. I am willing to bet your husband has a hobby or two am I right?

(no, no, it’s not because you are being a lazy bum mooching off your husband)

There are times when you might feel a little guilty for the life you are living even if your spouse never says a thing.

Outsiders who really have no say on how you live your life might feel like you should get a job. But 9 times out of 10. They want the life you have they just don’t know how to say it. 

People are going to say mean things or drop a side comment they don’t realize is hurtful. It’s okay if that stings for a minute. Sit with it. Ask why that stung and move on. But don’t let that eat at your soul.

This is something that I struggle with. I am a go-getter who has to be chasing a goal 24/7 365. It’s hard for me to shut down and relax.

But having hobbies are a GOOD THING. Having fun that is not tied to a result gives you time to rest and enables you to come back to your work refreshed and renewed.

If you are still a work in progress like me and need something that is fun but feels like it has a purpose. Here are some things that you can do that are relaxing but you aren’t making something that you are going to pitch out when you’re done or let it sit in a box.

• DIY Projects – You can make small things like Christmas gifts things like new home decor items. Here are some posts to help you.
• Crochet or Knitting– This is something that can be tacky or something that looks normal. Sweaters, scarves, and hats are something that we normally wear that way.
• Journals and Planners– If I am ever in Hobby Lobby you will likely find me walking the planner and journal aisle. The paper and possibilities make my soul happy. With all the un-dated planners and planner binders you can get creative and make a planner that works for you.
• Painting– Whether you are painting a home decor item or just honing your skills painting is a good way to lose your thoughts and relax.
• Become A House Plant Mamma– Plants indoors bring life and a welcoming feeling to your home. Try your hand at house plant.

Activities With Purpose For The Stay At Home Wife

Sometimes you need some guidance on how to feel productive on your life to help keep screen time low. This is important for everyone to feel like they are doing good at home.

These are some ideas that will help you find a good place to start.

Organize your home

Now maybe you don’t struggle with having a home that is picked up but there is always that one problem area that could use a little extra help. Places like the Tupperware cabinet or that back bedroom closet.

Think of the areas that drive you crazy and make a list of those places you wish were a little more manageable. Look for ways to make it better. Look for hacks or organizing systems that might help you make that troubled spot work better.

If you are completely new to organizing or need help getting your home in better shape then you defiantly need to read this post. How To Organize Your Home And Not Get Overwhelmed

Start a side hustle

This speaks to my soul! BUT if you are not self-motivated then this not for you so don’t feel bad about it.

Starting a side hustle which is a business. Is not for the faint of heart. It takes a lot of time, effort, and even a little bit of tears to make a business work.

If starting a side hustle sounds like something you are ready for then read these blog posts below before you jump in to see if they would be a good fit for you.

If you want some other fun but purposeful ideas to add to your stay-at-home wife schedule then check out this post. 18 ways to NOT be a bored stay at home wife

The Last Thing You Need to Know About Your Stay Stay At Home Wife Schedule

Your days are not always going to go as planned and that’s ok. Give yourself grace and pull yourself back on the path you set down.

Life is gonna life and that’s what makes it interesting. “I can not believe that came out of my mouth”… But it’s the truth.