Stay-at-home moms are the home CEO. You take the leadership role for various responsibilities, like the household budget, childcare, schedules, and other important decisions related to your family's well-being.

However, it’s challenging to juggle different roles and make time for different responsibilities. Learn how to be productive at home and still have time for work-life balance and your personal goals.

1. Make a “LEGO” schedule

You already know that schedules are important for productivity. The challenge is making one that genuinely meets your needs and the realities of running a home and raising kids.  

Childcare can be very unpredictable, so a rigid and detailed schedule is unrealistic. You need a schedule with enough structure so you can set goals and manage your time, but is flexible enough to accommodate unexpected events or delays.

You can try the LEGO approach. Create categories (or time blocks) with specific time limits. Use the example below to kick off your own planning.

Now, use these time blocks to build your day. You can move the pieces around based on your priorities or energy levels. Just follow the time limits so you don’t miss important tasks.

2. Prioritize tasks

Remember the first days after you brought your newborn home from the hospital?

Every cry would send you into a panic. But after a while, you learned to distinguish between the shrieks of hunger or pain and the whimpers of boredom.

Your roles and responsibilities are like crying babies which demand your time and attention.

While each one is important to you, you need to discern the different levels of urgency. Some tasks can wait, while others are worth rearranging your schedule.

It’s easier to prioritize tasks if you know your parenting goals.

For example, if it’s important for you to develop your child’s love for learning, then prioritize reading together or playing educational games.

This aligns your daily choices with your values, which is the best way to be productive at home as a stay-at-home mom. Even if you can't accomplish everything on your to-do list, you always do what’s most relevant for your long-term goals.

3. Plan ahead

Planning helps you save time, effort and money. You know what to do and channel your energy into the actual work rather than figuring out the next step. You can also review options and make financially savvy decisions.

Here are some examples of how planning can help you stay on top of your schedule and your budget. 

• Make meal plans before you go to the grocery. You know what ingredients to buy and can even ask the butcher to divide your meat into the desired portions. You can also research budget-friendly recipes or cheaper alternatives to expensive ingredients.
• Do what you can the night before. Prevent the morning rush. Check the kids’ school items, prepare the spread for their sandwich or sort the laundry that you plan to wash.
• Buy Christmas and birthday gifts throughout the year. Take advantage of end-of-season sales or even thrift stores. By the holidays, you’ll probably be done with most of the people on your list, thus avoiding a big spike in expenses at the end of the year.
• Schedule regular maintenance for your home, vehicles and major appliances. You can address problems before they become worse and expensive to fix.
• Plan your outfits for the week. You save time in the morning and can “shop your closet” for new outfit ideas, which reduces the temptation for impulse purchases.
• Make a cleaning schedule. Plan specific days for various cleaning tasks throughout the week. This keeps your home tidy and prevents the overwhelming task of deep cleaning all at once.
• Group errands by location. You save on time and gas expenses and can even look for ways to make your trip even easier. For example, you can reserve items and set a pick-up date, or set an appointment so you don’t have to wait.

4. Create family routines

Family routines give you more control over your day so you can be more productive at home. You can do challenging mental work during lulls (like your kids’ nap time) or plan for hectic hours like helping kids with homework.

Routines also benefit children’s psychological development. They feel safe and comforted in a predictable environment. They can mentally prepare for the activities ahead, and even take initiative and become more independent. For example, if they know that it’s almost bedtime, they can pack up their toys and choose their pajamas. 

5. Cook in bulk

Meal preparation is one of the most time-consuming household chores. You must find a recipe, chop the ingredients, cook and then clean up. That’s why many people end up ordering takeout or cooking pre-made processed food, which may not be the healthiest or cheapest choice. You can make your own “convenience food” at home: just cook in bulk and freeze your meals for the week. If you don’t have a big freezer, you can try these other options:

• Chop vegetables ahead of time, so you can throw all the ingredients into a pan when you’re ready.  
• Pre-cook meat so you just need to prepare the sauce and other fresh ingredients. Cooked meat can last three to four days in the refrigerator.
• Make your own spice mixes, marinades and salad dressings and store them in Mason jars. When you’re tired, you just need to quickly roast a marinated chicken breast and toss a salad — dinner ready in twenty minutes, and barely any dishes to wash!

6. Wake up early

Your morning sets the tone for the rest of the day. If you wake up early, you have time to savor that cup of coffee and collect your thoughts without the kids clamoring for attention in the background.

Use those rare quiet hours to squeeze in “Me Time” or put yourself in a positive mind frame. You can exercise, read, listen to an empowering podcast, or review your to-do list and set your intentions for the day.

When the morning rush begins, you feel calm and in control – and that mindset sets the stage for being more productive at home for the rest of the day.

7. Try the Pomodoro method

If you have a baby or toddler who needs close supervision, you may struggle to find long chunks of time for housework and other tasks. The Pomodoro technique might help.

This time management method involves breaking work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks.

Break down chores into smaller tasks that take about 25 minutes each (i.e, sorting the laundry, running the washing machine, folding the clothes). Make a Master Checklist of all your tasks and tackle one whenever you’re free.

Even if you can’t finish everything done right away, it’s extremely satisfying to check off a task and know that you’re being more productive at home.

8. Declutter and organize your home

The more things you have, the less likely you’ll be able to find what you really need. You waste a lot of time looking for tools or putting things away... and sometimes the mess makes you want to avoid a task completely!

Do spring cleaning periodically so you can throw, donate or sell whatever you don’t use regularly. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, tackle one room at a time and ask family members to help. You can also schedule a “Spring Cleaning Saturday” every quarter and make it a fun day with pizza and music blasting in the background.

After streamlining your things, organize them so they’re easy to find. Get clear storage boxes and label everything clearly. Teach kids to put things back in their proper place. For toddlers or preschoolers, put boxes within easy reach and stick photos of what should be inside.

Lastly, adopt a “Clean as You Go” policy:

• Wash kitchen tools and wipe counters while dinner simmers on the stove.
• Keep a small laundry hamper near the front door so family members can immediately place their dirty socks or jackets when they arrive.
• Leave a rag and a spray bottle with bleach solution in the bathroom cabinet, so you can wipe down the sink and counters after use.
• Designate a “Lost and Found” basket for stray items. Family members can look for their own missing things, and whatever isn’t claimed after two weeks gets tossed in the trash.

These “spot cleans” can help prevent the dust and mess from accumulating. You spend less time cleaning up after everyone – and have more time to be productive at home.

9. Teach everyone to help with chores

You can’t and shouldn’t do everything. Assign chores to your children. It eases your load and can help their mental and psychological development.

The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry says that children who do chores grow up with higher self-esteem and a sense of responsibility. They also learn to deal with frustration and delay gratification, which helps them succeed at school and build better relationships. 

It’s equally important for kids to see that parents share parenting and household responsibilities. That shapes their view of gender roles and relationships and their own attitude towards chores.

Talk to your partner about how you can divide tasks or take shifts and make a schedule or a checklist.

10. Use technology

We live in awesome times: there are many appliances, apps and other conveniences that can help us be more productive at home and at work.

Here are some ways you can use technology to make things faster, easier and less stressful.

• Use a time management app for family schedules. Family organizer apps like Cozi and Kiwi allow multiple users to update a shared calendar, create tasks or send reminders and notifications. Other time management apps like Todoist or Habitica “gamify” your to-do list and give points or stickers whenever you complete a task.
• Use a budget management app like YNAB (You Need A Budget) or GoodBudget to set financial goals and track expenses.
• Use online graphic design tools with templates to print out checklists, calendars, meal plans, grocery lists, labels, etc. Customize and save the template and reprint whenever you need another copy.
• Use ChatGPT or other AI tools to instantly generate recipe ideas based on the ingredients you have or your family’s special dietary needs.
• Create group chats with co-parents so you can coordinate school activities or ask questions about homework. Use parental control apps to monitor your child’s Internet use. Some let you disconnect Internet access once the child has exceeded your pre-set limits.

These apps automate details that otherwise require your micro-management. Identify tasks that are repetitive and mundane. There’s an app for that.

Now, you can let go of the small stuff and focus on things that make a bigger impact on your parenting goals and quality of life. 

11. Draw clear work and life boundaries

Work-at-home moms often wonder how to be productive at home when they’re constantly interrupted by competing responsibilities.

Your child starts throwing a tantrum in the middle of a meeting, or you suddenly find out that you need to find a school play costume in two days — the same day a major presentation is due. How can you manage all your roles, and the guilt for not being able to “do it all”?

Here’s the secret: you’re not supposed to be Supermom.

Setting work-life boundaries, personal limits and priorities teaches your kids about the value of work, time management, respect for other people’s needs, and self-care.

Here are some ways you can slay your career goals, stay on top of parenting responsibilities, and avoid burn out.

• Set a designated workspace and work hours. Make it clear to family members when you are in “Work Mode” and how they should behave when they enter your home office. Younger kids may need pre-prepared alternatives. For example, if they’re bored, they can get a toy from a “Busy Basket” that you filled with toys and activities. If they’re hungry, they can pick from snacks on the dinner table.
• Define your “hard stop.” Set a time when you stop checking emails and messages and close your files until the next workday. Communicate this with your co-workers and clients, so you can manage their expectations. If there is an urgent task, assure them of your next steps and when you can give an update. This shows them that you know how to be productive at home and can meet your deliverables, even if you are working remotely.   
• Talk about your work in a positive way. Kids want to see their parents happy and feel that they can make a difference... they just don’t know how. Your work stories help your kids understand that your career is personally fulfilling and simultaneously contributes to your family financial goals.  As they grow older, give them opportunities to work and support you, through more household responsibilities and following your routines. Explain how their contributions help you be more productive at home. Work-life balance becomes a family effort, a shared goal, and a value that your children learned through role-modelling and participation.
• Let go of perfectionism and ask for help. Some weeks you can plan ahead and meet every deadline... some weeks are full of surprises, and you feel like you’re barely holding up. Be gentle with yourself. Acknowledge when you are tired and need more realistic goals and expectations. However, instead of complaining and wallowing in self-pity, present a clear problem and concrete solutions. Inform your boss about delays. Ask for a specific deadline extension and talk to your family about the support you need at home. The key is to ask for help but tell others how they can help you.

12. Schedule self-care

How can you be productive at home if you’re physically, mentally and emotionally drained? Make time for naps, meeting up with friends, hobbies, exercise, and other activities that nourish your well-being.

Stay productive with good habits and planning

It’s challenging to juggle different roles, but with productive habits and a solid schedule and routine, you can get things done and still have some time for yourself. Also, remember that it's okay if things don't always go as planned. Your goal is to learn how to be more productive at home, not to be perfect.

BPI AIA salutes stay-at-home moms for all the work that you do!

We are here to support your goals and help you provide for their needs. Reach out to our Bancassurance sales executives to find out more about affordable life insurance plans and other financial tools. You can even contact us online and have a consultation from the comfort of your home.