Realistic morning routine for working moms

My morning routine is everything as a WAHM…

A consistent morning routine has been everything for my productivity throughout the day. This was true even before becoming a mom, but it’s especially true now with a toddler running around. If I can get up and start the day a certain way, the rest of the day runs so much smoother. I know that sometimes the inspo your see for a good morning routine for working moms can be… unrealistic at best. And we don’t need that kind of negativity anywhere, so what I’m about to share with you is a realistic routine… I’ll explain.

One example: I’m an early riser. I was part of the 5am club for years before having a baby. After having a baby, there was a brief window (really just a couple of weeks) where I was getting enough sleep and he was an easy enough sleeper that I could get back to that routine.

After that blip in time though? It took until he was almost 18 months old before I could truly get back to my early morning routine. Because baby sleep (IYKYK!). If you’re in the no sleep camp right now, and are having a hard time creating a new routine or getting back to an old one, please remember that’s normal! It takes time. It’s just a season. And hopefully, this post gives you some realistic inspiration for your own morning routine as a working mom. Not just for right now, but what it could evolve into as your littles grow.

Your morning routine as a working mom can (and should) change

The only consistent thing about motherhood and raising babies is that they’re inconsistent. Just when you think you’ve figured something out, they change again. Learning to expect and accept that constant change makes things so much easier.

With that in mind, I know that some days I won’t be able to follow my typical morning routine for working moms. I have to be flexible, and I’ve thankfully designed my work to allow for this. If you’re a work at home mom, then maybe you have the same flexibility. If you leave the house to work every day, you’re a hero! My biggest advice to you would be to be kind to yourself if your morning routine doesn’t go as planned each day.

My step-by-step morning routine as a working mom

I work about 2-4 hours each day currently. I’m so grateful that I get to work at home because I run an online business and have for years. I get to decide my schedule and make sure it fits around my life. The luckiest! But even with limited work hours, there’s a lot to do. Those hours are my “focused work” time, and beyond that I am available to my team and clients throughout the day. It’s a juggling act, and by starting ahead of my to-do list, that juggle is a lot easier!

Here’s some of the must-dos in my typical morning routine as a working mom.

Prep your morning the night before.

I know… Everyone says this. “Your morning starts the night before.” But it’s true and helps so much!

I like to do a few things every night to close down the house that make my morning routine so much easier. Some of those things include:

• empty the sink with dishes
• run the dishwasher
• dry and put away dishes on the counter
• clean out the fridge
• put away leftovers
• prep breakfast if needed (pre-mix doughs, etc.)
• get laundry in the dryer (but not the washer to sit overnight!)
• make the next day’s to-do list
• quick tidy of all the toys… so important!
• pick up all the laundry and towels lying around

Overall, going to bed with a tidy house and an idea of what to expect the next day is the goal. There’s nothing worse than waking up to a long list of yesterday’s tasks that I just didn’t feel like doing.

A habit that I’ve been working on building in general is doing things as they come up instead of pushing them off to pile up.

Try to wake up at a consistent time.

Others always preach that the key to a morning routine for working moms is that you always wake up before your kids. Typically the recommendation is at least 30-60 minutes. While this sounds nice, I know that it’s not always realistic in practice. Instead, I aim to wake up at the same-ish time each day. Ideally, that’s before the rest of the family, but it doesn’t always work out that way. Currently, my alarm is set for 5:30am while I work back up to my 5am mornings. However, there was a long time when that wasn’t realistic! During that time, my alarm was set for 7am. And that’s okay.

Both back then and still now, I’m very comfortable with shutting my alarm off in the middle of the night if I’ve been awake too long with the baby and need some extra sleep. Which leads to my next point…

Take care of yourself first.

Regardless of what’s on your list for work or the house or your family, you need to take care of yourself first. Some mornings I have time to do a proper routine for myself, including pulling affirmation cards, stretching on my yoga mat, meditating, and journaling. Other days, I just get 5-10 minutes to journal while waiting for my computers to turn on.

Typically, my morning routine includes:

• Wake up and get ready! That means changing out of pajamas, even if it’s just to put on activewear that I’ll workout in later.
• Make the bed if my husband is awake too.
• Go to the kitchen and chug a glass of water while waiting for the coffee maker to boot up.
• Take my vitamins.
• Bring my coffee to a quiet spot… Either my desk or my yoga mat usually.
• Dig into work for the day.

Just like anything else, it’s important that you try! Even if this doesn’t look perfect every day, at least try to find a handful of steps that feel good to you. My biggest priority is to soak in the quiet time before I’m on Mom Duty or my work needs me. That means avoiding emails, social media, and DMs.

Drinking my coffee while it’s hot is one of the biggies for me. It’s so simple, but it makes me happy right away. So I try to prioritize that!

I used to spend an hour just on me every morning. Yes, that was before kids! But it was great and I hope I can get back to that when they’re bigger. I’d read, write, and stretch. Easing into my day with a clear mind and full cup. One day! For now, this version is working.

Tackle your most challenging work tasks second.

I work best in the mornings. That’s when my brain functions the best, so my husband and I have coordinated that I get a block of time from 6-8am for focused work. In those 2 hours, he gets up with the baby and they have breakfast together. Sometimes they’ll take the dog for a walk too. And in that time, I get so much work done. It’s crazy! Often it feels like I’ve done a full day of work in just 2 hours because I’m so hyper-focused and efficient.

Transitioning from Boss Mode to Mom Mode

By 8am, I’m on Mom Duty until nap time. To transition between the 2 modes (my fellow working moms get this), I take 5 minutes to get myself situated. I’ll shut down what I was working on, noting my progress in my project management tools or on my personal to-do list. If I haven’t fully had a chance to get ready yet (it’s chilly this morning, so I stayed in pajamas at my desk for a bit!), then I’ll go do that. I grab what I need from upstairs for the next few hours, and usually meet the family in the kitchen or family room to swap out.

Before taking over officially, my husband and I check in about our schedules for the day⁠—who has meetings when, if and when I plan to take the toddler out anywhere, any errands that need to happen. Then we part ways.

How to create your own morning routine as a working mom

The biggest thing to remember when creating your own morning routine is that it needs to fit your ideal life⁠—not some picturesque version that doesn’t actually align with what you want.

If waking up at 5am doesn’t work for you, don’t do it.

If you don’t need a few minutes of quiet time before your kids get up, don’t worry about that.

Maybe your morning routine involves littles at your feet start to finish.

The cool thing about anything in life is that you get to decide what it looks like. Starting from a place of self-awareness, ask yourself: What do I need? What can I do today that will help me have a more successful day overall? Write those down. That can be the start of your morning routine.

It also may take some time⁠—trial and error to figure out what flow works best for you and your family. Be kind to yourself as you figure it out!

Why other morning routines for working moms don’t work.

Typically if you’re struggling to stick with a morning routine that was recommended, but can’t… It’s because they aren’t realistic for you. If you’re not a morning person, you might never set your alarm to go off earlier than your kids. That’s okay! Which is why my best tip for work at home moms is this… Understand when and how you work best. Try to coordinate that time for your work.

Understand when and how you work best.

If you can create a dedicated schedule for your work, it will be so much easier to work efficiently. For myself, I know that I don’t work well at night. It’s a waste of time for me to even try most days! Mornings are a breeze though. And this way, I’m still not missing out on much time with my family. Often, they’re still sleeping when I’m starting work.

Learn how you personally prioritize work and family life.

This will be different for everyone. For me, I decided that I didn’t want to work while my kids were awake when they’re young and at home. I know that’s not realistic for everyone. Yes, sometimes I have to. I’ll take meetings during my husband’s lunch break or when he’s done for the day if they don’t fit into my focused blocks. But in general, I try to work around the family’s schedule.

This fits well into my morning routine as a working mom because my biggest block of focused work is in the mornings before they’re awake… Or just while everyone is having breakfast.

I also know that’s not possible for everyone. Definitely not if you’re a working mom who leaves the house every day. In that case, I hope you at least take the chance to intentionally reflect on whether or not that’s working for you, and why.

Forgive yourself if your morning routine isn’t perfect every day.

It’s not going to be perfect right away! It won’t even be perfect over time. It’s better to do what you can today and try again tomorrow than to give up if it’s not perfect. This is definitely something I’m working on as a mom, and I bet others can relate.

How to stay consistent with your morning routine for working moms

I need to reiterate: Your morning routine as a working mom will change as your kids grow. Everything is a season and inconsistency is the only constant. That’s okay!

Be kind to yourself as you implement a morning routine for working moms

I think that the best way to stay consistent with your morning routines for working moms is to just do your best, don’t make excuses, and celebrate what you can do. It’s going to be challenging to stick with anything if you’re always beating yourself up about not being perfect.

Consider your morning routine for working moms an experiment

I find that looking at anything in life as a strategic experiment removes the pressure of perfection. Experiments aren’t perfect. Your morning routine for working moms doesn’t need to be perfect immediately—it’s a strategic experiment to see what works for you and your family.

If you’re intentional about how you design your morning, that’s all that matters.

Do you have any advice?

I’d love to hear from you! Have you tried creating a work at home mom schedule for a while? What’s working and not working? Or maybe you’ve nailed yours and have advice you can share with others who are trying to implement a realistic morning routine for working moms. Comment below your best advice!

If you liked this post and are also a WAHM, you may enjoy my work at home mom schedule. I wrote all about it here.