Self-Care Routines for Busy Moms

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I don’t know about you, but summer just seems to fly by in a blur of activities. Even though the school year is done, our sports season is in full swing. And my mini-van is just cruising back and forth to all of the places.

If you’re new here, hi! I’m Erin, a dietitian, and a homeschooling mom of three amazing kids. As moms, self-care is important to prioritize so that you can take care of others. But it can be challenging to fit it in. Routine is key. Here are some self-care routines for busy moms like you.

Early morning routine

My favorite time to get stuff done is in the early hours. No one is up yet. The house is quiet. I can fully focus on my tasks. Some self-care tasks you can do in the morning include:

• Bible study, reflection, gratitude journaling
• Read a self-help book: I’m currently reading The War of Art and The Barnabas Factor
• Drink water
• Skincare routine
• Stretch
• Physical activity
• Breakfast
• Meal plan
• Create a daily to-do list/brain dump
• Write cards of encouragement

My routine has changed over the years as my children get older and less dependent on me. My current schedule looks like this:

• 6:00 Wake up, drink water, read Bible
• 6:30 Create to-do list, check planner, meal plan
• 6:45 Coffee and write (freelance and my own blogs)
• 8:00-9:00 This varies depending on how much work I have. When I’ve wrapped up my work, I wake the kids for homeschooling. Some days I’ll run at this time, other days I wait until the afternoon
• 9:00 Get dinner started or defrosted and get on with my day

Cleaning schedule for busy moms

Do you work best with a clean house? I know it’s not always a reality with kids. Kids are messy, and constantly undoing your efforts at cleaning. But I have found that if I have a loose cleaning schedule, I can stay on top of things. I say loose, because things come up, and if I can’t vacuum on Tuesday, that’s okay.

Here’s an example of a cleaning schedule that I use on my busy weeks:

• Monday: Laundry, tidy, bathroom sinks
• Tuesday: Dust and vacuum, laundry, tidy
• Wednesday: Tub/showers, laundry, tidy
• Thursday: Mop if needed (summer it gets done less), laundry, tidy
• Friday: Laundry, tidy, organize
• Saturday: Laundry, tidy, outdoor tasks

I do one load of laundry every day. My trick to getting it done is starting it early in the morning and dumping the dried laundry on my bed. I can’t go to bed until it is folded and put away.

While I’m cooking, I do the dishes and tidying. I’ll wipe down the counter or make my bed while I brush my teeth.

I used to let all of the work pile up for the weekend. NOT FUN. Doing small tasks throughout the day has made my life a lot easier.

Meal plans for busy moms

I wrote about meal planning in a previous post, but I can’t stress enough how planning ahead makes it so much easier to have nourishing meals on hand.

There are multiple methods for meal planning. Some like to stick with a theme for ease of planning. Theme meal planning revolves around set meal categories. Here’s an example:

• Monday: Meat-free
• Tuesday: Tacos/Mexican
• Wednesday: Crockpot
• Thursday: Soup and salad
• Friday: Pasta
• Saturday: Grill
• Sunday: Sheet pan meal

Quick workout routines

One of the biggest reasons moms don’t have regular physical activity is that we are pressed for time. But you don’t need a ton of time to move your body. You can do a 10-minute HIIT workout in the morning and a walk in the evening. Try lifting weights during nap time and play with your toddler at the park.

Here is a list of some workout videos I’ve done and liked—all under 30 minutes:

Planners for busy moms

I’m a paper and pen girl. And I love a good planner. I’ve yet to embrace digital planning so I wanted to share some of my favorite planners.

Honestly, I don’t know how moms who don’t have a planner do it. So props to you if you can keep it all in your head. I can barely keep it together with a planner!

Here are some planners I’ve used and liked:

• Plum Paper Planner: I’ve used the teacher planner for several years and I really liked it. You can customize it to fit your needs. It served as my life planner and homeschool record keeper.
• Dry-erase calendar: I keep a dry-erase calendar posted in our kitchen so that everyone can see what we have going on.
• Happy Planner: This is my current planner and I love all of the add-ons and accessories.

Bible study for busy moms

This is a top priority for me. Spiritual wellness affects my overall wellness and mental health. Daily study keeps me rooted in God’s truth and starts my day off right. I take time to pray, journal, and study scriptures.

Currently, I’m journaling through the Psalms. This is something I like to do yearly.

Not all moms are in the stage of life where they get regular quiet time. Other ideas to fit in Bible study include:

• Listen to scripture while doing the dishes
• Place scripture verses on sticky notes throughout the house
• Memorize key verses to recite when you are rocking a baby or folding laundry

Routine for better sleep

Sleep is so important for our health. It’s easy for moms to forgo the sleep they need in an effort to get it all done. But we need 7-8 hours of sleep every night. Shorting yourself on sleep may impact your metabolic and hormonal health.

Just as you establish a bedtime routine for your kids, you should do so for yourself! Take a shower or bath, meditate/pray, read a book, and use some lavender. Try to go to bed at the same time. And turn off your electronics. That blue light emanating from your phone may be keeping you awake. I try to go to bed between 9 and 10 PM. Here is an example of my routine:

• Bath/shower
• Brush teeth
• Skincare routine
• Read book
• Fall asleep about 2 pages in 🙂

What would you like to start doing for self-care? What routines have worked for you? If you need help sticking with a routine or prioritizing your health, I can help. We can meet one-on-one and address some of your barriers and challenges.

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