How to Have a Productive Day

Are you trying to get your life organized as a stay-at-home mom but your child’s life keeps you from doing so?  This post will tell you how to have a productive day so you will no longer collapse into bed every night feeling unaccomplished. 

I want to share with you an easy routine that will instantly give you more stability no matter what age your child is!

I do want to emphasize that this article is for any mom that still has children at home all day (yes even home-schooled, older children).  So just keep reading.

Related: BIG 5 Ways to Stay Organized

Maybe you are like I was with a child under 3 that suddenly stopped napping.  Or maybe he is in and out of naps. Y’know, one day you get a break but the next day is so sad 😢 because he won’t sleep and he’s throwing tantrums at 5 o’clock because he’s overtired.  

Perhaps you even have a baby along with that toddler that has given up on naps – which would certainly mean you are exhausted.

Or perhaps that you are like the current me.  Mom of a nine-year-old, a seven-year-old and a child who is transitioning out of naptime.  Yes, they are all home with me all day because we homeschool. I know I’m crazy but we felt led to do this.  

I used to feel like I was drowning when the kids stopped napping.  However, I no longer feel like I’m drowning.

There is some control of the chaos only because I started this routine.

The Most Productive Routine

So what is this routine?  It is the transition from nap time to quiet time.  If you are wondering how to have a productive day, this is it.  You’ve got to have a quiet time in your day.  Many people refer to their time with God as “quiet time”, but that’s not what I’m talking about. 

Why Quiet Time?

Before I had kids I had never heard of quiet time in this way either.

I only found out because I kept trying to find what to do when my kids stopped napping.  Other moms had basically scared me about what life would be like with an active toddler who never took a break.  

And it was true.

I was going crazy when my barely two-year-old decided to stop napping.  Even though he was my first child I knew not to believe the many moms who told me, ‘maybe he’s just ready to stop’ – What!    

He wasn’t even 2.  It’s unnatural!  Perhaps I was needing sanity and it was somewhat selfish but I had to figure out how to have productive days once my child was done napping.  But was he really done? 

I just knew this child still needed to nap.  And yet, he wasn’t, at least not every day.   On the days he didn’t, in came quiet time.

Quiet time is one of the times during the day that I can actually be productive. 

If you have trouble getting anything done, I highly recommend you keep reading and also download my guide for moms on Actually Get Done Something.  Yours as my free gift when you join my mailing list.

What is Quiet Time?

So during these transitions in and out of napping, I found ways to occupy him, all thanks to the internet.  

What I found in my search was quiet time.  

This time of the day has really allowed me a sense of peace and framework.  

Now some children just need to be sat with and lulled to sleep.  You could try a number of tactics from soft music to patting their backs, even giving them a lot of sunlight in the morning can help.  But some kids are just done (for a time at least). 

If you have a child that isn’t always napping let’s begin by having specific activities ready for him and start calling it quiet time.  

So that was my discovery years ago.  That child is way past naps and kindergarten.  However, my now three-year-old sees her older siblings have quiet time and knows that even if she can’t sleep she is still required to play quietly in her room.  

So basically I’m right in the midst of transitioning from nap to quiet time, but since I’ve set up this powerful routine in our home, everyone knows exactly what to do.  If you are wondering how to be productive at home, it’s all about making space in your day and using it effectively.

How to Transition from Naptime

How do you start something new?  That’s always the question, isn’t it?  Some kids are very much against doing something different, especially if you’ve just let the day continue on the same way when they “aren’t sleepy”. 

However, even if this is your first time (or first child), transitioning from nap time to quiet time isn’t difficult.  

If your child is occasionally napping  

• tell him earlier in the day great-aunt is that he’s getting bigger and sometimes he won’t be sleeping at nap time
• tell him that when he can’t sleep you both will have quiet time
• explain that during quiet time he can play quietly in his room while mommy does quiet time in her room (or kitchen, living room, etc.)

If your child has already quit naps and chaos presumes

• tell him at wake up time it’s so nice in the mornings because it’s quiet and our bodies are rested (maybe take him outside before if the weather allows, and let him experience the quiet and calm of the morning, the birds quietly waking everyone)
• explain that to grow strong and be ready for free in the evenings, our bodies need a rest after lunch, this is called quiet time.
• let him know that you will be doing after lunch that day

Now, this may not go automatically smoothly but that’s where consistency comes in.  

Some kids will get used a new routine fairly quickly, but many will come and ask you to play with them or if quiet time is done.  

Depending on your child and their quiet time activities you may have to start with 15 minutes and build up slowly. Try to start at 20 minutes and see how things go.  Don’t give up!  Give this a real effort for about 2 weeks.  If things don’t go well try switching what rooms they are in or the activities you give them.  You may have to give it a break and revisit since kids change a lot even in a month’s time.

Once my oldest was about 5 years old I could get away with nearly 2 hours.  Hooray!

Quiet-time Activities

So now you know how to start but what do you actually do during quiet time?  

Here are some of the things my kids have done over the years.

Interested in a cheatsheet of activities per age group?  Sometimes your list gets exhausted and they are looking for something new.  Sometimes you don’t even know where to start!  I mean, what does a 7-year-old do at quiet time?  <–That was my question for a while.

All answered here in this Free Download.

(Did you know I’VE MOVED!? Get all MLO freebies and even more Printables here.)

Over the years I have also created bins, boxes and buckets to keep the activities organized.  There are tons of fun ways to do it that you can find on Pinterest.  However, I’ve found it simpler for me to create one bin and occasionally switch out the contents.

Currently my 3-year-old has in her bin paper dolls, stamper kit, and puzzles. And she also plays with her dolls, dollhouse and looks through books. 

Even with all of this, she will only last 20-30 minutes tops!  And that’s after a ‘good effort’ 15 minutes of trying to nap (on the days I try to get her to nap).  

Still not too bad.  If she is playing quietly I can get something done in the 20 minutes.

If things don’t go that well, and I really need a break, there is always TV. I know not everyone agrees about the use of TV, but it is an option for a stressed-out mom.

You may say, who has time for all of that.  Well I did when I needed a solution and sometimes it was a headache, but honestly, most of the time I got a break and a breather and my child learned to play quietly for longer and longer amounts of time.

My older boys can stay occupied for up to 2 hours if needed.  They, of course, can use the time to read, do educational computer games, work on a craft and so forth.  The ideas are endless and some of which are listed on the cheatsheet.

You may not think that’ll work for your lifestyle and that’s okay, but it’s a much-needed hope for many moms.

I also believe the mid-day break is most needed from the constant-ness of being with each other all day.

How to Have a Productive Day

In order to organize your life as a SAHM you need space to think. Mom is on duty pretty much 24/7.

I mean there isn’t even holidays!  

So creating quiet time is going to not only uplift your soul but give you time to be your creative awesome self.

During those 30 minutes, you can  

Nap

Do your nails

Declutter your closet

Exercise

Make Ahead Meals

Do coursework online

Read

Research on how to save money

Text Chat with Friends

Teach Yourself How to Draw or do Graphic Design

So many things can happen in those bits of time every day.  I talk more about the importance for moms at home to make the best use of their time, as well as how in

Now, quiet time doesn’t have to be your only productive time.  As difficult as it seems many moms get up before the kids for their creative time!  Even if the kids get up, it’s perfectly ok to give them a morning quiet time for 20-30 minutes while you finish yours. 

During a morning quiet time, there are many ways you can

Renew your spirit

Prepare your heart

Engage your mind

And strengthen your body

All before baby gets up! 

This is a great way to start the day like you can conquer anything!  That’s especially helpful for moms of littles. 

There are just too many times when it seems we can’t get anything done.  That’s why I created an easy to follow guide for moms that includes my best tips for actually getting something done.  Get it free along with access to all of my printables when you join my mailing list.

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ACTUALLY GETTING SOMETHING DONE!

If you already do a quiet time, please share in the comments what works for you.