Simple Single Mom Routine
Need a single mom routine to help you stay sane and organized?
Being a single mom means you have to be great at planning–otherwise, it’s practically impossible to get anything done. Having a routine to follow can make daily life easier to manage.
But what goes into a good single mom routine?
And how do you make a single mom daily schedule that allows you to:
- Be present for your kids
- Balance household chores with working
- Make time for yourself
- Not feel exhausted
Having been a single mom of two since 2014, I know that finding the right daily routine isn’t always easy.
So today, I’m sharing a step-by-step guide to making a single mom schedule that works.
How do single moms organize their lives?
The short answer is, very carefully.
Being a single parent often means shouldering double the responsibility for managing a household. That’s why single mom routines are so important.
So, how do single moms organize their lives?
They create a daily routine for starters. And single moms also organize their lives by:
- Getting their finances in order and sticking to a single mom budget
- Simplifying and decluttering their homes
- Planning out their days
- Building a support network
- Being consistent
- Aiming for balance
Being a super single mom is a nice thought. But it’s an easy way to end up a burned-out mom.
So rather than trying to do it all, it’s better to try and do enough. And having a daily single mom routine to follow can help.
Single Mom Routine Checklist
Every single mom’s routine is likely to be different. Just as every single mom’s lifestyle is different.
But there are some basic guidelines you can follow for creating a single mom daily schedule. And remember that your schedule might need tweaking based on:
- How many kids you have
- Whether you work at home or outside the home
- Whether your kids homeschool or go to regular school
- How often you share parenting duties with your ex
So here are some ideas for making a single mom routine to make each day easier and less stressful!
Single mom morning routine
A morning routine is the cornerstone of your daily schedule as a single mom. Starting the day well is so important for you and for your kids.
If you don’t know what to include in a mom morning routine, here are some things to consider:
- Wake up one hour earlier than your kids do
- Use some of that hour to get centered, whether that means meditating, doing yoga, journaling or just slowly enjoying a cup of coffee
- Get showered and dressed before it’s time to wake the kids up
- Check your daily to-do list
- Get some healthy, easy to make breakfasts going
Once the kids are up, you may need to help them with their morning routines depending on how old they are. A simple daily routine for kids should include:
- Eating breakfast
- Making beds
- Getting dressed
- Brushing teeth and washing faces
If your kids go to school, one thing that can ease stress in your single mom’s morning routine is packing backpacks and lunches the night before.
This way, kids can just grab what they need and go so you’re not rushing to find things in the morning.
If the kids leave for school before you head to work, you might use a few minutes of your morning routine to tidy up.
For example, you could wash dishes, wipe down counters or sweep. That way, you’re not coming home after a long day at work to a full sink or dirty floors.
Related post: How to Create a Productive Morning Routine
Single mom evening routine
Once the workday is done, your single mom routine might include picking kids up from school or daycare and driving them to extracurricular activities. You may have more time in the evenings compared to the mornings, but there’s also more to get done.
For example, your evening and night routine may be focused on getting dinner on the table, making sure homework is done, tidying up the house and handling bedtime.
So here are some ways to streamline your single mom routine for calmer evenings:
- Meal plan and prep so there’s no guessing about what to make for dinner
- Create an evening routine for kids that includes time for homework, time for bathing and quality time with you
- Make your to-do list for the next day
- Pack backups and lunches ahead
- Choose outfits for the next day
- Tidying up before bed
- Having quiet time for yourself
One of the keys to making life work as a single mom without going crazy is encouraging kids to be independent as much as possible.
This doesn’t mean leaving them home alone for hours at a time unsupervised or letting them wing it when it comes to figuring out schoolwork.
But it does mean teaching them how to take responsibility for keeping themselves and their rooms clean, for example. And knowing how to make dinner is also an invaluable life skill kids can learn at home.
But even more important than that is making sure your kids know you’re there for them, no matter how busy you get.
Related post: Simple Night Routine Checklist for Busy Moms
Single mom cleaning routine
One of your biggest struggles as a single mom might be keeping the house clean. Which is no easy task if you have messy kids and a pet or two.
So how do single moms keep their house clean?
Easy. They follow a house cleaning schedule.
Including daily or weekly cleaning as part of your single mom schedule can keep the clutter and dirt from piling up.
For example, here’s what my single mom cleaning schedule looks like:
- Sweep floors and wipe down kitchen counters daily
- Laundry once a week
- Dust and clean bathrooms once a week
- Yardwork twice a month
- Take out trash once a week
Since my kids are a teen and tween, they’re old enough to do some of the household chores. They clean their rooms and their bathrooms, and they’re responsible for their laundry.
Dividing up cleaning is something you can do, even with younger kids. A toddler can help sort laundry or pick up toys.
So as you plan your single mom routine, think about where cleaning fits in. And consider which chores you can hand off to your kids so you’re not trying to do the housework all on your own.
Related posts:
11 Daily Cleaning Tasks to Get Your House Clean FAST!
How to Create a Weekly Cleaning Schedule
Tips for Sticking to a Single Mom Schedule
As a single mom, you only have so many hours to go around.
And it’s tough trying to balance working with housekeeping and making sure your kids get the attention they need from you. And of course, you don’t want to neglect yourself either.
So look at how you spend your days currently. Keeping a time diary is a big help.
Then ask yourself where you might be wasting time that you could get back. And consider what’s really important to you in the long run.
Kids don’t need to do all the extracurricular activities. (And if you’re a single mom struggling financially, you might not be able to afford them all anyway).
The laundry doesn’t all need to be done on the same day. And sometimes you will feed your kids fast food for dinner instead of preparing a homemade meal.
Guess what? They’ll live.
But you might have a hard time making it out of bed in the morning if you’re overwhelmed by all you have to do.
So when it comes to making a mom routine and sticking with it, be realistic. And don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it.
Need help creating a daily mom routine?
If you’re struggling to get your single mom daily routine together, there’s a resource that can help.
It’s called The Organized Home and it’s designed for moms who struggle with:
- Creating and sticking routines
- Getting and staying organized
- Keeping up with housework
- Managing home life and finding balance
The Organized Home is an invaluable resource if you’re drowning in all the things you have to do.
Learn more about The Organized Home now. Or take the free Five Words to Organized Challenge!
Final thoughts on making a single mom routine
Having a routine has been invaluable to me as a homeschooling single mom who also works from home.
Our daily routine allows time for me to handle business stuff, work on my blog, homeschool and spend time with my kids. And I’m still able to take care of our pets, keep up with housework and get in some exercise, too.
If you don’t have a single mom schedule yet, consider what you need to do to get one started. You’ll be amazed at how different your days feel when you have a routine to follow.
Before you go, be sure to check out my favorite Busy Mom Resources for managing mom life.
And you can find a daily routine checklist along with other free printables in the Busy Mom Vault!