How to cultivate peace in your home by time blocking

Generally, when I get up early to read my Bible, the kids inevitably jump out of bed just seconds after I do. Rarely is my quiet time actually quiet.

But a few weeks ago, I woke up early to read my Bible, an outright MIRACLE occurred – the children stayed asleep!

Now, they were both sick and in need of some extra rest, but whatever. MIRACLE.

I had TIME! Actual, quiet, TIME! So, I got out my computer and started catching up on some work I’d left the night before. The morning isn’t my typical work time, but I figured I’d take advantage of the quiet, and get some things done.

The kids woke up a little while later, but I was right in the middle of a project, and it wasn’t something I could stop right then. I had just one more thing I wanted to finish, so I let them watch a TV show while I finished my one thing.

When I did, they were still happy with their show, so I started another task.

And then I checked off one more box, and then one more, and pretty soon, it was after 9:00 am, no one had eaten breakfast, and everyone was cranky. I was irritated that I couldn’t finish as much as I wanted to, the kids were already tired of each other and arguing.

Our day finally “began” in squabbles and bad attitudes. And we never did get the day turned around.

I sank into bed that night wondering, “What happened?!” I’d started the day on such a high note, but struggled all the way through. Was I just not cut out to be a patient and kind mom? Was I not cut out to run a business from home?

What was my problem?

Everything In Its Place (er…TIME)

The problem was that I’d filled my quiet morning time with something other than quiet – I tried to squeeze work into that time. So, instead of my kids waking up to a mom who was refreshed and filled with God’s Word, they woke up to a mom who was already busy.

This wasn’t the first time I’d tried to work in the morning, but it turns out the same every time. The “best of the best” say to give your morning hours to your most important work tasks, but I’ve realized that this expert strategy just isn’t for me.

If my faith and my family are my priorities (and they are!), I need to give my best, my first, to THEM, not to my computer. I’d mixed up my priorities by allowing my work time to mesh with my quiet time.

So, I implemented a new way of scheduling to help us all cultivate that peace that our scrambled days were lacking.

Time Blocking . . . Mom-Style

You’ve probably heard of time blocking before, especially when it comes to scheduling your work time. It looks something like this:

• 30 minutes for email
• 5 minute break
• 1 hour meeting
• 1 hour project work
• 20 minute lunch

With time blocking, you choose just ONE thing to fill certain hours in your day, and you protect those hours by refusing to share them with things that don’t belong there. 

This works great for a productive work day. But what about for moms who are pulled in a million directions each day?

Well, let me reassure you – time blocking works for you too! You just have to get a little more broad, and a lot more creative.

Here’s a peek into our flexible daily routine:

Our day looks like it’s pretty broken down into hours on there, but really, that’s mainly for the kids to know what’s coming up. For me, in my head, our time blocking looks a lot like this:

• BREAKFAST
• Morning: Family & School Time
• LUNCH
• Afternoon: Work Time (for me) + Rest & Play Time (for kids)
• Afternoon: Outside Time
• DINNER
• Evening: Family Time & Bedtime Routine
• After Bedtime: Work Time (if needed)

Each section of the day has its own purpose. It’s designated for something particular, and that means I’m able to stay focused on that one thing, in that one time period.

There’s power in being able to say, “This is not the time for that. This is the time for this.”

Because without a doubt, your day will be interrupted in one way or another. But if you have a designated time to take care of those interruptions, they won’t seem so urgent.

For example, when I see a message pop up on my phone during family time that has something to do with work, I make a note in my to-do list for my work time that day.

And if the kids need something (that’s not actually urgent) during my work time, they know that after I’m done, we’ll go outside and we can take care of any issues then. They learn to respect my work time like I respect our family time.

Everything gets its own slot in the day. It’s not always perfect, but that’s okay! You might spend a few weeks trying to figure out what rhythm works for you and your family, and each day might even have its own rhythm, especially if you have a schedule that changes on a daily basis.

But by giving each important part of your day it’s own designated time, you’ll be able to cut out the distractions, be more present, and maybe even find that peace your schedule has been lacking.

Ready to Time Block your days?

Download our FREE Time Blocking Workbook to help you implement time blocking in your own schedules!