Our visual schedule board!

I have been on a whole new adventure the last couple of years. Sending my boys to daycare/preschool and transitioning into being a part-time working mom has been a bit crazy. Working on time management and figuring out what it looks like to work as a realtor and still maintain my home has been nothing short of exhausting, to be honest.

Anyone who knows me knows that my free spirit doesn't do structure very well. I like freedom to have picnics with the boys and spend full days in the pool or at the beach. Our oldest son, however, thrives with as much structure as we can possibly squeeze in. Talk about a great combination! Then, of course, our youngest son, is a fly by the seat of your pants, move at your own slow pace, stop and smell the roses, kind of kid. Everyone tells you that your kids will be opposite, you just don't fully understand it until they are old enough to talk back.

In an effort to find some sanity in our unstructured summer, I created a schedule board. I had so many of my friends and family so excited about said board, that I thought I'd share with you! I searched Pinterest and the entire internet and pooled some ideas from all over! I found these cards at http://www.thisreadingmama.com/ and printed and laminated them. I bought a black foam board and some neon paint pens.

The blue squares are Scotch brand dry erase tape from Target. The black ovals will be used once school starts for routines, AM, after school, and bedtime. They are chalkboard labels so I can change out the words if it's not working like I want it to. I put velcro squares on the backs of each task card and velcro strips so I can change them by the day.

I have found that using the schedule board works great because it gives me flexibility for each day to change as needed. For our oldest, it just helps to get up and see what the day is going to look like. For the younger one, we're still working on figuring out what works... He refuses to do things when they're on the board, just because they're on the board. So, I'm working on being flexible with him and giving him choices to choose from that I like both or all three of.


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It has helped me as a working mom tremendously, because I don't feel like I'm scrambling and putting out fires all day. I am able to schedule in there some quiet time where they are each in their rooms playing quietly by themselves. This incredible silence gives me time to sit down and return emails, or make phone calls. I'm able to review contracts and give my clients individual, mostly uninterrupted attention, too. When I have time set aside for the boys to play alone, I set a timer and let them know it's being set. That way, they know it isn't an indefinite amount of time and they'll have my attention again in an hour, when the timer goes off.

This also forces me to focus for certain allotted periods of time. If I know I only have an hour, doing dishes or something like laundry while my house is quiet isn't going to be productive. I like to do my "money-producing" activities during those quiet times. If it doesn't have potential to make me any income, I do it while I talk to or play with the boys.

I hope this schedule board helps! Do you have any tips or tricks you use to be productive as a work-at-home parent? Please share any ideas you have in the comments! We'd love to hear them and are always looking for ways to be more efficient!