If you know me on a personal level (or even a professional level) you will know that I love a good routine. So much so, that when we are out with friends and family, I am intrigued by learning about what people’s day and routines consist of. I enjoy understanding what works for people and then trying to adapt new ideas to my life! My husband quickly recognized this peculiar fascination of mine when I first met his friends (new people to interrogate) and immediately began asking them their morning rituals. I know, definitely cringeworthy without context, but I truly care!
With that being said, while I take so much pleasure in learning about others routines, I thought I would share my routine, as a new mom and business owner. While my system is not perfect, it works. It works for our family and it works for our daughter, Sophie, the most important little person in our lives.
Before further reading, please note: some days this routine is executed perfectly, other days it is a disaster, but we stick to it!
6:13 AM (alarm goes off): Snooze for 7 minutes and then another 7 minutes. Eventually get up at 6:30. Even though it is/was my New Year’s Resolution to not hit snooze, it’s still a work in progress.
6:30 AM: My husband is already awake for a good 1.5 hours at this point. I make the bed, do my morning skincare routine and get the house squared away. Ben and I like to ensure that everything is organized before Sophie gets up. I use this time to check emails and put a plan together for the day.
7 AM: Sophie awakes. Yes, we are very fortunate she is a good sleeper! Ben already has her bottles made for the day and in the warmer. Her outfit is laid out the night before (#firstchild) and I play with her, do her little exercises, read and Ben feeds her.
8AM – 9AM: Walkies in the Parkies & Team Call. Weather dependent, but we try to get out 4-5 mornings a week to go for a walk in our local park. Sophie LOVES this and it is easily my favorite part of the day. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I have an admin team call at 8:30 so I typically have my work phone with me to guide the call and lead it. When I’m not on the call, I love listening to books on audible (thanks mom for your account LOL) or Libby! More recs to come in another post!
9 AM: I drop Sophie off at school with her materials for the day, chat with the teachers (for way longer than they most likely appreciate) and then head home. We are very lucky that we are less than 3 minutes away from the best day/care school, Castle Academy in Skippack!
9:15 AM – 4:30 PM: I am at my desk working. The day is planned back to back to back from 9:30-4:30. Whether it be new client calls, tutor trainings, executive functioning workshops, or back office paperwork, I fully dedicate this time to being at my desk and fully accessible to my team. Yes, of course, there are times during the day where I have breaks and can do my Trader Joe’s shopping or get a quick Peloton Class in, but during the day, is when I aim to get 99% of my work done. So, when we pick up Sophie, she is our full priority. My husband and both have our goals fully aligned with this so when Sophie is home, she’s the focus.
4:30 – 7 PM: The Soph runs the show. She has begun to eat food so it’s been exciting watching her try new things. She is on her way to crawling so each day is something new and fun for her. Ben makes dinner, I typically do the clean up. We always sit at our kitchen table, and Sophie joins us (either in her chair or on our lap). We try to limit screen time, but that doesn’t always work.
7 PM: Bedtime routine. Ben takes her up and is in charge of bath time. I organize the downstairs and get life ready for the next day. He does bath, book and starts the bottle. We switch off halfway through her bottle and I finish up. Once again, another favorite part of my day. The house is quiet and Sophie is relaxed and tuckered out from her day at school.
7-10 PM: Ben and I like to spend time together, but also like to do our own thing. The first hour he is typically in the office catching up on news, video games, or YouTube while I am finishing a lifetime movie or whatever I am currently watching on Netflix. We cap off our night together with a cocktail and watch an episode of our show (currently: Curb Your Enthusiasm). We work together and I am truly so fortunate to have the best partner to do life with.
That’s my routine (in a nutshell). So many things have changed since having Sophie. But most notable is that work-life balance that I am working towards every day. I want Sophie to always SEE the value of hard work, but always FEEL that we were available and there for her every step of the way.
While it has been a work in progress ensuring that everything gets done; lots of times we settle for dishes in the sink, laundry piled up, and overflowing inboxes. But Sophie is safe and happy, and that is what really matters.
Live.Laugh.Learn,
Jenn