It's back to school and back to routines and for me that means a new season of podcasting and starting this one off with how to maximize our time while our kids are in school. Insane to say but I now have a high schooler and in my many years of having school age children I've learned so much about how to use this time to have time for yourself, get the things done that you need to, catch up with people that you love, fitness & nutrition, take care of appointments and errands… without wasting any time. My goal of this podcast is to give you a really helpful framework for laying out how you will spend those precious hours while your kids are in school. If we don't plan, the time can see like it goes by soooo fast. But if we do have a plan and we don't have wasted or distracted time in between things, we can get so much done and by the time it's school pickup, you feel accomplished and organized and energized and ready to give them the best of you, not the distracted half paying attention version of you. Our days all look different but as mothers that all love our kids and want as much quality time with them as possible, spending the time you aren't with them strategically, will bring so much joy to your life. Get Clear on Your Top Priorities
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Start with "radical clarity" on what truly matters to you. Take time to define what fulfillment, success, and joy mean in your life. Identify your biggest goals and why they're important – this clarity becomes your compass for how to spend your days.
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List the things you never seem to have time for… both big and small. Maybe it's projects like organizing the closets or family photos, pursuing a passion or side-business, getting back into shape, or finally starting that project.
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Connect each task to a purpose. For each priority or goal, be clear on why it matters. For example, you might not love the act of meal-prepping lunches, but you do love the outcome of healthier meals and smoother evenings. When you know why a task is important (to your health, career, family, etc.), it's easier to commit time to it.
You're designing your life around what matters most to you, not just reacting to whatever comes up.
Plan Your Day, Don't Wing It
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Design each school-day with intention. Map out your day before it starts... even down to hourly blocks if possible. We're just not good enough to wing it consistently and expect great results.
As productivity expert Stephen Covey famously said, "The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities." In other words, slot your highest-value activities into your calendar.
If working out, writing a chapter of your book, or having an uninterrupted block for work projects is a priority, schedule it into the hours your kids are at school.
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Identify your MITs (Most Important Tasks) each morning. A great habit is to choose the top 2–3 tasks that will make your day feel successful if nothing else gets done. Write these down and tackle them early in the day.
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Batch and align tasks to the right times. Group similar tasks together and do them at the optimal times of day. For example, if you have high-energy or creative time in the morning, use that for deep work or exercise. Save low-energy tasks (like tidying up or answering non-urgent emails) for the later afternoon slump
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Be realistic and time-conscious. Don't overload your day with a massive to-do list that ignores the realities of time… that just leads to frustration. Remember, we all have the same 24 hours; it's how we use them that counts.
Make the Most of School Hours: High-Value Activities to Consider
When your kids are at school, think of it as your prime time to tackle the things that are hardest to do when they're around. Plan these hours as if they're gold… because they are! Here are some categories and examples of productive, fulfilling things you can do while the kids are in class:
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Invest in your health and energy: Get your workout in... go for a run, hit the gym, take a yoga or Pilates class, or do a workout video at home.
Prioritize meal prep and nutrition: plan healthy dinners for the week, prep ingredients, or cook in batches.
Maybe even schedule that dentist appointment or physical therapy session you've been putting off. Taking care of your physical well-being will boost your energy and mood for the rest of the day.
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Do deep work or professional tasks: Use the quiet time to focus on work projects or passion projects without interruptions. This could mean building your business (developing a product, marketing, content creation), working on tasks for your job that require concentration, or even starting a side hustle from home.
It might be the perfect window to record a podcast episode or write that book or blog you've dreamed about while the house is silent. If you're pursuing a career goal like earning a certification or applying for jobs, dedicate a block of time to that. Treat these school hours as your "deep focus" sessions to really move the needle on work that matters to you.
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Learn and grow: Take an online course or use the time to read personal development or business books, listen to inspiring podcasts, or practice a hobby (paint, play an instrument, write in a journal). These hours are a gift for personal growth… seize them to feed your mind and passion.
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Knock out home and life admin tasks: Get your household organized so that evenings can be more relaxed. For example, do the laundry and cleaning in the morning so you're free to play with the kids later. Declutter a room or tackle that messy closet.
Run errands strategically: if grocery shopping with your children feels like a nightmare, do it solo while they're at school (or order groceries online for delivery). Take the car for service, go to the bank, or handle appointments (haircuts, doctor visits) during this window. By handling errands and chores now, you won't have them weighing on you during family time.
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Nurture your relationships and social life:
It's healthy and energizing to connect with other adults when you have some free time. Plan a coffee date or lunch with a friend or your spouse once in a while during school hours.
Join a local moms' group meetup, or simply call a family member to catch up. Human connection and laughter can recharge you. Also, if you and your partner can swing it, the occasional daytime date while kids are in school... even just a walk or lunch together… can be a fun way to reconnect without needing a sitter.
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Take care of YOU (self-care time):
Yes, productivity includes self-care, because if you burn out, nothing else works well. So don't feel guilty about using some school time for yourself. In fact, schedule it in. Maybe that means enjoying quiet "me time" to recharge: take a relaxing bath, sit in a park with a coffee, or simply revel in the silence at home to meditate or pray. It could be booking a massage, facial, or therapy session guilt-free, since you're not missing family time to do it.
Eliminate Distractions and Time-Wasters
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Guard those school hours from distractions. It's easy to lose precious minutes (which turn into hours) by checking texts, scrolling social media, or getting pulled into emails constantly throughout the day.
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Identify your personal time-wasters… and nix them.
Take an honest look at where your time tends to "leak" away. Is it the rabbit hole of social media? Random online shopping? Unplanned chats with a neighbor or lengthy coffee breaks? We often don't realize how these add up.
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Use productivity tricks to stay focused. Many parents find techniques like time blocking helpful. Time blocking means scheduling a fixed block (say 9–10:30am) for a specific task or category of tasks… and during that block, you only do that.
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Accept that things won't always go as planned.
We can craft the perfect schedule on paper… and then life happens. Kids get sick, the school calls, the car battery dies, you hit an unexpected wall of fatigue, etc.
Productivity experts who are parents stress that you must expect interruptions as a normal part of life rather than an exception.
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Don't overload yourself or chase perfection.
It's tempting to use every kid-free minute to "get everything under the sun done" – and set unrealistically high expectations.
It's far better to do a few important things well (and include some self-care) than to do 20 things and be too exhausted to enjoy the evening with your kids. So be realistic and kind to yourself when planning your week.
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Use habits and routines to stay consistent (but adapt when needed). Establishing regular routines can automate your productivity. For instance, if you always exercise right after school drop-off, soon it becomes second nature and requires less willpower.
Maybe 10–11am is always devoted to your top work project, or perhaps you do a 15-minute mindfulness meditation at the same time daily. Routines build momentum and reduce decision fatigue.
Celebrate what you did get done.
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At the end of the day, acknowledge and appreciate the things you accomplished... both the personal ("kept the house running, paid the bills") and professional. Too often we focus on what we didn't do.
Change that habit! Even if your day went off the rails, maybe you managed to comfort a sick child or have an important conversation.. those count too.
By recognizing the value in all you do (paid and unpaid), you maintain a positive mindset.
Productivity isn't just about checking boxes; it's also about feeling fulfilled. If you ended the day with your kids safe, fed, and loved, and you moved the needle on one personal goal (no matter how small) – that's a win.
Plan Your Days, Love Your Afternoons
Maximizing your kid-free hours is ultimately about being intentional… with your time, your habits, and your choices.
By planning ahead and aligning your daily actions to your biggest priorities, you create a life where your important work and your family time can both flourish.
Instead of feeling like the school day "just flies by" in a blur of busy-ness, you'll see tangible progress on your goals and still have energy in the tank when it's time for pickup.
That's the true reward here: you get to fully enjoy the afternoons and evenings with your children, being present instead of preoccupied.
So remember, a great plan is really about freedom, the freedom to spend your time on the things that light you up and the freedom to be the parent (and person) you want to be.
With a little structure and a lot of consistency, you can turn your school-hour routine into a powerhouse of productivity and fulfillment. Plan your days around what matters most, execute those plans with focus (and a dash of flexibility), and watch how much awesome stuff you get done before the school day is even over.
