As we venture into a new season even though it is still snowing and we are experiencing some crazy winds right now. Arizona’s winters have never really been like this before. It has been raining and we are slowly transitioning to a spring season. And during that spring season you will see your spring season take a hit. You will see the sun is staying out longer. And for those of you who like to say see, “the sun is sleeping so you are sleeping”, can’t anymore.

And so many of us say they get so exhausted and tired. With this really intentional type of life and the amount of energy it really takes to is to show up in all of the areas. And the last thing I want is for you in the later part of you day be where you just give up. The last part of your day in your PM block should be completely automated. If you are wondering how to automate your PM block as a busy mom, and I don’t mean you push a button and everything miraculously happens for you. That means you can think about it by being told; everyone knows the drill. That is the automation part of it, so it runs smoothly.

And if you are not a part of our after-party hangout spot, our Facebook group is an enjoyable place for overwhelmed moms and a community of women to learn and grow together. Someone had asked about the details of a PM block in that community. And how to do it when you’re exhausted.

Dinner Time

The first thing of how to automate inside your PM block as a busy mom is your dinner. Please check out my menu board so it is plug and chug and you know where everything is in the fridge and pantry. Get this super dialed in so you don’t have to think about it. We are trying to get everyone to bed on time. We can keep our routines buttoned up regardless of our kid’s ages and seasons because that will continually change. Whatever this needs to look like.

Clean Up After Dinner

So next, the clean up of dinner and the clean up of everyone coming home after school. A lot of my cleanup happens while I am cooking. We would split shifts between bath time and cleaning up the kitchen with my husband. Also, I told everyone in our community we are all systems to go because we are moving. We are all systems go for moving.

This is what the loosey-goosey system looks like. We don’t even do some of my systems because we are moving. And I am like, wow, I like living with systems, and we have had dirty dishes for a while, and it is frustrating. And it may be an excellent place to start if you feel it can benefit what you are experiencing at night or the next day. You can have a smooth morning the next day. See how that cookie crumbles? Having dirty dishes in the sink in the morning has made it harder for me lately to have breakfast on the table, lunches ready for the next day, or get my meal planning done. Learning how to automate your PM block as a busy mom can affect everyone getting to bed on time.

Next Day Lunches

The next thing is packing lunches for the next day, even if you are just packing your own lunch and not for your kids. I love packing lunches for myself, even as a work-from-home mom. Even when I go to my coworking space because I am within walking distance, I love packing lunches. And I don’t like making lunches the night before because I want the food to be fresh.

But I do try to pack as much as I can the night before. The hard-boiled egg has already been peeled or the pepper has already been cut. I will have an idea of what will go into the lunch, and I will plan that out at the beginning of the week. The girls can help when I have those things preplanned and prepped. It helps to have those ready to feed your kids what you want instead of shoveling them out the door and depending on whatever the school provides them.

Next Day Outfits

Next-day outfits, being able to set out next-day outfits for your kids and your selves should be built into the PM block. This should be completely built in, and you don’t even think bout it because its just automated inside your routine stacks. Get them in there and get them done. This is going to be a game changer as a task you may have not thought of before. You should automatically be able to go to a closet and pull out your favorite pant, shirts, and shoes, and the same with your kids. Pull them out and put them together on a hanger, or lay them on a chair or the foot of your bed whenever needed. I have a spot where I lay the next day’s outfits in my clothes.

Weekly Outfits

You could do this for the whole week if you wanted too. We have a drawer in Bailey’s room where we stack a bunch of outfits that got together. Both of my girls want a little bit of help still. It works out when you pick out clothes that already go together so they can pick them out themselves. It is a bit of outsourcing automation. That makes it even easier so it is not a task that you have to do. And when it comes to yourself, if you don’t have that feel-good like “oh my gosh, I can’t wait to pick out my outfits.” Then it’s time to hit pause and do a closet purge. Either whenever you do laundry or all at once.

This is going to help you get out the door on time the next day, but also get you out of your gym clothes and out of your pajamas. As a work-from-home mom changing will make you feel better and like you have a purpose. It doesn’t have to be stuffy and uncomfortable, but it should be an outfit that you love.

Your Wardrobe

When was the last time you went and bought yourself something new? It doesn’t have to be expensive. I go shopping at goodwill and Walmart. Target is on the higher end, and if I buy something at Target, I might as well go and buy something at a boutique because this pricing is about the same. There is an Instagram account called Walmart finds, which sells some cool stuff and most of it is online. Amazon, too, is great; I follow a few accounts. You do not have to build out a whole new wardrobe all at once. You can shop on a dime. I definitely recommend this, just try it because it is super fun.

Bath, Books, and Bed

Next, what I like to call the triple b: bath, books and bed. This is probably where I got the most laser-focused with my kids when they were little, and I have just continued for eleven years now. It is so automatic that it is just something that we do. We do bath, we do books, and we do bed. We don’t always do baths or books but we do it most of the time. I don’t even know we bath, we do books, and we do bed. We do the whole nighttime routine.

And we have gotten a little lax on it a few times because we have an older one. And we have a younger one, and she is learning boundaries right now. She wants to play a little bit longer when she assumes that we don’t do this every night. So this automation is set by your intention, and then you’re following through. So your discipline in doing these tasks is what makes the automation. It is possible. If you dial in on the hour that you want to set this up for everyone to get to bed you can peel back your dinner time as needed.

Skin Care

This is the new thing that I wanted to talk about that I am stacking in this bath, books, and bed. I have started to do my skincare routine during this time. I have found myself during that time for just playing, a time I can take for myself. So I am giving myself a leg up by using the time I am already in the bathroom to finish my skincare. It has been exciting, making it a time that I am looking forward to and motivating me to get the kids set up in the bath to do their own thing. Before, I wasn’t looking forward to this part of the day. What can you do in that time and space to make you want to do it over and over and over again? That is just a question for you to reflect on, and I hope you take the time to do that until next time. I hope you enjoyed learning how to automate your PM block as a busy mom

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