Well! A lot has changed since my last day in the life post. I had a second child and started homeschooling my first child due to a global pandemic.

On my Instagram account, I share many glimpses into my everyday life (attempting to) balance work, kids, and homeschool. I have gotten so many questions in response to these posts and stories that I decided to dedicate a blog post to a day in the life at the moment. As always, I start with the following:

Disclaimer: If I was a single parent, chief breadwinner, responsible for my family’s health insurance, essential worker outside the home (etc.) my situation would look very different and be much harder. I understand that it’s a privilege to be able to reduce my schedule and to have so much help from my husband (also working from home).

And with that, here is what my life looked like on Tuesday, October 27, 2020.

7:30am: WORK TIME. 6:30-8:30am (before my husband has to log on) is a key work period for me on weekdays.

Today, I’m putting the finishing touches on my monthly newsletter going out this morning.

8:45am: HOMESCHOOL for my first grader. We start in the 8:30-9:00am range at the moment (this will shift as my baby moves to one nap). We were working on an election unit in the lead up to the presidential election. Everyday we do read aloud, math, and language arts. We also have “specials” that we add in once per week- coding, science, and poetry tea time.

Independent first grade work while I run around in the kitchen

10:30am: HOMESCHOOL work has moved up to the kitchen table. Spelling practice and other independent work can easily be done here while I cook and clean up.

Quiet moment with baby girl getting a bottle

11:30am: BABY. Baby girl is up from her nap and getting a bottle.

12:00-1:00pm: WORK TIME. Call with fellow public health consultant to work on fun collaboration. Husband is handling kid lunch while I take my call (this stretch of time is also common for me to work, since he typically joins us for lunch, so it doesn’t interrupt his schedule).

I have a quick lunch after my call.

Our neighborhood in the fall is gorgeous!

1:30pm: WALK WITH KIDS. Barring a tornado, I try to get the kids out multiple times a day. We all need fresh air and exercise to manage so much time at home.

2:00pm: WORK TIME. Big kid has quiet/independent time in the 2-3:30pm range while the baby naps, so I use this time for consulting work or work around the house. Today, I’m ordering groceries.

3:30pm: FAMILY TIME. Baby gets another bottle and we play in the playroom until my husband wraps up work for the moment (he tries to pause around 4:30/5pm whenever possible to wrangle the kids while I deal with dinner).

4:30pm: WALK WITH KIDS. Another walk before dinner- this time with the whole family.

I live by my meal plan when things are busy

5:30pm: DINNER. We all eat together. Tonight we’re having leftover chili, so prep is really easy. I do all the meal planning and cooking, and my husband does all the kitchen clean up. I keep track of meals on a little white board in the kitchen, which is really helpful. My daughter has been dairy/soy free since she was 10 weeks old, so I need to think ahead and make sure I always have an easy modification or alternative for her. Fingers crossed she outgrows her allergy soon!

6:15-7:00pm: WORK TIME. My husband is handling playtime in the playroom, so I can use this time for consulting work or work around the house. Today, I’m tackling this massive pile of laundry.

7:00-8:00pm: KID BEDTIME ACTIVITIES.

8:20-9:30pm: WORK TIME. I do not like to work in the evenings. Between early rising kids and no childcare, I’m exhausted after kid bedtime. A few times a week (like tonight!), I sign on for an hour to deal with time sensitive things, but mostly try to get essentials done earlier in the day. I also work a lot on Saturdays, so that helps lighten my load during the week.

Other FAQs: When I asked my Instagram followers if there was interest in A Day in the Life Post, I received several questions:

How are you surviving without childcare? It’s very very hard. As previously shared, reducing my hours, setting strict boundaries with work, and my husband being home and available to help has been huge.
I’m curious what you have your kids do when you have to work (do they both nap)? I do not attempt to work when my daughter (age 1 year) is awake. She’s too active and needy, it is not possible. So I work a lot in the morning, evening, weekends, and when she’s with my husband. I never schedule work calls when I’m solo in charge of the kids. That said, my son (almost 7) does not nap but can absolutely entertain himself for 60-90 minutes if I need to get things done. He’s a very independent reader, so will read books and magazines for a long time (favorites are Highlights and National Geographic for Kids). He also loves to write books, color, and play with Legos while I get work done. We have a safe, fenced in backyard and I do feel comfortable with him out there by himself while I work. Both the office and dining room table (where I sometimes set up) look out onto the yard.
How do you and your partner split it up? My husband works full-time in IT and is the chief breadwinner at the moment. Since my work is more flexible (i.e., can be done at any time, limited calls/meetings), we prioritize his schedule for most of the day and I work in the slots of time I highlighted above (early mornings, lunch, after dinner, evenings, and most Saturdays). However, his job is flexible enough to accommodate any calls I need to make during the week…we just have to coordinate schedules. He’s super supportive of my work.
How do you communicate with clients about your schedule? Ever since having kids, I have chosen projects that are very flexible time-wise and require minimal calls and meetings (e.g., Subject matter expert review for courses, grant writing, etc.), so that really helps in terms of coordinating with clients. As I mentioned above, I can make almost any time work for calls if I pre-plan with the husband to wrangle the kids. The biggest issue has been a slower response time to email, and I’ve added an auto-reply letting people know I’m on a reduced schedule and my response may take a little longer than normal. I haven’t had any trouble or complaints.
How many uninterrupted, “in the zone”, work hours do you get weekly? I would estimate 15-20 hours at the moment. It could be more if I was willing to work most evenings after kid bedtime, but I’m too tired!
What type of work or projects would you prioritize if you had a full-time schedule? If I was working full-time, I’d prioritize e-Learning projects (both for my business and for clients). They are flexible and are aligned with the professional and income goals I have for my business.
I’d love to hear from you!
What does your schedule look like at the moment? How has your schedule been impacted by COVID-19? Are you working with kids at home too?

A Day In The Life Of A Public Health Consultant: 2020 Edition