4 Ways I Make Time to Learn Every Day (as a Stay-at-Home-Mom)

I love learning. Do you?

I love finding something that sets the gears turning in my mind. It makes me feel alive. Like I’m growing and changing. Like there is a forward momentum in my mind–even if my day is mostly cleaning up Cheerios and answering thousands of “Why?”s.

And while there are plenty of opportunities in motherhood to learn skills like patience, humility, and how to make a peanut butter sandwich with a crying baby attached to your leg, I missed the other kind of learning.

The kind I got to choose.

The kind that brings you things entirely outside the scope of your normal everyday.

I used to think that kind of learning was impossible to get with little kids around. How could I possibly integrate a marketing course or learning watercolor when I could barely finish a sentence without being bombarded with other people’s needs?

But when I looked closely at my day, I realized there were plenty of opportunities for me to grow and stretch my brain. (And have something besides cleaning, crayons, and baby-bum-wiping to discuss with my husband after the kids are in bed. 😉 )

Here are four ways I make time to learn every single day. 🙂

1. Choose LOTS of different kinds of learning material.

I’ve found that different phases of our day allow for different kinds of learning, so I try to have a collection of options available at all times:

• Books. If the kids are engrossed in Sesame Street, I can sit beside them on the couch and work through a chapter in a book.
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• Podcasts and audiobooks. Laundry folding time often means inconsistent company, kids wandering in and out of the laundry room, so I use that time to listen to part of an audiobook or podcast. Sure, I have to pause it sometimes, but it’s easy to pick it right back up by hitting play.

  I also use my phone to listen while I am out running errands alone, while I’m cleaning up after dinner, if I do an at-home workout DVD, and sometimes when I’m tidying up the house while the kids are playing. (If the kids are up, I make sure to keep it on speaker instead of using headphones–I want to still appear available to them!) Plus, Amazon has a promo right now where you can try Audible and get two free audiobooks. Free books = yay!
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• eCourses. ECourses are my new favorite thing. They cost a little money, but they’re a great way to learn something you

  really want to know about right from the comfort of your own sofa. This year I’ve signed up for Skillshare ($10 a month for access to over 1500 classes! You can even get a free month to try it out–that’s how I got started and I love it!) and Cozy Minimalist course (currently closed to new purchases–but I can’t wait to read the Cozy Minimalist book!), as well as some small-business related stuff.
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• Webinars. Webinars are awesome, too. They’re all the good stuff on an eCourse, but with the added benefit of some realtime interaction. My favorite webinars so far have been put on by Power of Moms (a website for intentional mothers), Amy McCready (positive parenting genius), and Michael Hyatt (leadership & productivity guru).

  Videos take a little more focus, so I often do e-courses when my kids are in bed, having their daily quiet time, or while I’m on a machine at the gym.

2. Prepare in advance.

I’ve talked before about how hard it is to show up and get the work done. There is always some kind of resistance, and for me a super big one is convenience. If something is inconvenient, it’s going to take a lot more of my willpower to do it.

It is 100x easier for me to take ten minutes to fold laundry and stimulate my brain if I’ve already got an audiobook or a playlist of podcasts lined up. I just pull open the app and GO.

My knee thinks folding laundry is almost fun with a podcast…

So put a little effort into prepping your learning for the week in advance, when the kids aren’t around. Keep the books you want to work on in places where you’ll actually read them. Subscribe to interesting podcasts so they’ll just be waiting in the queue on your phone.

It won’t take long to prepare, and you’ll be way more likely to snatch those moments for learning if they’re already waiting for you.

3. Define YOUR easy-to-take learning times.

I’ve already shared some of my favorite times to learn above, but it’s important for YOU to know when yours are. If you do, you can make an effort to steal those times to better your brain instead of giving them up to scrolling Pinterest or Instagram. (Don’t worry–I do it too!)

Here are some ideas:

• Before the kids get up
• During a workout / run
• Nap time / Kids’ quiet time
• While doing chores or folding laundry
• While the kids watch their favorite TV show
• Meal prep or cleanup time
• Sitting with your kids as they play in the bathtub
• During your commute (even if it’s just to/from your kids’ school like mine is!)
• Waiting for your kids to finish an extracurricular (sports, music, dance class, etc.)
• During lunchtime

Think about your day–when are things a little slow, even just for 10 minute chunks of time? Snatch those times up and use them!

4. Get your kids involved.

There was one day a few months ago where I had just had it with kids programming. You hear me, right? Unless you’re four, there is really only so much Dinosaur Train one person can take.

Desperate to get a little brain stimulation, I threw on a genealogy video I’d been wanting to watch while my littles were eating lunch. (I’ve mentioned that I dabble in all kinds of hobbies, right? 😉 )

I was pleasantly surprised that my four-year-old got really into it. I don’t know if he knew what was going on, but he asked for more when it was over.

Since then he and his big sister have also watched couple of Skillshare classes with me and practiced artistic media I am trying out.

(And you know what? Sometimes we also watch Property Brothers on Netflix. HGTV is educational, right?)

Your kids want to know about you. They want to love what you love. So if you’re learning yoga or practicing a new language, let them get involved. You’ll be able to spend more time doing something that you love, and it will create a new facet to your relationship with your kiddos. Win-win!

Plus–I can almost guarantee there is no better cheerleader and accountability partner in the world than a preschooler. They thrive on routine, so if you want learning to be a part of yours, just put your little one in charge of enforcing it. They’ll keep you on track. 😉

What do you want to learn more about, mama? How can you fit some time for it into your schedule?

top & bottom image via unsplash