Life with kids is unpredictable.

There are seasons when my toddler is at home with me more than usual—school breaks, holidays, unexpected days at home—and I still have work that needs to get done.

As a mom of three, I’ve learned that working from home with a toddler isn’t about creating the perfect routine. For me, it’s about planning ahead, knowing what really needs to get done, having a few simple activities ready, and being flexible when the day doesn’t go as planned.

Some days are productive. Some days aren’t.

But these 7 simple things help me get my work done while still being present for my toddler.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information, please read my full Affiliate Disclosure 

1. I Plan Tomorrow Before Today Is Over

One of the biggest changes I’ve made is surprisingly simple:

I don’t wait until tomorrow morning to decide what I’m going to do tomorrow.

Because I’ve done that before.

I sit down at my computer, open my to-do list, check my email, look at everything that needs doing…and suddenly I’ve spent the first 20 minutes of my precious work time trying to figure out where to start.

Now I try to make that decision the day before.

This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot since reading Organize Tomorrow Today.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve taken from the book is that being productive isn’t about squeezing as many things as possible into one day. It’s about deciding what’s most important and giving that your attention.

So before I finish my day, I ask myself:

What absolutely needs to happen tomorrow?

I might have ten or fifteen things on my mind, but I don’t treat all of them as equally important.

Usually, I choose just a few priorities.

Then when I finally get a quiet window to work, I don’t have to think about what to do.

I already know.

If you’re also someone who makes enormous to-do lists and then feels overwhelmed looking at them, you might enjoy my thoughts on Organize Tomorrow Today and the simple planning ideas I’ve actually started using in my own life.

Read my Organize Tomorrow Today review here.

And if you don’t have much time to sit down with a physical book, this is also the kind of book that works well on Kindle or as an audiobook while you’re doing laundry, walking, cooking, or tidying up. Listen with Audible – including the current free-trial offer

2. I Do a Five-Minute Brain Dump

I have discovered that one of the hardest parts of being a busy mom isn’t necessarily doing everything.

It’s remembering everything.

Reply to that email.

Buy something the kids need.

Finish a work task.

Book an appointment.

Put the laundry on.

Remember something for school.

Write that blog post idea down before I forget it.

Sometimes my brain feels like it has 25 tabs open at once.

That’s why I love doing a simple brain dump.

I take a piece of paper and spend about five minutes writing down everything that’s floating around in my head.

I don’t organize it.

I don’t worry about whether it’s important.

I just get it out of my head and onto paper.

Then I look at the list and decide:

What actually matters today?

Usually, I choose one major thing that really needs to happen and another two or three things I’d like to accomplish.

Everything else can wait.

This is also something I’ve been learning while trying to figure out how to prioritize when everything feels important.

Because when you’re juggling work, children, a home and your own goals, almost everything can feel important.

But everything can’t be the priority at the same time.

3. I Prepare Easy Toddler Activities Before I Need Them

This has probably saved me more times than I can count.

I’ve learned not to wait until my toddler is bored and hanging on my arm before thinking:

What can he do while I finish this?

Because by that point, I’m already trying to work, he’s already bored, and neither of us is particularly patient.

Instead, I like having a few simple toddler activities ready.

And I mean simple.

I’m not talking about spending 45 minutes creating a perfect sensory setup so that my toddler can play with it for six minutes.

I love activities using things we already have at home.

Things like:

• water play
• sensory bins
• scooping and pouring
• LEGO or DUPLO
• color matching
• simple painting
• fine-motor activities
• household objects turned into play

That’s actually one of the reasons I’ve created so many toddler activities on this blog.

They’re activities I can realistically set up as a busy mom.

If you need ideas, start with my 28 Easy Toddler Activities Using Things You Already Have at Home. You probably already have supplies for several of them.

I also have plenty of sensory play ideas and fine motor activities for toddlers if your child enjoys those.

The goal isn’t necessarily to keep your toddler occupied for hours.

Sometimes I just need enough time to finish one task.

And 15 or 20 minutes can make a surprisingly big difference.

4. I Stopped Expecting Hours of Uninterrupted Work

This one took me a while to accept.

Before having children, I could sit down and concentrate on something for a long stretch of time.

Working around a toddler is different.

Sometimes I have a decent block of uninterrupted time.

Sometimes I don’t.

So instead of waiting for the perfect two- or three-hour window, I’ve started thinking about my work in smaller pieces.

If I have 15 minutes, what can I do in 15 minutes?

Maybe I can:

• answer an email
• edit a paragraph
• schedule a Pinterest pin
• make a phone call
• organize something
• complete a small admin task

Then I save the things that require serious concentration for the most predictable quiet parts of my day.

This change has helped me enormously because I no longer feel like a short block of time is useless.

Twenty minutes is still twenty minutes.

And when you’re a busy mom, those little pockets of time add up.

5. I Give My Toddler Attention Before Expecting Independent Play

This sounds almost backwards when you’re desperate to get some work done.

You finally have your laptop open.

There’s something you really need to finish.

And your toddler wants you.

My first instinct used to be:

Just give me ten minutes.

But I’ve noticed that sometimes the opposite works better.

I close the laptop.

We read a book.

Build something.

Play together.

Go outside for a little while.

Or I simply sit on the floor and give him my full attention.

Then I try working again.

This is something I thought about a lot while reading Time to Parentby Julie Morgenstern.

One of the things that book made me reflect on was the difference between being physically around my children and actually being present with them.

Those aren’t always the same thing.

I can technically spend an entire afternoon beside my child while thinking about work, looking at my phone, answering messages and mentally running through my to-do list.

I’m there.

But am I really there?

That realization has helped me become more intentional about creating moments when I’m genuinely present.

Then there are also times when Mom needs to work.

And I think having that distinction helps me too.

If you’re struggling with that constant feeling of being pulled between work, your children and everything else that needs you, I highly recommend this book.

And again, if sitting down to read feels impossible right now, you can check whether Time to Parent is available through Free Trial Audible here

6. I Keep a Few “Emergency Activities” for Busy Work Moments

Not every work task is equal.

There are plenty of things I can stop halfway through and come back to later.

But occasionally, I really need 20 or 30 minutes.

Maybe I have something that needs to be submitted.

Maybe I’m trying to finish a piece of work.

Maybe I just need enough uninterrupted time to concentrate.

That’s when my reliable activities come out.

I like having a few things I already know my toddler enjoys rather than experimenting with something completely new when I’m under pressure.

A favorite sensory activity can work.

Painting can work.

DUPLO can work.

Water play can work.

Sometimes something ridiculously simple works better than an expensive toy.

If you’re building your own little collection of emergency ideas, have a look through my toddler activities and save a few that you know would suit your child.

You don’t need 50 activities prepared.

Start with three or four reliable ones.

That alone can make work-from-home days easier.

7. I Accept That Some Days Just Aren’t Going to Go to Plan

This may actually be the most important lesson.

I can plan tomorrow the night before.

I can make my brain dump.

I can choose my three priorities.

I can prepare toddler activities.

I can organize my work perfectly.

And then my toddler can wake up having a completely different plan for the day.

That’s life with little kids.

I’m slowly learning that I don’t need to measure a successful day by asking:

Did I finish everything on my list?

Instead, I try to ask:

Did I do what mattered most today?

Sometimes that means finishing an important work project.

Sometimes it means getting one thing done instead of ten.

And sometimes it means realizing my child needs more of me that day and adjusting accordingly.

That’s where the two books I mentioned earlier have actually complemented each other beautifully for me.

Organize Tomorrow Today reminds me to decide what deserves my attention instead of trying to do everything.

And Time to Parent reminds me that productivity isn’t the only thing deserving my attention.

I need both reminders.

Working From Home With a Toddler Doesn’t Have to Look Perfect

If you’ve been searching for the perfect routine for working from home with a toddler, I don’t think there is one.

Toddlers aren’t particularly interested in our schedules.

Some days will flow beautifully.

Some days won’t.

What has helped me is creating enough structure that I know what matters, while leaving enough flexibility for real life with children.

I plan tomorrow today.

I get everything out of my head with a brain dump.

I choose a few priorities instead of trying to accomplish everything.

I prepare easy activities.

I work in small pockets of time when I need to.

And I try to remember that when I’m with my children, sometimes the most productive thing I can do is close the laptop and actually be with them.

Tomorrow, I can open it again.

And start with the next most important thing.