As a mom of eight, I get this question all the time: “how do you guys do it all?!” Well, spoiler alert: we aren't perfect, and we don't do it all. But we do have some productivity tips to share with you!
Aside from frugal living and finance questions, I'd daresay the most common question I get asked is “how do you do all that you do??”, or more commonly worded, “how do you do it all “? Not going to lie; the last one makes me wince a little. While there is no such thing as doing “it all, “we do have some productivity tips that I'm happy to share.
These tips have helped us run five businesses at once, manage a household, keep up with church/school/community responsibilities, and still have time to have an active social life, travel, play, and have a pretty darn good marriage.
We do NOT do any of it PERFECTLY (I'm going to say that until I'm blue in the face), but we do it and haven't died yet. So I guess that means we are doing something right, eh? Since you keep asking, I'm happy to share my goodies with y'all! A few years ago, for Q&A Tuesday, we sat down and gave you an in-depth look at our day, scheduling, parenting tactics, and the productivity tips that help us manage “it all.” Since we've gotten tons more questions recently, I decided to share this oldie but goodie again!
Enough blabbing, let's get to the tips!
Check out the video online or click and watch below:
See?? We don't do “it all.” Not even close. But we have tried to find ways to maximize what we do choose to do so we can be as efficient and streamlined as possible. Now, let's recap, shall we? Here are a few of the top tips we shared in this Q&A!
OUR NIGHTTIME ROUTINE
If you've ever wondered what bedtime routine looks like for a family our size, then pull up a chair! Here's the skinny on a “normal” night in the Page house:
- Dinner – First up: dinnertime! We always try to engage with our kids during dinner, asking them to share their sweet, sour, and service. What the what? Sweet is something good that happened, sour is something that made them sad, and service is something they did for someone else that day. This is a great way to facilitate conversations and make memories! In a nutshell? Try to eat together as a family if you can.
- Dishes/Bath – After dinner, we try to get the older kids together to help with dishes and post-dinner cleanup. Real talk: that's easier said than done during the school year. To make the most of that time, sometimes Bubba will help the kids practice their spelling test while doing the dishes. Meanwhile, I'll bathe the little kids.
- Reading – We try to read our kids one to two books each night all together as a group. This is a great time for our big kids to practice reading, too!
- Song & Prayer – After we read, we sing a song, say a prayer, and then it's lights out.
My biggest piece of advice? Make a routine! Kids thrive on routine, and it makes it easy for anyone to jump in and help once you've got a system down. Find what works best for your family! Want to learn more about how we tackle bedtime? Here are seven nighttime routine hacks you have to try! Oh, and be sure to read all about our tuck-in-time tradition.
BLOCK SCHEDULING PRODUCTIVITY TIPS
You guys know I'm a big proponent of following a block schedule, right? For me, that means breaking the day into three-hour blocks. I call them blocks because I think about how our schedule was structured in high school. You'd go to a class, be totally tuned in, and then move on when the bell rang. Think of your day like that! Focusing on one thing at a time, giving it all you've got, and then moving on is the best way to boost your productivity! Here's how my blocks typically look:
- Morning Block – I schedule my day out, say my prayers, get dressed, make sure I've got everything planned for dinner that night, and get the kids up. We have breakfast together as a family, read scriptures, get dressed for the day, practice spelling, etc. One thing that makes our mornings run a lot more smoothly? Make-ahead freezer breakfasts for the win, you guys!
- Lunch Block – I go to the gym, pick my kids up from preschool, have lunch, and get the kids down for a nap.
- Working Block – While the kids nap, I get all my focused work done.
- Dinner & Bedtime Block – Self-explanatory, right? If you dread dinner every night, check out this list of 100+ EASY dinner ideas! See above for those bedtime deets. 😉
- Nightime Block – Finally, we finish out our day with some quality Jordan & Bubba time. Date night is SO important for couples, so we try to do it weekly if we can.
Honestly, we could write a whole post about marriage, date nights, and more! Oh, wait. We did! Check out all our best marriage advice here!
Pro Tip: Having trouble getting babysitters for date night? Ask the daycare workers at your gym!
DON'T NEGLECT SELF CARE
I don't know who needs to hear this, but carving out alone time for self-care is SO important. For me, I was starting to feel grumpy, lose confidence, and feel sluggish, and I realized I wasn't doing enough to take care of myself. I'm not one of those people who loves to work out, but I've come to realize that I need to prioritize that time. While I'm at the gym, I multi-task. I'll listen to a podcast, respond to emails, and knock out other timeless tasks.
And at the end of the day, I need a little decompressing time. After going all day long and taking care of the kids, I just need a minute to breathe! My point here? Being productive doesn't mean doing it all 24/7. Productivity is about making the most of the time you have, which means prioritizing yourself, too! One of my best hacks of all? Learn how to say “no.” When you're clear on your priorities, you have to say no to some things to make time and space for the things that really matter. In a way, productivity is more about NOT doing it all than doing it all!
WANT A FEW MORE PRODUCTIVITY TIPS?
If you made it this far, thanks for sticking with us! Productivity is kinda my jam, so there was SO much more that I didn't fit into that video. In case you're looking for a little light reading, here are some of my top posts about productivity:
- Laundry Hacks – This laundry hacks post went viral and has helped SO many people.
- To-Do Book – I use a to-do book to get everything done and stay organized.
- Schedule the Year – It sounds crazy, but we plan a whole year in advance! Try it and see what you think.
- Deep Cleaning Schedule – I don't love cleaning (who does?!), but these cleaning hacks make life so much easier!
- 10/30 Rule – The 10/30 rule will change. your. life.
Finally, be sure to check out my secret sauce program, Productivity Boot Camp! It's super fun and interactive, totally self-paced, and will help you unlock the secrets to a more productive, fulfilling life. Use the code FCFBLOG for 10% off!
WHAT ARE YOUR BEST PRODUCTIVITY TIPS?
Thanks for reading and watching! I hope you picked up a tip or two that will make your life easier.
I love learning from you guys, too, so help a girl out! Drop a comment below and share your best productivity tips.
While you're here, check out these posts I think you'll love!
- Learn how to do a brain dump and increase your power.
- Check out my Productivity Planner so you can make block scheduling part of your routine!
- Try these weekend hacks to conquer your week.
You've got this!
Jordan,
I enjoy your blog and the recipes I’m finding..
I have a quick request: I’m not big on watching videos (partly because my computer is old & slow), is there anyway you could do brief summaries of your videos for those of us who have a hard time watching the videos?
Thanks.
Holy cow, it took me a while to figure it out but I finally did. Bubba’s voice reminds me so much of Bob Odenkirk’s voice (aka Better Call Saul). Like identical. Also and equally important, is that Bubba is wow, very attractive!
What was the knock off shamwow that you found on amazon that you said were amazing ??
Good stuff here!
This is awesome! I love productivity tips, especially because I have the hardest time getting going with each day, so having easy things to make it more simple help a ton!
So practical and yet so genius! I can’t wait to try your tips. ❤️
You guys are amazing!!
So helpful!!
You guys give such great advice. The hubby and I hashed out our general plan for the year. We already saved up and paid for our vacation in August. And we downloaded Google Calendar.
It’s life changing. Thank you for your tips!
Your method of Just One Bite has helped me so much! As a SAHM I get overwhelmed with all the things I *should* be doing around the house that it can be debilitating at times. Now I try to really focus on one JOB at a time and it’s suddenly not overwhelming- thank you! Looking forward to seeing what Productivity Bootcamp will have to offer 🙂
I love keeping a planner and having a daily to-do plan. Love your ideas!
Thanks for the tips and being so open about your life! You are awesome!
Love your tips! Thank you for sharing!
I love when you show how you fit it all in every day! You are amazing.
Your amazing! One of my favorites ❤️
I think planning out the year is so smart! Why did it never occur to me? I love having things organized and this is a perfect way to do so!
It’s nice to know you don’t have to do ‘everything’, but can pick what’s most important and do the best you can with it. Can’t wait for productivity bootcamp!
I love all of your time and money saving tips, and I really love your energy!
I love the ideas you give on your Instagram stories of little things you do throughout the day!
Thanks for sharing tips on how to just keep it all real and under control
My favorite tip you shared about productivity was in your Instagram stories; the “15/30 Rule: 15 more steps or 30 more seconds.” This hasn’t helped me keep outbreaks house clean so much! Every time I have to spend a lot of time cleaning, I think to myself “if I just cleaned after I used things, I wouldn’t have to do a major cleaning” and the 15/30 rule has actually helped me Keep it clean a lot more often!! Thanks, Jordan!
Love the to do book…now I just need to do it already and stop watching time pass me by..
I love this! I have been trying to organize not just my stuff but how I use my time – then it seems like the stuff takes care of itself.
I have been super into productivity lately, can’t wait to apply these tips!
Love using some of these tips!!
Thank you for the fun prespective and great tips. It’s so refreshing to see a genuine real person talking about stuff other people don’t talk about.
Seriously need to get my act together and be more productive. I’ve started my lists!
Thanks for sharing these tips! I feel like productivity is my lifelong struggle!
Love your productivity tips!
I love reading about your guys’s schedule and routine, it honestly motivates me to be more productive! Can’t wait for productivity boot camp!!
I love the sweet, sour, service, Savior idea. I definitely think it would help me understand my kids better. I’m implementing it starting ASAP! Thanks, both of you!
I’m still working on my productivity but I love all of your tips and try to incorporate them all into my routine. Thanks for sharing all your great ideas!
It’s good to be reminded that no one can really do “it all” but I’ve learned so much about being more productive from you so thank you. I definately have a long way to go.
I just love your Q&A’s. I struggle with this one big time. I am a professional housekeeper (for another family) a mother, wife, friend and struggle to do it all for more than a day or 2. Thank you for helping me along.
Okay, how are you so amazing? Thanks for sharing such great advise! It definitely seems like you do it all! You’re so fun to learn from. Thank you Jordan! ❤️
I love this! I’ve started implementing a few of these and I plan to add more so I don’t get overwhelmed! I love how you break things down!
This is one of the besttttt posts you’ve done.. the to-do book is wisdom from Gods!!! I get so much more done that way!! Also, your clothes are seriously the cutest!!! I love watching all your outfits and the older videos you have of you closet tour haha it’s the best!!!!!
So encouraging! You make it all seem so simple! My grandma texted me the other day encouraging me to follow you but I obviously already had been! My kids are all 18 months apart so that’s what made her know I needed to follow you!
Love this!
I have a six-year-old who needs a lot of predictability so routines are key to our mornings running smoothly but I just love routines even without that need. They take away a gazillion of decisions and let me save my cognitive energy for things that really require it.
I want the productivity bootcamp! Can’t wait to get my hands on that.
So helpful!
I am so excited to buy budget boot camp. My fiancé is in the military so after he gets back from deployment we’re getting married and one of the first things we will do is get your program to start our marriage off strong.
Just watched this vid, and its so needed for everyday life.
This post was how I found your blog and youtube and it was incredibly helpful! We’ve started using the envelope method to budgeg each week and it’s so much easier to stay on track when it is a week at a time! I’m still not where I’d like to be with, “doing it all” but it’s coming along! 🙂
This was a great Q&A! Loved the tips?
I love seeing when you implement ideas that I’m doing at home already (the to-do book). It validates that I’m on the right track and sometimes that’s all a mama needs to feel good about what she’s doing!
I love this video! So many great ideas. Your tips about time blocks has seriously changed my days. Thank You!
I’m obsessed with your tips! So much good, all the time!
I need productivity tips. Sometime I feel like I’m drowning in my “to do list”.
I’ve used a to do list book for the last 2 years and love it. I feel so accomplished at the end if the day.
Can’t wait for Productivity Bootcamp!!! By the way, this was probably one of my most favorite Q&A Tuesday’s. Loved it.
I love the idea of scheduling your whole year!!! I am working through doing that with my hubby!!!!!
I love your blog and YouTube page! I found you from your grocery tip video years ago!
You are awesome, Jordan! Thanks for all of the tips!
I have always done to do lists they are so helpful to keep my brain in order for busy days!
Love all of your tips!!!
I love hearing about all of productivity tips (I started cleaning the shower while I’m taking one and my husband only mildly thinks I’m weird) because I have nothing going on in comparison to you and I still feel overwhelmed! Keep them up!! (:
Wow!! So many Awesome ideas!
it overwhelms me to think about scheduling my year so i’m going to start with my month. 😀
Do you have conversations with yours kids on productivity/organization? This is a conversation that hit hard this year in our home.
I have been a follower for a few months. Love your 10/30 rule (I have gotten so much more done). My kiddos now do zone chores and stocking our shelves. Recommend you to everyone with kids or having money issues.
Started planning our year a little more. Definitely needs some work but I feel like this year is gonna be more productive!
I have started doing this to help my family and it gives me peace of mind.
Love all of these productivity tips!!
I’ve been trying to be more productive and these are great tips. Thank you! (Giveaway)
Having a To-Do Book is totally my style! Thank you for all the tips you shared! I definitely need to step up my productivity game.
I watch every insta story and YouTube you post!! Every one sometimes more then once!! My life has changed because of you in so many ways…
I love that you sync your calendars together! This is something I would love to do with my hubby, but he never puts anything into a calendar, hardly ever! IT would be nice to get into this habit. I have also talked with him about planning out our whole year. It is the end of February and we haven’t done it yet but I’m still planning on getting that done!
It’s so much easier to think of chores or cleaning house in 10 minute increments with a timer. Not so daunting!
I need this in my life! Thanks fo sharing!
Congrats on 100k! You and Bubba are my fav! The two of you are so inspiring.
I just found you about a month ago but I’ve been binge watching your videos and have been getting so much value from each of them! Thanks so much for doing what you do!! We’ve already started integrating lots of your ideas and tips in our daily life 🙂
So many great tips!
I loved these tips! Thanks!! ?
Love the tips on speed cleaning
I can really way that following you has “changed my life”. Because I think a lot inside my head, and then you say it out loud! Sometimes confirming my thoughts, but most of the time making one of my processes SO MUCH BETTER!
love your tips!! have started using a to do book and it is great!!
So excited for productivity boot camp. I could use a real kick in booty on this one.
You guys inspire me to be more intentional about my days, months and years. You have three more kids than we do and yet you get WAY more accomplished! You inspired us to start doing planning sessions every Sunday as a couple. It’s made a big difference! And I started typing my “To-Do” list in GoogleKeep app on my phone (instead of a book) and it’s working great!
Really enjoy that you and Bubba both know what each other are doing and can communicate just by sharing calendars. That probably clears up a lot of scheduling conflicts!
I love your Q&A Videos!! Your to-do book is brilliant I have so many random planners lying around, Im totally going to give that one a try
Routines are something I’ve always struggled with because I didn’t know where to start! This is so helpful!
I defiantly need to pre-schedule more and stop letting chaos reign!
The “4 s’s” are such an awesome idea!! What a great way to connect with each of my kids!
Hope Our productivity boot camp will cover what to do when you feel like you just don’t want to at all? And how to get motivated!
Love love loved this! I actually bought a tangible planner bc I hate having to go through stuff on my phone other than reminders of important things. Plus I’m using your “to do” method and I love it!
I just love the outfit you wear in these photos! Have you shared where your top is from!! (Love glitter!)
100k give away!
I love all your tips!
I’m a full-time educator assigned to 2 elementary schools as a K-6 mentor teacher. I LOVE what I do but I commute about 1.5 hours each day (including dropping off my 2 little girls ages 3 & 4 @ daycare). I feel like my driving time is sucking up not only precious time with my kiddos, but it also sucks up my energy! I know this is kind of a random, probably weird question but do you have any suggestions on how my car time can feel productive? I like listening to Conference talks or audio books, but do you have any other tips for me?? LOVE your ideas for home productivity! Thank you for sharing your life and wisdom!
I’ve tried various planners and so this is great info! I just need running lists.
Thank you for the tips! I love setting a timer and doing all I can on one task for that time! Thank you for that!
Yessss this stuff is my jam! Can’t wait for productivity boot camp!
These tips I have recently started to use and they are helping out a ton thanks!!!
I needed this so much! Thanks, Jordan!!
Ahhh this is so inspiring to see!
I love all of this! I’ve started the to do book and trying to schedule our year. Good stuff.
SUPER helpful! Thanks for letting us in on you’re life to see how to make our lives better!
I love the ideas. I’m totally going to try them.
Good advice. My husband works nights, I work days and we have 2 year old twins. It IS so important to spend time together when we can!
I’ve never scheduled my whole year but…. I am going to start so I never deal with all of that anxiety from not having a schedule!
I love how you are so dedicated to helping people better their lives whether it’s budgeting, working on your marriage and daily life with 5 kids. Amazing! ( The_shop_geek on instagram )
Definitely needing to put some of these tips into action. I feel like I barely can keep up with everything now and I definitely don’t have as much on my plate as you do.
Thank you so much for writing this. As a new mom and full time college student, I can take all the tips on productivity that I can get!!
Love all your tips and tricks. Night time routines do work!!
I love this??? I am doing my best to get my hubby on board!! It blew my mind ? Thank you thank you for sharing this amazing wealth of information!!!! I can’t wait!!
Sooooo i usually only plan 1 weeks or 2 weeks in advance but this is such a good idea! Especially then you never over book yourself which is something I have done in the past :/ thank you!! Xx
Amazing! Love this!!!
This is one of my all time faves. Planned 2018, and despite 3 unexpected surgeries in the family (appendicitis surprises. 😉 we are still on schedule. Great share! Thanks
Can’t wait for productivity boot camp!!
I have found that I am most productive when I most busy. As long as I stay organized, that’s when I prefer my best! And now, getting more financially organized thanks to you, I see even more benefits in so many other areas of my life! Its so cool to see that change in not only myself, but my husband, and my daughter! It’s awesome you can see just how much you really can do! Thanks for more tips Jordan!
I love your to do book! It’s so satisfying crossing things off! I feel so much more productive since implementing it!
Looking forward to Productivity Boot Camp! I’ve gotten pretty discouraged with lack of progress that I feel like I don’t even try anymore! Thanks for the tips ?
I seriously love you guys! ❤️❤️ Thank you for being so motivational!
Thanks for sharing your productivity tips! Love your blog! Thanks for all that you do!
Your book tip and seriously changed my life! I feel like I can get all my stuff done even if it is just one thing a day! Haha. I love getting to cross my things off the lisg
Love the phrase “divide and conquer” in terms of the marriage partnership. My husband said he would take over insurance, which I hate. Yay! ?
My biggest hang up is finding a planner that actually works for me. I want an hourly one (broke up into half hour increments) that goes from 5:00 am to 11:00 pm. I need something that can help me schedule out my day hourly that goes as long as my actual day goes. I get up early and don’t go to bed until late. Nothing seems to work and I’m nervous I have to actually make my own planner….which is daunting. Anything you can offer in Productivity Boot Camp would be worth it’s weight in gold!
Hi Jordan! You seriously are a lifesaver when it comes to figuring out mom life. I’ve used so many of your tips. Thanks for this post!!
Aw, thanks Jen! I’m so glad that they have helped you out!