The Quaroutine of an Academic Parent

How-to do Academia in 5 hours a day. With a baby. And a mother-in-law.

5–6: The Baby wakes up. Which means I wake up. Sometimes I can get him to sleep in. 630 if I’m lucky.

7–8: The golden hour. If I can get out the door by 7, I try to go for a run. If the surf is calm, I’ll swim. If not, I’ll pedal on a stationary bike. My mental health and daily productivity depend heavily on this one hour.

8–11: I get three solid hours of work in while my mother-in-law watches Baby. Mornings are my prime time, so I use this window wisely. Manuscripts, data analysis, if I’m behind, course-prep. I might do a load of laundry. Wash bottles.

11–12: Lunch, courtesy of my saint mother-in-law.

12–2: I put Baby down for a nap. Sometimes he won’t sleep so we play and cuddle. Sometimes I nap with him.

2–4: Prep snack for Baby. My husband watches Baby while I work on administrative tasks, grading, emails, course prep, Zoom.

4–7: I’m with Baby. The husband makes dinner. We hang out, play, cuddle. I’ll do housework, wash dishes, collect laundry from the line.

7: Bathtime. Bedtime.

8–10: Brain numb. Exhausted. Schitt’s Creek. Bed.

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. 7 months and counting.