Your Daily Schedule Template: Remote Work Plans for Specific Lifestyles

The Virtual Vocations Daily Schedule Template for remote work is a blueprint for improved work-life integration while working from home! It outlines daily scheduling ideas and resources for remote professionals. No matter if you are homeschooling children, working from home as a single parent, telecommuting as coworking parents, or working remotely on an alternative schedule such as early in the morning or late at night.

Schedule planning is not an innate skill for every remote worker. To help you stay organized, we created a Weekly Calendar Template as part of our remote work blueprint.

The Weekly Calendar Template features fillable sections for goals, daily to-dos or recaps, and notes. This is an evergreen weekly calendar PDF that also features a dropdown menu to input daily dates as well as a field to enter the month and year. Follow this URL or click the button below to view and download our weekly calendar template.

We’ve also developed additional remote work blueprints to assist you with navigating areas of your life and work including relationships and wellness. Select either of the following links to view expert remote work tips and free resources for telework professionals:

• Creating & Maintaining Relationships with Remote Co-Workers Blueprint
• A Holistic Approach to Remote Work Blueprint

Daily Schedule Templates for Specific Remote Work Lifestyles

Among Virtual Vocations members, the primary reason for seeking a remote job is increased schedule flexibility. Modern professionals want more control over how they spend their time, especially when combining their professional and personal lives in a shared space. Our Daily Schedule Templates are designed to help telecommuters in a variety of lifestyles better manage their time and, in turn, become more successful while working remotely and enjoying their daily lives.

10 Types of Remote Work Activities to Incorporate into Your Daily Schedule Template

Within the remote work scheduling templates to follow, you will have opportunities to plan your days around the following types of work and activities:

1. Focused Work: Focused Work refers to tasks that require high degrees of alertness and concentration to execute them accurately and effectively. Examples include creating and editing reports and spreadsheets, writing and editing, planning and strategizing, budgeting, and developing proposals and pitches for clients.

Note: In schooling scenarios, Focused Work is the time when children work self-directed on individual assignments.

2. Responsive Work: Answering emails and instant messages, returning phone calls, and adding to project threads in remote communication and collaborative apps, like Slack and Basecamp, are all types of Responsive Work common to remote workers.

Note: In schooling scenarios, Responsive Work is the time when children ask questions about assignments or receive feedback on work.

3. Collaborative Work: Work done in cooperation with others or work that will directly impact others, such as brainstorming, engaging on social media, and project development, is considered Collaborative Work.

Note: In schooling scenarios, Collaborative Work is the time when children work with parents on projects or assignments requiring instruction, guidance, or assistance from adults.

4. Maintenance Work: Routine tasks related to work and daily life as a professional fall under the Maintenance Work category. Common examples of Maintenance Work include performing virus scans and cybersecurity updates, deleting and organizing files, paying bills, relationship building, and skills building.

5. Care Time: Self-care is critical. Care Time is for moments of personal hygiene, meditation or quiet reflection, eating and hydrating, and other essential well-being practices. This is also time for caring for others within your home including sharing meals and helping kids get ready for school or bed.

6. Leisure Time: Allotting special time to enjoy hobbies, indulge in distractions, play games, or binge favorite shows will lessen the likelihood of those activities leading to counterproductivity during regular work periods.

7. Unity Time: This is the time to come together for quality moments with family, friends, and loved ones. The goal of Unity Time is to be present while prioritizing one activity rather than multi-tasking, which is typical throughout normal work and school hours.

8. Active Time: Engaging in regular physical activity is good for the mind and body. Adults should engage in 150 minutes of aerobic activities (e.g. walking briskly, swimming, etc.) per week, according to CDC guidelines. This should include two days per week of muscle-strengthening activities (e.g. lifting weights, yoga, etc.) are also recommended.

9. Sleep Time: Getting adequate sleep is essential to overall well-being and job performance. While the amount of sleep each person needs varies based on health and age, the Mayo Clinic recommends that adults get seven to nine hours of sleep each night.

10. Unscripted Time: Unscripted Time is just that: free, creative, improvised time for extra work, play, or doing absolutely nothing.

Lifestyle-Specific Daily Schedule Templates for a Variety of Telecommuters

The 10 types of remote work activities outlined above are to be used as a guide to help you plan days that make sense to you, your life priorities, and your work processes. Our daily schedule templates focus on the following types of telecommuters:

1. Homeschooling Parents
2. Single Parents
3. Coworking Parents
4. Alternative Schedules

For each remote work group, we have listed actionable steps for members of those telework sectors to achieve better work-life integration. We have also provided a curated calendar template to help with daily planning centered on the 10 types of remote work activities we detailed. This offers maximum flexibility for remote workers seeking greater cohesion between all aspects of their lives.

Daily Schedule Template for Homeschooling Parents Working Remotely

3 Actionable Steps for Homeschooling Parents to Achieve Work-Life Integration Using a Daily Schedule Template

Homeschooling parents work remotely while also teaching their children at home or another location that is not a centralized school. In homeschooling scenarios, as with other learning arrangements, parents and children may work through pre-designed curriculum programs and/or a tutor.

When creating a daily schedule for remote work, homeschooling parents can achieve better work-life integration using the following actionable steps:

1. Respect kids’ age differences. This may include creating age-based school schedules in homes with multiple children and adjusting remote work schedules to meet those needs.
2. Use a public school calendar as a month-to-month guide for holidays, local and national events, and extracurricular activities. This is especially important for telecommuting parents in states that allow homeschool children to participate in public school activities.
3. Work while the kids work during Focused Time.

Daily Schedule Template for Single Parents Working Remotely

3 Actionable Steps for Single Parents to Achieve Work-Life Integration Using a Daily Schedule Template

Single parents are members of solo-parent or caregiver households in which they work remotely while also serving as primary care providers for their children. Children may attend on-site schools, hybrid classrooms, virtual schools, or be homeschooled.

When creating a remote work schedule, single parents can achieve better work-life integration using the following actionable steps:

1. Leave room for flexibility.
2. Let go of screen time guilt.
3. Utilize outside or in-home childcare as needed.

Daily Schedule Template for Coworking Parents Working Remotely

3 Actionable Steps for Coworking Parents to Achieve Work-Life Integration Using a Daily Schedule Template

Coworking parents are members of dual-parent or caregiver households in which two adults share caregiving duties as well as telecommute together either within separate home offices or a shared work and/or living spaces. Alternatively, they may rent space in a coworking center to have flexible, but non-centralized office space, outside the home.

When creating a remote work schedule, coworking parents can achieve better work-life integration using the following actionable steps:

1. Tag team parenting duties.
2. Keep work and family spaces organized and decluttered.
3. Prioritize solo work time.

Daily Schedule Templates for Alternative Remote Work Styles

3 Actionable Steps for Morning People and Night Owls to Achieve Work-Life Integration Using a Daily Schedule Template

Remote workers do not always operate on the classic 9-to-5 work schedule. Whether by choice or due to the requirements of their remote jobs, some telecommuters may need to work on alternative work schedules like working late or very early in the morning. Morning People and Night Owls can make strides to improved remote work-life integration with these three steps:

1. Be mindful of caffeine intake.
2. Work during the most productive hours.
3. Explore Flex-Schedule Careers.

Remote Work Schedules and the Role of Management

“Most people think that empathy is something you have only with friends and the family, but in reality, it is also a priority in business.”

—Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft

3 Best Business Practices for Leaders to Accommodate Remote Work Schedules for Specific Lifestyles

Remote leaders who make deliberate efforts to understand and support their employees are the most successful. When employees, especially those who work remotely, feel appreciated by their employers and managers, they are more likely to stay in their jobs, enjoy better rates of production, and experience higher overall satisfaction in their lives and work.

These best business practices will inspire and facilitate remote leaders to accommodate remote work schedules for the unique telecommuters they employ. As well as enable them in long-term success as they work toward lasting organization and better time management.

1. Outline Two-Way Telework Expectations in a Well-Written Remote Work Policy

A well-written remote work policy is the bread and butter of telework manager and employee relationships. Regarding schedules, remote work policies should detail options offered to employees and how staff can utilize them. For example, policies should outline company holidays, procedures for requesting time off, and how to “call in” sick or inform about a sudden personal emergency. Meanwhile, private employee contracts and human resources files will keep track of scheduling events such as vacation and sick days used as well as the number of personal emergencies claimed.

2. Empathize with Employees when Inevitable Delays or Problems Arise

Even under the best circumstances, challenges to productivity and corporate culture can arise when employees work at home. When a lack of empathy exists between remote managers and their employees, remote workplace problems, such as miscommunication, lack of trust, and disengagement, have the potential to increase.

3. Look to Outcomes Rather than Processes

Results-based work models mean freedom for employees to keep their lives, rather than their jobs, at the center of their priorities. By focusing more on outcomes rather than processes, employees feel less pressure to choose work over their personal matters. This leads to reduced workplace stress for employees and stronger results for employers; employees who are happy perform better.

Maximize Your Flexibility & Productivity with Tailored Remote Work Schedules

Everyone wins when outcomes are most valued but homeschool parents, single parents, coworking parents, and telecommuters who prefer alternative work schedules especially benefit from this approach to remote management. Parents do not have to say no to attending school functions because they are tied up with a work project. Caregivers do not have to sacrifice personal or sick days to take their loved ones to medical appointments. Morning people and night owls can work at times that are most conducive to their creativity and efficiency.

With Virtual Vocations’ Remote Work Daily Schedule Templates for Specific Lifestyles, anyone who operates on alternative schedules can maximize their telecommuting flexibility. Through actionable steps for remote workers and best practices for managers overseeing distributed teams, creating and utilizing efficient, organized remote work schedules are a present reality for modern, self-driven professionals.

Ready to Create Your Ideal Remote Workday?

Whether you’re an early bird, a night owl, or balancing family and work, finding a remote job that aligns with your lifestyle is key. Become a Virtual Vocations member today and discover a job that fits your ideal schedule. Take control of your day and start creating the work-life balance you’ve always dreamed of. Sign up now and unlock access to thousands of fully remote job listings tailored to the life you want to create!

Which of these schedule templates is right for you? Do you plan to use our templates to guide you in creating your own remote work schedule? Connect with Virtual Vocations on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube to share your thoughts and tips. We’d love to hear from you!

Image credits: Virtual Vocations images and PDFs designed by Kimberly Back