When I first started working with the Builder, my days were filled with not a lot as I grappled to find my space within the industry. It’s a different story now as my days are jam-packed with the adventure that is being a builder’s wife! From school runs to meeting with clients there are so many things I find to fill my time in a day in the life of the builder’s wife!

What Does A Day In The Life Of The Builder’s Wife Look Like?

My routine sure has changed a lot over the years, however, my kids still come first in my day, much like many other tradie wives. Early on in this journey, it was the biggest motivator to coming to work in our company and thank goodness I had the flexibility we were looking for because most days it was the only thing I like about working in construction.

I’ve written and spoken many times about how tough those early years were when I didn’t have a roll and struggled to find positive ways to contribute to the business. Fortunately, with a stubborn attitude and an open mind, I found my feet and have been proud to work alongside my husband in our business for years.

The structure of how we do what we do has changed over the last 2 years, and therefore I’ll give you a rundown on what a typical day looks like in my role.

4.30 am, my days start early. I crave the quiet times that early mornings bring, the builder will lay in for another 30 minutes or so, and it just gives me those first few peaceful moments to check my email and get my head around what is to come.

5 am The Builder is up and running. Once we are each dressed, we share the preparation of lunches, while sharing what’s on for each of us that day. We finish up with a coffee and take the time to fill out our daily journals with our intentions for the day.

6 am It’s time to wake the boys up, we’ve only 2 left at home who are still at school. One in grade 12 and the other in grade 10. During the depths of football season, we often have to have the boys to school for the gym by 6.30 am so their wake up time in then earlier. For now, though, they are up and out of the house by 7.15 am with the eldest of the 2 learner driving to school. While they get prepared, I’ll wave off the Builder, and catch up on the housework.

7.15 am The boys and I leave the house ready for school for them and after drop off, I head to boot camp most days to get my head ready for what’s ahead.

8.30 am Boot camp. I haven’t always loved exercise, but as time goes by, I love it more and more. It turns out I’m really competitive but mostly against myself, so heading out to my small group training helps my body and mind.

10 am By this time most mornings I am getting stuck into any office work I need to attend to, this includes, invoicing, data entry, marketing, preparation of documents for clients, ordering of materials, emailing, client contact, supplier negotiations, there is a huge amount I do in the office.

12.30 pm Lunchtime is generally spent outdoors for me, either in the garden or on the road on my way to meetings or site. I like to make sure, especially in Winter, that I see as much sunshine each day as I can manage, this is also really useful for my mental health! This 30-minute break, keeps me fresh and productive for the afternoon. I’ve been known to throw on a sneaky load of washing or catch up on some folding at this time also.

1 pm Most days, this time sees me on the road, we have weekly staff meetings, or toolbox talks, which I carry out, or I am meeting with clients, staff or suppliers. On the days I am not required on-site, I’ll be in the office until school pick up. Those days are often spent blogging or working on Tradies In Business

5 pm is school pick up time and another opportunity for our learner to drive. It is my favourite kid time of the day. I’m sure you can imagine, with all our children now being adults or in their late teens, the conversation is not what it used to be EXCEPT when we are driving!! Both the boys enjoy telling me about their day, or about their school work and I love it!

5.30 pm This time is for the Builder and I to debrief, especially on the days we haven’t spent any time together on site. We finish our working day by filling out our daily journal and looking forward to what tomorrow will bring. Most often with a glass of wine in hand!

7 pm The kids eat dinner now depending on who is where doing what, the Builder is still on the clock until 9 pm in his training role, so we usually don’t eat until 8 pm, and then it’s off to bed my 9.30 ready for the next day.

When I write it all out like this, it looks organised and in control, but the truth is, it is rarely calm and controlled and usually chaotic and we run to get everything done, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I outsource a lot of what I have been doing over the years, from bookwork to cleaning. The time it frees up can then be spent doing the jobs only I can do, like growing Tradies In Business.

There you have it, my day in a nutshell, what does your day look like? Is it busy and full to the brim, or calm and organised? 

Nicole xxx