I Typed my Daily Routine into AI and Even Chat GPT Thinks I'm Nuts

I promised to never use AI to write my blogs, but I am breaking that rule slightly right now.

Today my mind went wild. I'm not much of a caffeine drinker. I typically top out at a large tea from McDs which honestly takes me all day to drink. Once a month or less I have a coffee. This was like I'd had a redbull.

Today I had no caffeine. No real sugar either. I had a toasted English muffin with butter for breakfast and a long drive into the office for a computer refresh.

My brain, however, didn't get the memo. I was on creative overdrive. All kids of ideas of all kinds of things I'd love to do if I simply had the time. Ideas from writing a children's book to a new way to market photography headshots were bouncing through my head. Most of the ideas had actual merit too.

I couldn't make it stop. I was distracted the entire way there and the entire way back. When I got home and started cooking my lunch these ideas were still bouncing everywhere. I really had no control, and no way to focus back in on what was important.

So I pulled out my phone and started a google doc called 'Ideas'. I typed in the multitude of things I had thought about this morning. That did it, my brain shut up, and I had lunch.

Then my brain snapped the other way entirely. I was then so dang tired that putting two words together was tough.

All I could coherently think about was how bizarre the change had been. It was seriously like a caffeine crash, minus the caffeine, or the middle of the night when you wake up from a dream with an idea that you feel is the best thought you've ever had - right before you fall back to sleep.

I felt truly overwhelmed.

So I went to ChatGPT and I typed in my daily schedule (below) and ChatGPT very politely said "You're nuts".

I bet most of us moms would get similar answers if we did the experiment.

Dear Chat GPT,

Here is my weekday schedule: 6AM wake up, wake up my 13 year old son, toast him breakfast, throw on some clothes (not what I plan to wear for the day). 6:15 ask 13 year old son to get out of the shower, collect things he needs for school that he may have forgotten (lunch, chromebook, medication, etc), clean out bottles for my breast pump. 6:25: Leave house to take son to football practice, pump in the car. 6:45 return home, change, wake up three of my other kids 11, 8 and 5 years old. Tell them to get started getting ready for school. Then I make sure my husband is up and in the shower. Then I make husband's lunch (toss a frozen entree and sides into a box) and get the 6 month old's bottles ready for school while watching the three kids get ready. I make sure they have their needed items for school. at 7:20 my husband takes the 8 year old and 5 year old to school, at 7:25 my 11 year old leaves. At 7:20 I wake up my 2 year old and start by giving him breakfast (crackers or fruit) while he is in his high chair. At 7:25 I get the 2 year old changed and dressed for school and wake up my 6 month old. I breastfeed her. At 7:35 I change her clothes. My husband gets back from taking the 8 and 5 year old to school and helps me get the 6 month old and 2 year old out the door and into my car. I leave the house around 7:45 to take them to school and sometimes pick up breakfast while I am out. I return home about 8:15. I let the dog out, and feed the cats. 8:30 I begin work. At 2:50 I take a break to pick up the 5 year old and 8 year old from school. I start working again about 3:10. The 5 year old and 8 year old are assigned a chore when they get home. They typically fight. I am generally interrupted 3-5 times between 3:10PM and 4PM. Then my 13 year old and 11 year olds get home from school. I give them their chore and chat briefly about their day and then try to refocus on work. I work until time to go to pick up my 2 year old and 6 month old. When I return home I start cooking dinner. My husband gets home around 6:40. We eat around 6:45 or 7PM. From 7PM to 8PM my kids are doing their homework or watching TV. I field homework questions, nurse the baby, watch the two year old and instruct everyone to get ready for the next day (make their lunch, get their clothes ready for school, bathe for the ones who take baths at night). My 2 year old goes to bed at 7:45. If we've done this well, from 8PM to 8:30 PM is game night with the 13 yo, 11 yo, 8 yo, 5 year old and my husband and me. From 8:30 - 8:45 the older four kids get settled. This includes final drinks, bathroom trips, night meds, petting the animals and any other excuse they can come up with to get a few more minutes out of bed. We put the baby down after breastfeeding at 9PM. At 8:45PM my husband and I settle down, have a dessert and watch TV or a movie until 10PM. At 10PM we get up, feed the animals, put away any dinner that didn't get eaten, wash bottles for tomorrow, put laundry in the drier, and then do our nightly hygiene routine. We're typically in bed by 10:30 and we talk until 11 or 11:30. Then we sleep. Here is the problem. I am having trouble with focus at work and I have little to no time to do things I enjoy. I enjoy blogging, I enjoy photography, I enjoy playing a video game now and then. I also keep meaning to go on a diet and start exercising but there is no time and no determination left in me right now. I don't have the money to hire help, I don't have the time to clean and my messy house steals my inner peace. The noise when the kids are home is super stressful and they're wild. The five year old breaks all the rules on purpose and the two year old doesn't know the rules yet. The baby is precious but can't be put down. I am overwhelmed and don't know how to make time appear out of thin air.

That is what I put into ChatGPT.

This is what I got out:

Thank you for sharing your full schedule — it’s clear that you’re carrying an enormous load right now. You’re managing six kids at wildly different stages, a baby who still needs near-constant attention, a job, household logistics, and a marriage — all with no outside help. No wonder you feel overwhelmed. What you’re describing isn’t a lack of determination or discipline — it’s a structural overload. You’re running a system that’s functioning, but it’s leaving you with zero margin for yourself.

Here’s a breakdown of practical shifts you could consider to create some breathing room:

1. Protecting Focus at Work

• Block "no-kid interruption" time:3–4 PM is your most chaotic work window. Consider a quiet time rule: when the 5 and 8 year old come home, they must sit with a snack + a quiet activity (drawing, reading, puzzle, audiobook, screen if needed). Their chore can be pushed until after your workday so it doesn’t derail you.

• Batch interruptions: Instead of answering kids constantly, have a rule: “I’ll check in every 20 minutes, not right away.” Post a visual timer for them.

• Set expectations with work: If your job allows flexibility, consider shifting your schedule slightly earlier (e.g., 8–2:30 is deep work, 2:30–3 is transition, then log back in at 7:30–8:30 when kids are winding down).

2. Household Systems to Reduce Stress

• Simplify meals:You’re cooking nightly — that’s huge. Try theme nights or repeat meals (Taco Tuesday, pasta night, sheet-pan Wednesday). Even 2–3 autopilot dinners lowers decision fatigue.

• Chores that actually help:Instead of assigning random chores that cause fights, try giving each kid a “specialty chore” (5-year-old always picks up toys, 8-year-old always wipes counters, etc.). Predictability reduces fighting.

• Reset zones:Pick 2–3 "peace zones" (living room, kitchen counter, your bedroom) that must be clean each night. Forget the rest. This gives you a sense of order without requiring a spotless house.

3. Finding Pockets of “You Time”

• Micro hobbies:

  • Photography: Pick one day a week where you only take one photo you love — no editing, no project, just capture.

  • Blogging: Use voice-to-text while driving or doing chores. Turn random thoughts into drafts.

  • Gaming: Instead of waiting for a 2-hour block, try a “20-minute play” after bedtime 1–2 nights per week.

• Exercise without extra time:

  • 10-minute walks with the stroller at lunch.

  • Squats, lunges, or stretching while pumping or cooking.

  • “Movement snacks” sprinkled through your day add up more than you’d think.

4. Managing Kid Chaos & Noise

• Structured outlets: Kids are wild after school because they’ve been contained all day. A mandatory 15-minute outdoor time (backyard, driveway, or even music + dance inside) right when they get home can burn off energy before homework.

• Noise rules: Create a "quiet zone" (your office or living room) and a "wild zone" (another room). Kids must take loud play elsewhere. Noise-canceling headphones during work may help too.

5. Rest & Mental Peace

• Reframe evenings: Right now, even your downtime (TV at 8:45) comes after 3 more rounds of chores (animals, bottles, laundry). Could some of that be moved earlier in the day, or delegated to your husband/kids so that when you sit down, you’re actually done?

• Protect one night a week: Designate one evening as “your time” (husband handles bedtime). You use it for photography, writing, or gaming guilt-free.

What this really comes down to:

You don’t need more hours in the day — you need fewer draining decisions and tiny, protected windows for yourself. If you lower the noise (by structuring kids’ after-school time), simplify chores (predictable specialties), and protect one night a week for you, you’ll start feeling human again.

So, I suggest an experiment. Moms, type your schedules into ChatGPT and comment below what comes out.

I bet we're all essentially the same.

Here is to trying to focus on what's important while everything else aims to steal our focus,

Kristian

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Listen, mama—we both know you’re long overdue for a little you time. No laundry, no dishes, no endless snack requests—just you, looking and feeling gorgeous. At Kristian Hutchings Portraits, you’ll get the full VIP treatment: professional hair and makeup, expert posing, and a gallery of images that will make you wonder why you waited so long. Bring the fam if you want… or don’t. This is your time to shine.

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Kristian is a mom of six, Program Manager by day, active Professional Photographer by trade, and a big believer in finding beauty in the everyday chaos.

Life in our house is loud, messy and full of literally everything. Love, noise, laundry, laughter, and definitely could use a bit more grace. I'm happily married to my best friend, grounded in my Catholic faith, and fueled by five to six hours of sleep per night and adrenaline.

I try to find joy in the everyday — even when it's wild, because without the little bit of joy, this life would be unbearable. This space is for the moms in the middle of it all: the ones juggling family, faith, work, and wonder. The ones that need someone else's messy life to make their own seem better or somewhat normal. You're not alone, and you're doing better than you think.

Welcome to Six Sweet Smiles — where we celebrate the mess, the miracles, and everything in between.