How to be a Work From Home Mom
In the past few years, the world changed a lot. We were required to work from home, homeschool the kids, manage our life, take care of ourselves and deal with world crisis after world crisis.
So how can you manage it? Here are 7 tips to help.
1. Lists
Know what you need to do and when. Have everything organised in your calendar, have a to do list so you don’t miss anything. With those lists, go over it and work out what is the most important and most urgent tasks to do then do them first.
Often we waste a lot of time on tasks that are not that important, resulting in a lot of wasted time. Sort out and focus on the tasks that make you the most money and are going to get you the results you want.
2. Outsource
Where possible, outsource some of the tasks at home and your business if you have one. It is not possible for one person to do everything. You simply cannot juggle it all without it having a negative impact on your mental health and life in general.
Decide the tasks you can delegate or outsource first and schedule one now. Start small if you need to but start!
Some common tasks other work at home moms outsource include cleaning, gardening, childcare, email, errands etc.
3. Quality Time
Most of us feel stretched way too thin. Kids want attention, partner (if we have one) wants attention and love, we have work, homeschooling, the whole shebang. So what can you do?
Schedule quality time with each and learn their love language to ensure you are spending quality time with them and showing them love in the way they receive it. Ideally, the whole family would embrace this.
Read The 5 Love Languages to know what I am talking about with that. Set aside a time for family night, switch off devices and do some activities together.
Have dinner as a family every night and talk about your day, goals, what you are grateful for etc. Take the time to have one on one activities with the kids as well.
When everyone feels loved and that they are getting quality time and attention, they are less needy. It’s when they feel neglected or ignored that they start to act up.
4. Take Care of Yourself
It’s all well and good to say quality time for everyone but you also need to take care of yourself. Eat healthily, drink enough water, get outdoors for the vitamin D from sunshine. Look after yourself instead of sitting around all day in your PJs.
What do you need to feel fulfilled, happy and relaxed? Make more time for yourself. Learn to say no and do what works for you instead of doing everything for everyone.
No one else will put your first, you need to do it.
5. Sort Your Finances
Too many women don’t know enough about their finances. Many women with businesses treat them as a hobby and mix business money with their personal money.
Get your finances sorted. Create a budget, max out retirement, invest for the future and keep business money separate from personal. Pay yourself a wage instead. Read the book Profit First for more on business vs personal income and how to set it up.
6. Have a Designated Area
Often we are working on the lounge, in bed or other areas that are less than ideal. If possible, set up a separate area to work from so when you go there, it is for work. Mixing work in with your bedroom is bad for your sleep patterns and terrible for your relationship if you’re in one.
It doesn’t need to be an entire room, although if you can have a proper home office, that is ideal. Even a small space away from it all or a weird nook in the house you can convert will work. It’s so your brain knows this is a work area and the bedroom/lounge room/dining table are for sleeping/family/eating etc.
7. Work on Work Time (No Housework!)
Set the hours for work or if you work for someone else, you know the hours they expect you to work. When you are working, work. Do not do house chores. Leave them, as frustrating as it is, you need to. If you keep doing chores in your designated work time, you’ll never get anything done.
This is where numerous at-home businesses come undone. Instead of working, the owner is cleaning or being distracted by other things in the house. It’s another reason why having a specific work area helps.
Cleaning and doing other things during work time reduces your ability to work and therefore your income.