5 Tips From a Work-From-Home Mom
I’ve been a work from home mom for almost 4 years now and over that time I’ve learned lots, mostly by trial and error, lol. So, I wanted to pull together 5 tips that have really helped me help over the years and I hope they’ll help you too! And just like anything else, this is an opportunity to take what serves you and leave the rest. It’s a judge-free zone momma :o)
- Get dressed each day
- It’s sooo tempting to hang in my jammies cuz they’re so cozy but I noticed that at least for me (everyone is totally different and this is a judge-free zone so do what’s best for you) on the days I stayed in my PJ’s I ended up being far less productive. There’s just something about changing into regular clothes that signals to my brain that it’s time to get the day started.
- It’s sooo tempting to hang in my jammies cuz they’re so cozy but I noticed that at least for me (everyone is totally different and this is a judge-free zone so do what’s best for you) on the days I stayed in my PJ’s I ended up being far less productive. There’s just something about changing into regular clothes that signals to my brain that it’s time to get the day started.
- Pick the top 3 work things you want to get done today and put them in order of priority
- I’m the queen of endless to do lists, lol. So, when I started working from home, I would end most days feeling like I’m failing because everything on my to-do list wasn’t done. There’s a lot to juggle when you’re working from home momma so give yourself plenty of grace. It’s helped me to pick the top 3 things I want to work on each day and put them in order of priority, so I know where to start first.
- Pick the top 1-2 home related things you want to get done today
- It was a whole new ballgame trying to create a new rhythm of work, caring for our daughters AND helping to run our house too, whew!! So, I started picking just 1 to 2 house related tasks to do each day knowing I might get to just 1. But doing 1 each day adds up over the course of a week in order to get things accomplished.
- Red/green stoplight with jackpot games
- Look around and grab something that’s red and something that’s green. If at least once a day you need a block of time for a work effort that needs your concentration and focus, this one’s for you! This works well for kiddos that can play independently for a set length of time because the purpose of the red and green objects you have is for them to work like a stoplight. Place the green item by you and you can teach your kiddos that it’s your work time, but you can be interrupted for something important. When you have the red item out and by you, you can teach your kiddos that it means you need concentrated work time with no interruptions. And you use the red stoplight in conjunction with what I like to call jackpot toys/games; things that you know they LOVE to do but don’t get to do very often. That way they’re actually excited when it’s your ‘stoplight work time’ because it’s the only time they get access to their jackpot toys/games. For younger kiddos it helps to start with a block of 10 or 15 minutes the first few times to get them used to it and increase the length of time over time. For older kiddos you might be able to snag a solid 30 or 60 minute block of work time if they’re occupied with their jackpot toys/games.
- Make the bed
- This seems like a random and totally out of place tip but hang in there with me on this! There are days when I set out to conquer the world and then boom! The day turns into a Grade-A dumpster fire of a day and nothing goes the way I planned; kids are cranky and misbehaving, I’m frantically all over the place but nothing is getting done, I’m sure you know the drill and have maybe been there too. On those days when I’m ready to just call it quits by the end of the day, I walk into our bedroom and there it is, a neatly made bed. It makes me pause, take a big deep breath and revel in the joy that yes, I actually did get at least ONE thing done today! Lol. It seems small and trivial, but it’s made a huge difference on the tough days. You got this momma!
And be sure to click here if you need more helpful hacks, encouragement, tips and tools to help you worry less, and a little mom humor thrown in for good measure, lol.