Written by Karli @ Feed Me Mama, Contributing Writer
More and more mothers are turning to working from home in order to maintain the family budget but still stay home with their children. Whether it’s working for a network marketing company or hand making goods for an Etsy store, mamas across the country are finding ways to be home with their little ones- but it’s not always easy!
I am one such mama, and I am here to tell you- it is NOT all rainbows and butterflies and paychecks here in Work-At-Home-Mamaland. It is quite possibly the most difficult and taxing thing I’ve ever taken on- but it has been so worth it.
Today, I want to share with you some of my top tips for increasing productivity and joy as a work-at-home-mama! I hope that integrating these attitudes and routines graciously into your family will be as much of a blessing to you as it has been to me.
Top tips for increasing productivity and joy as a work-at-home-mama:
Make a priority list
It has been paramount to finding harmony within my home for me to really, honestly decide what my priorities are in my life. Once I declared that my daughter and her happiness and development were more important than my business, that helped me make daily decisions about where to spend my time. I have a written list of my priorities in my office, and it has really helped me focus on what matters most.
Take strategic planning retreats
Once a month, or perhaps once a quarter, carve out an afternoon or a day to plan your next weeks/months out ahead of time. Consider big events and goals that you will need to attend to, and things that may distract you from them as well. Being prepared will help make your day-to-day life run more smoothly.
Set measurable and attainable goals
This is key to feeling successful and keeping yourself motivated! Whether it’s a certain number of sales, a rank advancement, a number of blog posts, or releasing a new product, set goals for yourself. Then, break that goal into smaller goals! In our house, we ask: how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time… 🙂
Set business hours.
This is another really important part of being a wahm. For you, setting aside business hours might mean hiring a babysitter for a few evenings a week or asking a friend to watch your kids in the mornings. Like me, it could mean that your business hours are simply “naptime”….whatever that looks like for that day! You can be as flexible or structured as you need to be, depending on your schedule and priorities, but having these set hours enables you to turn off “work mode” and focus on family during the other parts of the week, and truly be present with them!
Look for “harmony” rather than “balance”.
Work and life balance is a buzz phrase these days, but I want to challenge you to take it further- prayerfully find harmony in integrating your work into your family. If your kids can help you stuff the pillows you are sewing, or your husband can help you talk through a business proposal, let them! Seek to let everything you do be done out of love.
Be willing to throw it all out the window.
One of the most important traits of the happy and successful wahm is the ability to be gracious with herself. Some days, business just doesn’t happen because family and homemaking need to come first. And that’s okay! We are blessed to be able to make those decisions.
Do you work from within your home? What steps do you take to increase productivity and also be present with your family?
About Karli
This is something that I have been thinking and working through recently. I really like the difference you emphasized between balance and harmony. It’s a helpful distinction. And it’s actually one of my favorite aspects of being home and being ‘productive’ with my kids. They are learning to cook while I cook and test recipes, and they are becoming interested in sewing and art as I work on other projects. It’s a joy to do these activities together. My downfall is trying to work on the computer during the morning when the baby is napping and my two older children are playing. I try not to do this often because even though I think I need to get something done, it ends up taking much longer than necessary and my kids want my attention.
Thanks for sharing this food for thought!
This is great! Thanks so much for sharing. So helpful for those of us at home. Love this.
I have always worked from home. There many days I threw it all out the window! great post:)
Such good ideas for keeping things straight. So hard to work from home sometimes.