12 Tips For Working At Home WITH KIDS
Being a stay at home mom is HARD. Add in building/running a business and then things start to get a little CRAZY. I’ve been a stay at home mom for 5 years and a business owner for 3 years. So basically…. that means I've had a lot of time to do things the WRONG way hahaha. (psst. Prefer video over reading? Click here for my YouTube video!)
Okay maybe not wrong but I've definitely tried so many different schedules, plans, ideas, ect to try and find that holy “balance” of motherhood and a thriving business. And guess what? I don't think there can ever be a true balance. At least not an even one. Honestly every time you dedicate time to one thing, another thing is going to be a bit neglected. And that's OKAY. First thing you need to remember is you don't have to do it all! Perfection isn't real and you are doing enough, I promise.
Again, I've tried seemingly all the things to find that imaginary balance and FINALLY I feel like for the last 6 months, I have a good flow and I'm actually enjoying it all again! In the past, I spent way too much time on my phone. A lot of wasted time thinking I was “working”. I stayed up too late every night, didn't take care of myself, was always short with my kids, and didn't feel like I was ever actually getting anything done! If this is you, take a deep breath and give yourself some slack! We're all human and we can't do better until we know better which is why I'm going to share with you 12 tips/ideas on how to more effectively and joyfully work on your business from home while also being a kick ass Mama!
I know my life and business and kids are different than yours so maybe some of these tips won't be applicable or valuable to you but I hope at least one thing can help you manage it all just a little better! (Again if you prefer to watch/listen then click here for my YouTube video! I also go more “in-depth with these tips on there)
TIP ONE: Plan, plan, plan PLAN. Seriously get yourself a planner and start using it! The more you can plan ahead and organize your time, the less stressed out you will be when it comes time to do the work. Make sure to take into account any family activities/sports/ect that you need to work around.
TIP TWO: Lower your expectations. Yep, I'm being serious hahaha. Anyone who has kids or cares for them, knows that nothing ever goes the way you expect and everything takes three times as long as what you'd think. So make your plans and your to do lists but stay flexible and patient if they don't fully unfold, remember your kids come first! Celebrate the small victories, even if you only accomplished one thing that day- it's okay! It's so easy to get frustrated and feel defer when it's the end of the day and you don't feel like you crossed anything off the list. Be patient with yourself and your kids. Again, small wins count and tomorrow is a new day!
TIP THREE: At the beginning of each month, I sit down and plan out all the things I want and need to do then break it up into weeks. I keep it manageable but also try to focus on big things that will make more of a long term impact. It's better to do one or two big tasks than 6 small ones in my experience. (example, it's better to take the time on one super awesome blog post or podcast episode then it is to post to Instagram two times depending on your business)
TIP FOUR: Come up with your strategies and specific plans when your kids aren't home or are sleeping. So basically I do this the night before a “work day” so I know exactly what I need to do the next day. So rather than try and find and edit a photo and come up with a caption for Instagram while being interuppted by kids every 5 mins, I do all the leg work at night when it's quiet so during the day, I can work more on “auto-pilot” and save myself some time (and stress!)
TIP FIVE: Start your work week/day/timeframe with your TOP priority things first. Get them out of the way so anything else is just extra. Remember my tip on lowering expectations and being happy about just one task completion?? That means starting with the most important or hardest things first. You'll immediately feel so much better knowing your top tasks are done and now you can work your way down through the least important tasks.
TIP SIX: Implement specific work days or times and stay consistent with it. If your job/business allows you to be flexible, use it to your advantage but don't fall into too much flexibility. I have found having set work days (I have just two a week) really helps discipline me and my kids. It’s helped me be more present on non work days and not do half assed things and trying to multitask all the time. And it's helped my kids to just expect that I'll be more busy on my work days.
TIP SEVEN: Segment your work days. If you're going to choose specific days to work then make sure to still segment them. Since I am a mama, I can't just lock away in my office from 9-5. (Some days I wish! haha) TIMERS are magical. I use them all the time to keep myself and track and to take breaks to be with my kids. And it's important to know that when I take these breaks that I am fully present with my kids. No phone, no work. It's important that they get that!
TIP EIGHT: I've been doing this very recently and have noticed a big difference. I give my kids their time and attention first thing in the morning rather than trying to get right to work and pushing them off later and later. I feel like this helps them be more understanding and willing for me to then go work for a while.
TIP NINE: Let your kids be bored and independent! I'm seriously not trying to give parenting advice or say one thing is better or right. In our home, it's been really important to my husband and I that our kids can be independent and play well alone and with each other (we have two kids 3+6) We've done this by…. Ignoring them. Haha okay not in the bad way it sounds but you shouldn't feel like you need to always entertain your kids and have to play with them all day. Spend quality time and love the heck out of them but it's okay to let them be bored and to create their own fun! Obviously this has helped with me working because I can let them do their own thing for a while.
TIP TEN: Let them watch TV! Yeah I won't lie to you, my kids watch a lot of TV on my work days but I won't beat myself up over it and neither should you! I am a little picky on what they watch (no YouTube or obnoxious shows) I like educational ones or ones that teach kindness, friendship ect. I also try to take advantage of tv/movie time to do my super important things that I need less distractions for. That being said, I also make them take breaks from tv too. I'll set them up with a craft, outside time, puzzles ect.
TIP ELEVEN: Sacrifice your alone time. Sometimes if it's too hard to get work done during the day then you may have to sacrifice some Netflix and chill to do things when they're in bed (or in the morning before they wake up) I'm not necessarily saying you should feel obligated to do this every night. Please take time for yourself and have some chill time! I only do the work at night thing about 2 times a week. Also don't stay up all night! I made that mistake too many times in the past and it wasn't healthy for me and it made for a pretty grumpy mom the next day.
TIP TWELVE: Bribe the kids… I mean inspire… I don't do this as much anymore now that we've been doing this for a while but in the beginning I would try to make my work days a little more fun or special for them. Maybe I'll make cookies, give them a new craft, or take then out to lunch. Just any small thing to sort of tell them thank you for being patient and independent for me to be able to do something I love.
Some days are just HARD. And on those days I remind myself this: My kids are my reason, not a distraction. And some times they need me more than my business needs me. The business can wait! At the end of the day, I'm doing this all for them right? So I wouldn't do this if it meant sacrificing my relationship with my kids and not enjoying the process!
You've got this mama. You don't need to do it all and be it all. Give yourself some grace and take it one day at a time. Your kids freaking LOVE you and I know you freaking love them. Now go be the badass mama and business babe that you are!
><Holly><
It's always been important to me to love what I'm doing and if it got to a point where I wasn't having fun and it wasn't helping me be a better person and mom then I was out. Thankfully that hasn't happened with this company and I hope it never does! I absolutely love being an artist for Maskcara Beauty. I love the culture, the flexibility, the friendships, and of course the products! If you have questions about this company or you are wondering if it's a good fit for you and your life, please email me! I'm happy to chat pressure free. simplemeetsbold@gmail.com
