10 Secrets to Getting Things Done as a Work-at-Home Mom
Being a full-time mommy and working from home is like juggling two
full-time jobs at once. Remember the days when everything on your
“to-do” list was checked off and there was nothing left for you to do?
Remember when we were kids and used to get “bored”….those days are no
more! ;) I’ve found that there is ALWAYS things to be done. When my
husband asks, “Are you done with work for the day?” or “How much left do
you have to do?” my answer is usually, “I’m never done, but I’ll stop
if needed!”
It seriously is such a huge joy and blessing to have the ability to
stay at home with my son, run my own business, and create my own hours. I
couldn’t be more thankful. I’m exactly where I want to be. However,
that certainly doesn’t make each day easy or my task list finish itself
magically…no fairy godmother here. ;)
I have a lot of roles in my life. On top of having the honor of being
Soren’s mommy, I also blog full-time for my business, run a graphic
design company with my business partner, plan annual events, travel,
speak, write for various blogs, run a YouTube channel and do my very
best to keep up with our home, OH! and spend time with family, friends,
and my sweet husband. Whew! I get asked the question a lot: “How do you
do it all?” Well get ready, because I’m about to reveal all the secrets
for getting things done…;)
- You Can’t – You thought I might have stumbled
upon a secret formula or machine that makes time stand still? So sorry, I
haven’t found one yet…but let me know if you do! The biggest secret to
having a busy life and “getting things done” is realizing you CAN’T get
everything done and you shouldn’t put that expectation on yourself OR
let others put that expectation on you. Do what you can, when you can.
Be adaptable.
- Sacrifice – While I wear a lot of hats, more
often then not I’m wearing 3-4 REALLY WELL and letting the others get
dusty. This analogy simply means that on a weekly basis certain roles
are sacrificed and aren’t completed to the best of my ability. For
example, I might be winning at getting house chores done for the week
but let my inbox get filled to the brim. Or maybe I’m on top of my email
game but I haven’t showered. all. week. You can’t do it all, so it’s
important to be okay with that and realize some things might be
sacrificed here and there.
- Set Priorities – Since we know things will be
sacrificed it’s important to prioritize your roles and tasks. What are
the most important things to you? For me it’s being a mom and spending
time with Jon especially. This means that I do my very best not to
sacrifice these roles in my life and allow other things to “get dusty”
if needed before I would let those things “get dusty” in my life. This
makes putting things off until another day a little easier when you know
what you want to say “no” to and “yes” to.
- Be Intentional – When little ones go down for a
nap, this is typically the best time to get things done. Be intentional
with this time! Use a prioritized task list and work through it one at a
time. Try to keep yourself from filling your time with un-important
tasks like browsing the internet or binge-watching your favorite show.
If you only have 2-3 hours stay focused. :)
- Plan Your Week – I like to start off each week
sitting down and planning everything out. Where do I need to go?
Errands? Big to-do’s? Events? Wish-list items? Scheduling appointments
and outings in your calendar and put together your task list for the
week. Have a task list of things that MUST get done and another for
things you’d like to get done, bonus tasks if you will. :) This will
make it easier for your brain not to panic when you see so many
un-checked boxes because you know you are focusing on the priorities and
letting yourself be okay with only accomplishing a few (or many none)
of the wish-list tasks.
- Accept Help – If you are fortunate enough to
live close to friends, in-laws or parents that are willing to lend a
consistent hand, be sure to take them up on the offer! You could also
consider hiring a nanny for one day or a few hours each week. My mom
comes over and watches Soren for me on Thursdays, and this allows me to
plan to make a good dent in my task list. I usually stay at home so I
can continue to nurse Soren if needed, but sometimes I will head out to a
coffee shop to really focus if I’m working on a large project.
- Work at Night – Sometimes, but not every night,
I dedicate the evening to work. I don’t want to do this every night,
because I still want to make time to spend with Jon and have “me” time
or meet up with a friend for a late night latte. But about 1-2 times
each week I work a lot in the evening. After Soren goes to bed at 7
p.m., I usually have about 4 hours of good uninterrupted time to focus
and get things done. If you are not a night person, then I might suggest
working in the early, early morning before your little one gets up for
the day.
- Stay Organized – It can save you so much time
and effort if you stay as organized as possible in your work life. If
you have a desk at home, make sure there is a place for everything so
things are easy to find. Also, make sure your computer is organized! If
this gets away from you and you can’t remember where you put an
important email or if you wrote down the time of an important event it
will cause you a lot of un-needed stress. Create folders in your inbox,
on your desktop and in your office to store things to you need. Use
organizational apps like task lists and calendars that sync to all of
your devices for easy access. Who needs to be wasting 30 minutes
tracking down information when you’ve got other work to do?! :)
- Stop – The last thing I want to be is a
“workaholic” I never want to sacrifice my well being or the well being
of my family for work. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE what I do but it will
never be more important than my family. If I ever get to a point where I
feel completely overwhelmed, stressed and out of sorts I like to take a
step back immediately. Sometimes this means un-plugging for a week,
sometimes it means taking the day off and not worrying about work, and
other times it means not working that night and just soaking in the tub
with a cup of hot cocoa. Be okay with taking a break. You want to feel
re-charged and energized to get things done and sometimes stopping it
just what you need to accomplish that.
- Experiment – And finally, know that what works
for one person might not work for everyone and what works today might
not work in three months. Be willing to adjust and adapt your schedule
as needed to fit the needs of you and your family. Experiment with
different schedule changes, seek advice, and check up on yourself often.
Huggies
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