Have you been wanting to start a business so you can work from home, but haven’t because you have kids at home? Are you worried about how to balance your business and family? I’m not going to lie- it definitely takes some juggling. But with these few tricks, you can become a mompreneur while staying home with your kids.
No Childcare? No Problem
One of the biggest excuses for not being able to start an at home business is not having any childcare options. Mama, let me tell you- I have a 1 year old AND a 2 year old that stay home with me (they literally have been with a babysitter once for 2 hours their entire lives). I still was able to launch a web design company to help other mamas start their own businesses. If I’m able to be a work at home mom, you can, too!
My biggest tip is to figure out when you can work and make those your office hours. Because my kids are so young and not at all independent (no matter what my 2 year old may think), working while they are awake just doesn’t work for us. So my office hours while they are sleeping. Does it mean working at night instead of binge watching Netflix? Yup. But the trade off is worth it to me.
Plan like a Boss (a Mama Boss that is)
If you’re serious becoming an work at home mom, then you’re going to need to be an amazing planner. I don’t mean just whipping out your Erin Corden planner every few weeks and glancing over your calendar. I mean planning out every detail of your life and business so nothing gets lost in the craziness
Time blocking is huge for me to be able to plan out my week and manage my time well. I take a look at our family’s schedule each week and then literally block out time to work on specific projects or aspects of my business. It allows me to stay focused without wasting any time on trying to figure out what to do next.
Meal planning also helps balance your business and family obligations. I know, it is so much more fun to whip up new recipes at the drop of a hat or go out to eat whenever the urge hits. But you know what isn’t fun? Fussy kids losing their minds because they’re hungry and you can’t decide what’s for dinner because you were working instead of scrolling through Pinterest during their nap. Been there, done that.
Leave all that unnecessary stress behind by creating a weekly meal plan. Create a Pinterest board with all the recipes you’ll need in it. That way you won’t be left searching for the recipe at the last minute (and inevitably find something that sounds better). And then write down all the ingredients needed so you have your grocery list ready to go.
A few minutes of planning once a week makes such a difference!
Tune Out the Distractions
You know the nice thing about NOT working from home? You aren’t home to think about the pile of dishes, the mound of laundry, or that funky smell that you’re pretty sure is a sippy cup you lost last week. You’re at work, mind and body. But when you’re working from home, you’re there to see (and smell) your to do list.
One of the best pieces of advice that I’ve gotten on tuning out distractions is to remind myself I’m “at” work when I sit down to my computer. If you need to change your clothes to put on something work appropriate, then do it! Making taking off your yoga pants a reminder to yourself that you’re in work mode now.
Some other practical tips to minimize distractions are:
- If you’re lucky enough to have an office, use it! But if you’re like me and short on space, carve out a corner of your home to make your work zone. Stock it with whatever you need to be productive.
- Sit down to work with a drink and snack so you won’t be tempted to get up and go to the kitchen.
- Wear headphones and listen to white noise. It’ll help you tune out whatever else is going on in the house.
- Use a browser extension to block off your social media feeds while you work. StayFocused is a Chrome extension that allows you to limit the amount of time you spend on certain websites.
- Turn your phone on silent and turn it over so you can’t see your notifications. Better yet, leave it in another room so it isn’t even a temptation.
- Have a conversation with your husband about what it means when you’re working. Set some guidelines for when it’s okay to interrupt you and when it’s not.
- Only check your email at specific times. Turn off the notifications so you aren’t constantly distracted by new messages coming in.
You Can Do This, Mama!
Running your own business at home while taking care of your young kids isn’t easy. But with lots of planning and focus, you can do it!
