5 Simple Time Management Tips for Busy Work at Home Moms
Are you a work at home mom who struggles to balance your time as a busy mom and running your business?
Have you ever wondered if starting a home business and being a "mompreneur" could be right for you?
I have 5 time management tips to share with you that have helped me balance my time between being a busy mom and running a business from home. If you have ever thought about starting a home business this may help you decide if it could work for you.
1.) Schedule Hours: My number one tip is to set a schedule. You need to treat your business like you would a job. You need to decide how many hours a week you want to work on your business and then schedule it in. Get really specific and mark out the hours on a weekly planner. The great thing is you get to decide what works for your family on a weekly basis. Depending on the ages of your children you may need to get creative and work during nap times, after the kids go to bed, or hire a "mommies helper" to watch your kids for a couple hours. There are lots of college or high school girls looking to make a little extra money.
2.) Work Area: Have a dedicated space that you work in and limit distractions during your work time. It doesn't have to be a whole room but make sure you have a designated work area. Don't let things distract you during that time. For example, if you are writing a blog post and have dedicated 1 hour for that, then don't have your facebook or email open at the same time and keep checking that during that hour. You will end up getting nothing done.
3.) Set Priorities: Make a list the night before of the top 3 things you need to do the next day in both your business and at home. It helps you to prioritize and get the most important things done first. Plus it always feels good to cross things off your list!
4.) Family Involvement: Get your kids involved in helping you. They love to feel included and needed plus they will be more excited about your business. Depending on your business, there are many things they could help you with. They may be able to label things like catalogs or products. My 13 year old daughter loves to create images and flyers for me to use on my facebook page and blog. You can also have them help you with household chores which frees up time for you to do fun things with them. You can check with your accountant on the rules for paying your children to help you in your business.
5.) Family Time: Make sure you dedicate time to your family. With a business at home it can be hard to keep good boundaries between working and family time (and even time for yourself). If it is not your scheduled working time then don't be checking emails or making business calls. It is so important for yourself and your family to make this a priority or you will get burned out. Most likely the reason you wanted to work at home was so you could have more time with your family, not less!
Working at home can be a rewarding experience for you and your family. The last thing you want is for it to create more stress for you or your family, so have fun with it. Find something you are passionate about about. It may be a product or service that you offer yourself or there are many great direct sales companies that offer consultant opportunities for moms.
Being a "mompreneur" or work at home mom isn't for everyone. However, it can be a great option to add some extra income to your family budget and help you save money by eliminating costs of things like daycare, extra food, and gas money if you were a working mom. Plus the time spent with your children is priceless!
I would love to help you explore work at home options and would be happy to share more information with you about joining our Project Dream team of moms. We are all about putting our faith and family first.
Read more about Joining our Team.
