Finding That Balance When You Work From Home

I have been a stay at home mom for a few years now and absolutely love it. While it is the most rewarding job I have ever had, it is also the most challenging at times. At the beginning of this year, I decided to become a work at home mom. My husband owns a lawn business that he does well with but I just felt like I should contribute somehow. Having three young kids, daycare costs would be out of this world and I would strictly be working to pay day care.

While this blog is a new found love for me, I have been doing freelance writing for several months now. When I started, I became faced with a huge challenge. How was I going to find balance between work, being a mom, and being a wife. Yes, I know, people do it every day. My problem came in finding time to dedicate to work between three kids constantly needing something, etc.

While I have by no means perfected this, I have found a few things that help me to get it all done and still keep my sanity somehow!

Wake up early

Sounds crazy huh? Most moms do not get enough sleep as it is so why in the world would a mom WANT to wake up early?! For me, I have become accustomed to having very little sleep at night. I am also a morning person so I do not mind getting up early. I actually LOVE the quiet time. It gives me time to get my thoughts together and figure out what the day will hold for us. The stillness of the house before the hustle and bustle begins is priceless.

Set Goals

Goals are very important if you are going to accomplish work from home. I have goals pertaining to my blog, goals for my freelance work, goals in my family life, and goals for our home. I am a very visual person and have found that actually writing my goals now, makes me more accountable. I work harder to achieve them so that I can mark them out. Gives me an absolute sense of satisfaction.

Make a Checklist

I find that making a daily checklist of things that I want or need to accomplish, helps to keep me on track throughout my day. Some days I get to check everything off and other days, the kids simply have a different idea in mind for me. I usually take my morning quiet time to get my list together. These are sometimes simple tasks such as organize the silverware drawer. Other days it may be a bit more involved. You might find it easier to make one checklist for work and home life. I personally make a separate one for each. While my work is from home, I still try to separate the two as much as possible to help with that balance.

Involve Your Kids

I know that often times when you recruit the help of the kids (depending on age), the simplest of tasks seem to take twice as long. But, kids love to be involved. If my kids are having a hard time entertaining themselves I put them at the table with me while I am on my laptop. I give them paper, pencils and crayons and give them simple little tasks such as "draw mommy a picture of" or "write this". They feel like they are working as well and it keeps everyone in one area. My kids are fortunately still at the age that they love to help around the house as well. They have to clean their own rooms but I try to give them other tasks to make them feel involved and important as well such as, taking the clothes from the dryer and putting in the laundry basket, sweeping the floor, dusting, etc.

Multi Task

I have become a whiz at multi tasking since I became a mom! I always try to find ways that I can do a couple of things at once. I will start the washer and then sit down to write for a bit until I hear the buzzer. I always keep an extra notebook in the car so if I find myself sitting and waiting somewhere, I can pull it out and work on simple tasks such as blog ideas or article prompts. Multi tasking really helps me get more accomplished throughout the day.

Know When To Stop

One of the biggest struggles I have faced since I started working at home is knowing when to stop. For a while I was staying up super late at night trying to get a little more writing done or an extra load of laundry. Just because you work at home does not mean you have to work constantly. Learn to treat it just like a job that you would commute to. Know when to close your laptop and be done for the day. Make time to enjoy life and make memories with your family. Not only is this important for family relationships but for the sake of your sanity as well.

Hopefully these tips will help you in finding some balance with being a work at home mom. For me, it is constantly a learning experience and I have found that my "plans" are ever changing! Good luck in your journey!!