How I implement time management strategies into my day
Crying, frustration, anger, foot stomping—I go through a bit of it every day as a work at home mom balancing work and kids. Sometimes those outbursts are from my kids and sometimes they are from me. The mompreneur juggling act is a difficult one but as you know, it’s incredibly rewarding.
I get to play games with my 2 year old son. I’m fortunately the one who is there for my 7 year old, when she needs me. And I’m lucky enough to do this while making money doing what I’m passionate about: WordPress website designing. In so many ways I feel like I got what I wanted. And in so many ways I think, somewhat sarcastically, ‘Yup you got what you wanted.”
I’m sure you’ve felt the same from time to time. So what’s a girl –or a mompreneur—to do?
In order to have more days that are grateful than tearful, I manage my days rather than let my days manage me. I do this by putting things into perspective. That means I put family first. Some people think that in order to make their work at home situation successful that work needs to come first and family needs to understand. For me it works the opposite. I put my family first and since their needs are taken care of it allows me to focus on my design work without interruptions.
It makes total sense if you think about it. One of the biggest complaints I hear from fellow mompreneurs is that they can’t find the time for their business because of interruptions from family. But if your family has their needs met and they’ve had some quality time with you, then there will be no need for interruptions.
Just to be sure, however, I schedule most of my work “after hours.” When everyone is asleep, my work begins. While it may seem like the best time to just collapse and get some sleep, it is actually my most productive time. I have no other pressing needs nagging at me and above all it’s quiet. Absolutely quiet. Other than the sound of my keyboard perhaps, but I can deal with that.
Along with that I fortunately have a very understanding family. It’s important to get the entire family on board with your efforts to work from home. They need to understand that the hours you set aside to work are just as important as the hours you spend with them. That works best if you actually designate work time and family time. Trying to fit in a little work here and there is an open invitation for your family to interrupt when they need something because you are in essence interrupting their time. Defining those lines between family time, personal time, and business time goes a long way in helping everyone understand your schedule and that goes a long way toward making your life a bit easier.
Being a mompreneur offers so many rewarding experiences but takes some getting used to. I’d like to invite you to share some of your time management strategies in the comment box below.
These are the same tips for moms, dads, or even singles who are having time management issues. Creating yourself & your family as a priority is the most important thing I think!
I schedule my week with certain tasks – Monday is the financial day, Tuesday I focus on sales, Wednesday is my day to work on advertising and PR…etc.
I agree with you Ann, If you are not putting your family first then it defeats the purpose of working from home.
That’s awesome, Stacy! Having certain tasks for each day can help you get a lot more done. It also helps to stay focused on one task instead of getting sidetracked with trying to get everything done in a day.
I LOVE your blog site and it’s design! I love this post. I have been struggling and feeling the pressure of being a mompreneur. I feel guilty when I do my “work”. My 2 year old seeks my attention sometimes when I am doing work. He’s really good at independent playing, but sometimes I feel like i could be doing more with him. Ugh. Thanks for posting this. I will actually do a post on my own blog site about this. May I reference your blog?
Hello Celeste,
I understand how you feel, I think all mom entrepreneurs can relate. It’s important not to let yourself feel guilty. I don’t want someone at a daycare to raise my children. I work at home so that I can be with my family but I need to make money in order to do so. Meeting my family’s needs and also spending an hour or two giving them your undivided attention helps me not to have that guilt when I am working.
I would love to have you reference my blog 🙂
Nicole