When you’re a work-at-home mom, it’s expected that you’ll be facing unique challenges that a regular employee may not always experience. As you work, you’re often surrounded by your kids, as well as other family members, you have household chores to take care of, and, just overall, you have to deal with all the noise and mess in your home. Thus, it’s only understandable if some work-at-home moms struggle to focus on their jobs, or even when doing other duties and tasks at home.
On the other hand, choosing the path to become a work-at-home mom can bring you numerous benefits. You’re in charge of your schedule, you can wear your most comfortable clothing at work, you don’t need to commute, and you get to spend more time with your family. However, to keep your work-at-home life productive and be able to balance your work-life at home, you’ll need a lot of planning, organization, and, most of all, commitment.
To help you nail both your parenting duties and job priorities, here are five productivity tips for work-at-home moms, like you:
- Create A Routine
It’s always best to have a routine. Create a separate routine for your mornings, afternoons, and evenings. For your morning routine, it’s ideal to start your day with a self-care routine. You can refer to guides from The Parenting Daily and other parenting websites about creating a self-care routine. A self-care routine can mean anything—doing yoga before preparing breakfast, writing on your journal before dressing up, or doing a 15-minute workout before officially starting your day.
Your afternoon and evening routine may be centered on scheduling your work tasks and household chores, homeschooling your kids, and looking after your home. Having a routine to follow every day can help you stay on track, regardless of how busy you are. It teaches your mind and body to always be prepared as you go through the same motions every day.
- Choose Your Best Hours
As you plan and schedule your daily tasks, make sure you identify your best hours, wherein you’re most active, most focused, and most capable of handling multiple duties. Keep in mind that not everyone can work at the same time. Some moms may work best during early mornings, while others can only work best during afternoons or evenings. Being in sync with your brain’s most creative and dynamic hours is the key to becoming your most productive self.
Additionally, don’t forget to consider the hours when you’re most vacant and available. Avoid scheduling a meeting or conference during the hours when you’ll be breastfeeding your baby or feeding your toddler. Working on hours when you’re available and mentally and physically active will reduce the risks of you committing mistakes while doing your job.
- Design A Workspace
This may be difficult for some, but even a small corner dedicated to your work alone can already do great things for your productivity. Avoid working on areas wherein you get easily distracted by the sight of unwashed dishes, your children’s toys on the floor, or the noise of the TV in the living room.
A workspace will signal your brain that you’re in the work zone and that it’s time to focus on that alone. Furthermore, avoid using your bedroom as a workspace. Your bedroom should only be associated with sleep and relaxation.
- Disconnect From Social Media Or Turn Off Notifications
Social media can be one of the most distracting and time-consuming things that can distort your schedule and affect your productivity. One minute you’re scrolling through the newsfeed, and the next thing you know, you already lost an hour just by using social media alone. To ensure you get the most out of your precious time, disconnect your laptops, phones, or tablets from social media to eliminate any form of distraction.
If not, you may also opt to turn off notifications and only turn them back on once you’re done with everything on your daily checklist. It’s also ideal if you set a specific time wherein you can open your emails or check your social media accounts, but ensure you schedule it at a time when you’re free.
- Set Realistic Goals
As you create your to-do list for the day, make sure you only list realistic goals. Avoid trying to do as much as you can or multitask. Multitasking may sound like you can finish a lot, but, in reality, it can only reduce your productivity. Your brain isn’t designed to focus on multiple things, making it harder for you to concentrate; therefore, you end up not finishing anything.
Only list goals and tasks which you think are manageable and possible to be finished today. If not, you can move certain tasks to the next day. The point is to let your brain perform its best by allowing it to focus only on one thing at a time. The more focused you are on each task, the more likely you can finish it on time and move forward to the next task at hand.
Celebrate!
Finally, after you’re done for the day, don’t forget to celebrate and feel good about yourself for your daily accomplishments. There may be more work waiting to be done, but don’t fret about the things you weren’t able to complete. Put your work aside, clear your desk, and prepare for the next day. Remember, your family and your wellness should remain number one. So, remember these productivity tips and be the most productive version of yourself, without having to compromise your family time and wellbeing.
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