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Being a work at home mama has its pros and cons for sure.  Most days you will love it and reap the benefits of it and some days you will wish you had your 9 to 5 back. 

I have been a working at home for 10 years now and 6 years ago became a mama working at home.  So I have learned a lot…. Some of it the hard way but I wanted to share some things that have helped me out and saved my sanity.

1.  Prepare in the morning for what the day will look like. 

Or the night before right before bed for you night owls.  This will give you a plan for the day and draw a sense of stability to start off the day. 

I like to set a morning routine of getting up early, I know when the kids haven’t slept all night and you were up 5 times nursing a baby it is hard to get moving but I promise this step of setting up your day ahead of time will help to go with the flow half asleep.  Coffee PLEASE! 

It helps to get up around the same time every morning, consistency helps to set that internal alarm clock, oh and early rising kids helps with that too!  Again, Coffee PLEASE!!  See tips 11 and 12 for ideas for setting up the day.

2. Establish a chore routine.  

We all know the laundry needs washed and put away or it’s the babies disposable diapers for everyone without clean underwear, eeek, dishes need washed, the floor probably has enough crumbs to make a whole meal and enough dog hair to make another small dog and lets not even approach the subject of the bathroom yikes! 

And some days there is just not enough time or energy to go around but if you have it spelled out on a chart and break it down into small tasks every day it’s a little easier to achieve.  Mini win for Mama when you get each little task crossed off!

3.  Create a work area that is easy to work in. 

So if you have littles that still need close supervision I recommend a designating an area in close proximity to the play area like a corner out of the living room or dining room.  I have a 6 and 2-year-old and my area is right in the middle of the house (a cut out area off of the kitchen) so I can see and run to all play areas when screaming and yelling starts or when they get too quiet, not sure which is worse. 

And if they are old enough to be unsupervised for a while by all means mama set up that office behind closed doors, they are old enough and you earned it by now!  Whether you have a work space in a room or your own office decorate that area and make it your own. 

You will feel more inclined to work if your area is set up to your liking.  Try to keep it clean and organized too so if it is a space in a room the littles don’t take off with your stuff, I speak from experience, lock and key those Sharpies!!!

4.  Get kids all set up prior to work time.

Make sure they are set up with snacks, drinks, a show on the TV that all agree on, enough dolls and toys out for them to share (hopefully share, que the screaming) and then something like playdough or the dreaded slime ready to go to toss out when the novelty of everything else wears off. 

Also have that iPad charged and ready to go when you just need a few more minutes.  Yeah yeah yeah I know electronics are bad but sometimes you just need that extra few minutes of peace.  Educational games only right?

5.  Set up a remote work area outside.

This will accomplish 2 things: First is that the kids will enjoy being outside and having that freedom while you work close by.  I try to do tasks like writing out blog ideas or even blog posts on the porch while the littles play in the yard because all I need is a pen and notepad, not a lot to drag out and put away. 

Second, sometimes you need a change of scenery to be more productive or get creative juices flowing and the fresh air and sunshine is amazing for that.

6.  Set Boundaries

I am not the greatest at this, but it was my New Year’s resolution to get better at it.  So littles are always first priority but it is good to start them out young by letting them know that mama has to get work done and we need quiet play time or entertain yourself time, then we can all play together later. 

Letting husband, family and friends know that when you don’t answer your phone you are working, treating work time more like a job where you are not returning texts or calls during “business hours.” 

Setting boundaries will help tremendously in staying focused especially since the littles at home with you will already be enough of a distraction.  It will help family and friends recognize and respect your work at home job too.

7.  Pick one “Big Work” Day a week

I like to pick Mondays, but you may have to pick a different one depending on your family schedule.  So on Mondays I try to make no appointments, zero errands and only leave the house to pick up kids from school. 

I do not usually shower or get completely ready (hear that… don’t visit on Mondays, not presentable) and I try to knock out as much work as I can this day.  I get things ready for the week and set my weekly to do list to later break down into daily list. 

I also catch up on all phone calls, emails and any chores from the weekend list that did not get done.  I usually meal plan this day and order online and set up the grocery pick up for the week.  

8.  Utilize kid free time to the max!

I get up really early because, well, my kids do.  So I am up usually at 4:30 or 5 to knock out a couple hours of work before they get up.  I use this time for computer work or boring stuff like banking and admin work that I don’t want interrupted during. 

Don’t you hate having to log in to online banking 10 times to balance your account because during they day you are up and down? Naps are also good work time if your littles still do this, Lucky!

9.  Meal Plan/Prep

I started this a few months ago and wow!  What a difference.  I make my list on Sunday or Monday of our meals for the week considering our schedule and which nights are late to plan accordingly. 

Click the link below to get a copy of my free plan printable.  Sometimes we move stuff around, but I know that these meals are what I have on hand for the week and we go from there. 

No more wasting time standing at fridge at 6:00 wondering what to cook for dinner!  I leave this meal planner on the fridge to reference.  I also like to meal prep stuff like chicken and having quick stuff on hand for late nights. 

10.  Ask for help!

This was also a hard one for me and I am still working on it.  We mamas try to do it all on our own all the time and well sometimes we just need help and that is ok. 

They do say it takes a village and even more so when you are trying to do it all and work at home with no set office hours that you are away.  So this may look different for each family but it could include any of the following: housekeeper every week or every other (daily if you can afford it, lucky!), meal delivery service, shopping help (Instacart, Shipt, Walmart grocery pick up, amazon grocery delivery), help from a family member once a week with kids, or laundry service. 

Whatever works, makes you happy and you can afford.

11.  Keep your calendar on your phone

I started this last summer and amazing!!  Most of us are almost never without our phone, so I am never without my calendar. 

I set alarms on it to remind me of things and then it syncs to my apple watch so my next event is always displayed on my screen, did I say how amazing this is and what a life saver it has been! 

We remembered last minute that it was 90’s day at school because of this little trick.

12.  Best tip but it is long one

This is a little series of tips that string together to make one big tip….

So when you are cooking, at the store, on the phone, anything but not at your computer and think of something you need to do/call about/take care of/make email yourself (my hubby even emails me when he needs me to take care of something now: note he needs more shampoo and dogs need flea meds) then in the morning when I am setting up my day and making my daily to do list I reference my emails to see what needs to be added to it. 

I check me emails all the time and first thing when I wake up, along with making my lists.  Then I check my weekly list that I made on Monday and see if anything gets added to the daily. 

I also review my calendar on my phone and add those items on daily list too.  Don’t feel bad if everything doesn’t get done off the list, rarely does, I just move the leftovers to the next day and start all over. 

This is the daily book I use, it fits perfect in my purse and sits on top of center console in the car.  Everything also syncs to my apple watch, this really helps keep me on time, I was ALWAYS LATE!!!  This has made me very productive and feel productive in checking off items!

I hope that these tips above help you out to make being a work at home mama a little easier, at least some of the days and for the other days remember there is always WINE.  Let me know which ones are your favorite and if you have any others that work great for you!  Mamas that share care 😊