DO YOU NEED SOME WORK AT HOME MOM HACKS TO STAY PRODUCTIVE?
Staying productive while working from home with kids can be challenging, but it’s still possible using the work at home mom hacks in this post.
Being a work at home mom has a lot of advantages, but like many things in life, it also has its downsides.
As a homeschooling and work at home mom, I have learned a few tricks to help me stay productive so I can achieve my business and homeschooling goals.
I am aware that one of the biggest challenges work from home moms face is how to manage home and work responsibilities.
This isn’t an easy thing to do that’s why many moms end up neglecting one area in favor of the other, which isn’t very ideal.
So how do you take care of your kids and also find the time to work on your business (or job)?
That’s what I am going to show you in this post.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy anything using my links, I may receive a small commission.
9 WORK AT HOME MOM HACKS TO BOOST YOUR PRODUCTIVITY
1. HAVE DEDICATED AND REGULAR HOURS
One thing I have learned as a work at home mom is the importance of having regular and dedicated hours to work each day.
Does this mean I always work at the same time every day?
Of course not!
But knowing when I am supposed to be working helps me to stay focused and make good use of my time.
One of the best things about working from home is that you can work at anytime (especially if you own your own business), so you need to take full advantage of it.
Since you can choose when you want to work, you can choose the best and most suitable hours for you.
Are the morning hours more suitable for your work? Do you prefer to work in the afternoons or evenings when the kids are a bit more settled? Or do you prefer to work during nap times?
Whichever time you prefer, plan your days so you can free up those hours.
Of course there are other factors to consider like the ages of your kids, how many kids you have, the type of work you do, your time zone and a few other things.
That’s why it is important for you to figure out the most suitable hours you can work based on your family circumstances.
This way you’re not constantly behind on your work (or not finding the time to work on your business), or not spending enough time with your family.
For me, I tend to do most of my work in the evenings and nights after I am done with homeschooling.
I find it hard to focus on work during the day so I generally don’t get into work unless I have some important deadlines or things to do.
I used to get very frustrated when I tried working during the day and couldn’t get much done.
But since I figured out the best times for me, I am generally happier and more productive.
So if you want to be a productive work at home mom, figure out what time works for you, and schedule your work around those hours .
2. MAXIMIZE YOUR WORK HOURS
How do you maximize your working hours?
By staying focused and minimizing distractions and interruptions during those hours.
Like most work at home moms, I can only work a few hours every day so I have to make the most of it.
When it’s time to work, make sure your work has your full attention.
If you only have a couple of hours a day to work on your business, make sure you use those hours wisely, and you spend them on the most important tasks before you do anything else.
If you are really pressed for time to work on your business, waking up early or staying up late will give you some extra time, but if that isn’t an option for you, then you must maximize the time you have.
That’s the only way you can grow your business, do more client work or complete more projects.
3. MAKE A TO-DO LIST AND PRIORITIZE
As a busy work at home mom, one of the most effective productivity hack I have learned is using to-do lists to plan my days.
Want to be more productive?
Get in the habit of writing a to-do list at the end of each day so it can be ready for use the next day.
Go through your to-do list before you sleep and make sure you have everything you need to complete the tasks on your list.
Taking the time to plan and set up your work for the next day will make a big difference to your job or business.
Remember to prioritize the tasks on your list and highlight the things that are most important (not necessarily urgent).
When I make my daily to-do list, I usually have two or three things that I aim to complete to feel like my day isn’t completely wasted.
Those are my priorities.
Even if I don’t complete all the tasks on my to-do list, as long as I can cross out those tasks as completed, I usually feel fulfilled at the end of the day.
The main benefit of using to-do lists is that it helps you to see at a glance what you should be working on and saves you some precious time.
I don’t know about you, but I am more productive when I know exactly what I want to work on since I don’t need to waste time thinking about what I should be doing.
If you’re not in the habit of using to-do lists, I suggest you give it a try because it’s a useful hack for any work from home mom.
4. BATCH SIMILAR TASKS
Batching is a good way to get a lot of things done at the same time.
If you can learn to batch similar tasks, you’ll save yourself a lot of time.
For example, you can do all your writing tasks at the same time instead of spreading them throughout the day.
The same goes for your marketing activities, answering emails and messages, reading or any other daily task you have to complete.
Batching similar tasks together will make your day flow smoothly and stop you from wasting little chunks of time.
Here are some great articles on batching for you to check out!
Batching: How to Transform Your Productivity Forever
20 Tips for Batching to Save Time And Cut Stress
5. PLAN YOUR DAY AHEAD OF TIME
When I take the time to plan my day ahead of time (usually the night before), I find that I’m usually more productive.
Planning your day ahead of time means you wake up each day with a sense of purpose.
Before you start each day, it’s good to have a plan of attack.
What I mean is that you should have a clear idea of how you’re going to accomplish your goals or tasks.
In other words, you should know exactly what you want to do when you sit down to work.
This way, you’re not guessing or making things up as you go along. This is one of the easiest ways to stop frittering away time.
Planning your day ahead of time may include things like:
- Deciding which tasks you want to work on.
- Checking to see if you have any deadlines looming.
- Deciding how long you want to work on a particular task.
- Making a list of any work or business supplies you need to order.
- If you have employees or a VA, making a list of tasks to delegate.
These are just some examples of some things you can plan in advance to help your day get off to a great start.
I know sometimes after a busy day, you may be tired and just want to get away from work, but taking a few minutes to prepare for the next day is worth it and could be a game changer for your productivity.
6. MAKE SURE YOUR DAILY ACTIVITIES RELATES TO A GOAL
I assume you have some goals for your business because it’s hard to be productive if you don’t set some goals.
Lack of goal setting is one of the reasons many work from home moms struggle with being productive.
Without goals, you find yourself meandering through the day with no real purpose.
So if you want to be a productive work at home mom, you have to embrace goal setting.
Once you have set some goals, it’s easy to align your activities with your goals. Which means before you spend time on any activity, you have to ensure that it’s related to your goals.
Discard any task that isn’t related to your goals.
You need business and family goals to help you stay focused and productive.
Related: 5 Realistic Goals for Busy Work at Home Moms
7. MINIMIZE PROCRASTINATION AND MULTITASKING
Since I haven’t found a way to completely avoid procrastination and multitasking, the best I can do is to minimize them as much as possible.
Personally, I am more productive and efficient when I focus on one (or two) things at a time instead of trying to do lots of things at once.
Multitasking can slow you down, which means some tasks may end up taking longer to complete because your attention is divided.
When you can’t give your full attention to one thing, it becomes harder to complete and takes longer.
I’d rather complete one task before moving on to another instead of having lots of unfinished tasks.
Sure it’s possible to do more than one thing at a time (depending on what they are), but if you find you’re taking too long to complete your tasks, you may want to avoid multitasking if that’s an issue for you.
8. AVOID INTERRUPTIONS AND DISTRACTIONS
One easy way to boost your productivity as a work at home mom is to avoid interruptions and distractions when working.
I know there are lots of distractions when you work from home with babies and toddlers. These distractions can be very hard to ignore, but you’ve got to find a way to do just that.
Some things you can do to help minimize distractions include:
- Block out noise when you start working,
- Learn to say no so to things that take up your time when you are working.
- Have a dedicated work space. When it’s time for work, move to that space. Let everyone know this is where mommy works and she should not be disturbed.
- Prepare snacks and meals in advance to prevent hungry kids from interrupting you.
- Teach your little ones to play quietly and by themselves. Find ways to keep them engaged while you work.
- Stay off social media,phone and email unless for work-related tasks.
- Get dressed and get yourself into work mode.
- Decide ahead of time how long you plan to work that day and let everyone know when you will be done.
- Hire a babysitter if you can afford it.
There are many more ways to avoid distractions and interruptions when you work at home, but these are some of the things that have worked for me.
9. INVEST IN THE RIGHT TOOLS AND RESOURCES
Are there tools or resources that would make your life and tasks easier and also save you time?
You should think about investing in some of them.
I like to keep things simple and I try to do as much stuff as I can since I am working with a limited budget.
It’s probably the same for some of you. However, there are times when investing is certain tools or resources is the right call for you and your business.
If you’re struggling to stay productive because you don’t have the right business or work tools, I recommend you find a way to get those tools.
You can start saving for them or research some free or cheaper alternatives.
Working with the right tools can make a difference to your productivity and profit so it’s something you really want to consider doing.
Some tools and resources to consider investing in include:
- A planner
- Calendar
- Laptop
- Work desk and comfortable chair
- Trello/Evernote
- Courses/manuals
The tools you need will depend on your type of work or business, and of course your current situation, but the list above are some of the most common tools for work at home moms.
Related: 6 Essential Mindset Changes for Struggling Mompreneurs
9 WORK AT HOME MOM HACKS TO BOOST YOUR PRODUCTIVITY
Being a work from home mom can be tricky but there are ways to make it work.
Use these work at home mom tips to help you become more productive so you can achieve your goals.
HOW TO BE PRODUCTIVE AS A WORK AT HOME MOM
- Have dedicated and regular work hours
- Maximize your work hours
- Make a to-do list and prioritize
- Batch similar tasks
- Plan your day ahead of time
- Make sure your daily activity relates to your goal
- Minimize procrastination and multitasking
- Avoid interruptions and distractions
- Invest in the right tools and resources
