Are you new to working from home? 2020 gave us a lot of new challenges, and being a work-from-home mom is one of the more difficult challenges! I’ve rounded up some tips and routine advice to help you transition from being a working mom to a stay-at-home working mom!
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When my son was born back in 2015 husband and I decided that it would be financially smarter for me to stay home with him vs enrolling him in an expensive daycare. I was working in Administration at a medical facility with an unclear career path. I had always had the urge to start blogging, and staying at home with our son seemed to be a great opportunity to open that door of curiosity.
It took me an additional 2 years to actually start down that path because being a stay-at-home parent was a lot busier than I realized! Ha!
When my daughter was around 6 months old I started my own online boutique/my first blog. After a few months, I shut down my first blog to put all of my work focus on my boutique. I love working for myself! It brings so much flexibility to my schedule, which also benefits the rest of our family. Being available during school breaks and sick days is a huge plus! It took some time, but I found my rhythm, I found a schedule that works for me, and you can too!
Find a balance
Balancing work and home life is tough. Go into it knowing that some days will be easy, and other days will just be hard. I will be the first to admit that after 4 years of being a Work From Home Mom (WFHM), I still struggle with balance at times. And balance is the root of it after all.
Go into your day with a plan on what to accomplish that day. Heck, break your day up into parts if you need to!
“I’m going to get home chores A, B, and C done before noon, then work assignments 1, 2, and 3 done after lunch but before school pick up”
There are some things that will be done every day, no matter what. Dishes, meals, getting the kids to and from school, etc. Define what needs to be done with your job each day as well. Knowing what else you want and need to accomplish that day will help keep you on track.
Do your best to make the most out of your productive times during the day. I know that early mornings and nap times are my most productive time periods, so that is when I work the most. Take advantage of those times!
Stop any bad working habits
Getting caught up on social media, doom scrolling through endless posts will kill your workflow and productivity every time! I love a good TikTok video as much as the next, but apps like that can be distracting and time-consuming! All of a sudden, your scheduled work time is gone and nothing was accomplished.
Instead, find some downtime later in the day for social media and endless scrolling or video watching.
Set structured play and learning time for your kids
There are days that I wish I could sit at my computer all day and work without interruptions. I have dreams of sitting at a Starbucks by myself for hours just working without anyone needing help with a snack or a diaper change.
But part of being a stay-at-home working mom is being the mom part! I love my kids, and I love being available for them.
They have needs too, and sometimes those needs are met by playing unicorn party for an hour or taking a walk to the playground. Structured play with your kids is important whether you work out of the home full time, or are at home with them. Also, giving them the tools to have their own quiet, structured playtime is just as important! We have also begun implementing a structured educational time for them on their tablets and we have seen so much learning growth over the past few months!
Learn to turn off your computer, and put your phone down
This can be a hard one for me because I love to work! The evenings and weekends are our family time together, and I try to be present as much as I can during those times! Even something as simple as a walk around the neighborhood as a family is so beneficial and creates fun family memories.
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Be flexible, and be gentle with yourself
My online business is flexible; I can work throughout the day, or just for a couple of hours. Somedays, I don’t even get a chance to sit at my computer because we are so busy with appointments, sports, playdates, and just life!
And I have to be okay with that!
There will be days where you have everything planned out and goals to accomplish, but everything in your household goes south because kids are unpredictable. Being flexible is important even with a set schedule.
That’s where being gentle with yourself helps!
Know that there will be days where you are irritated with your kids for being disruptive or days where errands take too long and cut into your work time. There will be nights where the baby won’t sleep, which definitely affects your productivity the next day!
Do what you can, and save the rest for the next day. Your mental health is important and self-care still needs to be a priority!
I hope you have found these tips and routine advice helpful to transition from your working mom life to becoming a stay-at-home working mom! I hope you move forward with this journey feeling confident in setting a schedule and a routine! With a lot of trial and error, moms can do anything!
{ Total interruptions while writing this post: 860. Hang in there, mamas! }
