How to Find Work-life Balance as a Work at Home Mom
Start your Day with your Daily To Do list! Setting your day up for success right from the morning. I can’t stress enough that having your schedule written out, truly makes a difference and keeps your day organized. You know what time your appointments, calls that need to be made and time with your little ones. Plan ahead and this really is the game changer, when it comes to balancing everything as a mom.
After, searching long in hard in my life to be able to find a bit of a balance and truly love the fact I can share it with other moms, what has worked for me. See, being a mother is difficult and sometimes in the past, I’ve felt like a complete failure. It’s hard enough to just have to focus on your job, needless to say having to add the balancing act of being a work at home mom or having to deal with kids, house stuff and even if there was any time to be able to take care of yourself.
With all the stresses of work and home surrounding you daily, it can be difficult to focus on just one task. Seemingly, nothing ever seems to get fully or properly completed and you can feel as though you are failing at both work and being a mom.
How do you balance working from home?
The truth is though, learning how to find balance work from home and still be a mom is important, Right? To who?
We often don’t really see that it really can play on us if we don’t find that balance. To be able to feel like you have at least accomplished what you were supposed to do.
In reality, the only person that can help you create balance is you. There is a solution to every problem, we just don’t always see it. But what if I told you that you didn’t have to be perfect, as we are not supermoms.
But there is something you can do to be able to put some balance into your life. Just to list a few:
- Create a dedicated space where you can work and not in your child’s playroom. This is a must for you to be able to get any work done.
- Set times when you are working and have some help with the little ones. Hire a babysitter or ask the family if they can help. Sometimes working around times with your spouse really makes it easier, as you need time for solo to be able to do what you need to. This, of course, depends on what type of work you do and if you have the flexibility to work around your hours.
See I started working from home a while back. But I had to learn quickly how I was going to be able to balance work, home and being a mom.
Not long ago, when my twins were small I thought I had to be everything to everyone and it didn’t last very long until I completely burnt myself out. I would feed, bathe, read, cuddle and play with my babies to just be a mom.
But by the end of the day, I was burnt out and still felt that I needed to clean, cook, do laundry and still work my business. I couldn’t do it anymore, something had to give.
I thought I failed as a mom, wife, entrepreneur, and even daughter. I didn’t feel as though anything that I was doing or wanted to accomplish ever even came close to getting completed.
You might be asking yourself, how would it, if there were so many priorities. The truth is, at that moment I didn’t see that. All I saw was a girl who just couldn’t keep up, a girl who failed.
My husband told me to let things go and don’t worry if things don’t get done just focus on the kids. He was my rock then and still is to this very day. I’m really grateful that he has been there and yes he has helped with doing things around the house and with the kids, but him working eleven-hour shifts wasn’t easy either.
See this is when I realized that, the most important thing in life is, the actions we take. See, Balance isn’t perfect! Yes, it doesn’t have to be, Balance is what is important to you and only you!
Yes, I over the years I have discovered ways to feel as though I have prioritized what is most important to me to create that balance in my life. I thought I would share some secrets that have helped me and can totally benefit you, so next time you feel as though a whole day went by and you didn’t get what you had wanted to accomplish, ask yourself if there was just too many things on your list.
First things First!
Prioritize your list of things, which are most important to you and only you! Really, planning is so important!
1. Brain Dump List of To-do’s
First, just do a brain dump of all the to-do’s that are rattling your brain. Things that are in your head put them all down on paper. Then prioritize the top 3 that are must do’s for the week, then break it down to the what needs to be done on each day with the top 3 must do’s for that day.
This is looking for the whole week ahead and planning. You will be amazed if you try this and follow through, how much happier this will make you feel.
Yes! There are ways to balance being a work at home mom and a parent, without failing at either. The key to success is having faith in your abilities, create schedules and get creative with your time.
2. Create Your Schedule
When trying to balance work and home, it’s important that you do your absolute best to schedule your time. Figure out what hours work best for you to utilize as work time and do your best to get all your work completed during that time period. Minimize distractions and focus solely on work. If this means that you have to get up before the kids and plug away before they wake up, utilize that time properly.
Having a Schedule is something that I do on a daily basis. I have not only done this, but I have created a checklist and broken it down into bite-size digestible pieces that make everything in my life run a lot smoother. I couldn’t stress enough how important and valuable it is to have a schedule and to stick to it.
3. Have Lists
Create daily to-do lists for both home and work. This will help to keep your tasks in perspective, giving you the chance to check off tasks as they are completed and find the best way to balance work and home life. The lists will help to keep you on task and focused on what needs to be completed each day.
Then take it one step further and take the list of the to-do’s and narrow down the top 2 or 3 must do goals. Once you have done this make it your goal to have those completed first and if you still have time, then you can get to the others on your list.
Having better time management is the goal and having too much and not being realistic if it is even accomplishable is a must. So be realistic of your time and block time off in your day to have those 2 or 3 must do on your list. This way you have actually scheduled them and then you are more likely to do them.
One thing to do is to treat the scheduled must do’s on your list, as if you had to go to the doctors. Now would this be something you would miss? Would you go? You would right? Well, that’s the same reason why you need to schedule them in your day, especially if you feel they are that important that they must get done. The must do can be going for a run or reading a book or taking the kids to the park, remember it’s about what is important to you, I repeat and only you.
4. Plan Your Family Time
Not only is it important to plan your work schedule out, but it’s also important to plan your family time. Make sure that you have daily time to spend with your family, without the distractions of work emails or meetings. Take time out to have free time every day, whether that means spending time together at the dinner table, playing board games or having movie nights, it’s important to make time for your family too.
Now, I have tried doing yoga exercises even with my kids, not only are we doing something together that’s fun, but I am getting my workout and teaching them how important health really is. This is a double win, win! We need to take care of ourselves, so don’t ever neglect yourself because you play a key role in what your kids will do later.
This takes me into the next topic, which is;
5. Health and Self-Care
Schedule a time for you! Yes, you might not realize it, but you and your health play a vital role in creating a complete balance. When you’re stressed, your health is affected and that includes how you perceive yourself, including negative feedback.
A lot of times, we don’t realize that all this can be detrimental when it comes to our health. That’s why you must, must schedule your time!
See, without time for yourself, you can’t heal; mentally, spiritually and physically. These all play a vital role when it comes down to function in everyday life. After all, what’s life without you feeling great!
6. Meal Plan
Having a meal plan is just one more way to make your life easier. Having your meals planned out helps to minimize the stress you feel as dinner time creeps up. Having to run to the store for extra ingredients or spending time playing around with recipes, is really not an option when you work from home.
Word of advice would be to, take the time to plan out every meal for the week and make sure to stick to the plan. This is why I love freezing meats and soups, which is a no brainer when it comes to what’s for dinner. If you haven’t yet tried one of my favorite, not only time-saving, but you can actually put frozen food, right out of the freezer. Now I don’t know if you have or haven’t heard of the Instant Pot, if you don’t have one, then you truly need to get one.
It really saves you so much time, there have been so many times, I’ve had forgotten to thaw something and it has been a true lifesaver!
If you want to know more about the Instant Pot, make sure to go to my article on my Instant Pot story, it literally was a game changer!
7. Have your child on a schedule
The reality is that you need to have children on a schedule, just like adults need one, kids do as well. Kids really do well, when they have a routine. Keep breakfast, snack, lunch, nap, dinner and bed very consistent and you will find not only will it keep your child a happy camper, but it will also make your life so much easier to plan when you know the routine.
Having your child on a consistent routine not only benefits your child, but it also benefits you. As they stay on a schedule, so do you. Not even trying, you naturally will fall into a pattern as well. So this is a definite Win, Win!
Eliminate the Mom Guilt
The guilt you feel for being a work from home mom can be difficult to overcome. The truth is though, just because you don’t spend the entire day with your children doesn’t mean you’re a bad mom. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.
Being a work at home mom is a blessing as you can spend time with your children, be available for them right away in case of emergency and also provide for them financially.
If nothing else, you need to realize in this case you really are supermom. Eliminate the guilt and remember, you do all this for a reason.
There are many ways to find balance as a work at home mom. Creating schedules, lists and plans will help provide a balance between motherhood and work life, like no other. Just remember, to eliminate the mom guilt, you are doing all this to provide for your family and you are doing an amazing job.
So every morning when you wake up, you need to say this to yourself, write it on the bathroom mirror or a note in your office. Whatever or wherever, it is to remind you, that you are doing everything that is important to you and your family. Then and only then, have you found a true balance and so you can live the life you love.
