Learn To Say “No” And Ask For Help

Many women take on too much.  This is usually because they are afraid to say “no” when someone asks them to do something.  They may feel afraid of hurting someone else’s feelings or think the person will be mad at them.

When women do tell people “no,” they often feel guilty. Here are some ways to start saying “no” without feeling guilty about it:

* If your child’s teacher asks you to organize the school bake sale, tell them you would love to, but your schedule is full.  You don’t need to give any further explanation.

* If Mondays are the day you and your family have game night, and your boss asks you to work late that night, simply say “I have another commitment.” Your boss doesn’t need to know that you’re playing Candyland with your three year old.

* If you’re working on something and your child wants you to run them across town and drop them off at the movies, it is okay to say “no.” Your child probably has plenty of video games and DVDs to keep them occupied.

* It is okay to turn off the computer, turn off your cell phone and enjoy some peace and quiet.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help

* You are not the only one in your household who is responsible for getting things done. If you are a two-parent household, let your spouse or significant other help out with some things. Your children can also take on some age-appropriate chores.

* Don’t feel that asking for help is a sign of weakness. Everyone needs help from time to time.  When your family or friends let you know that they need help with something, you are probably the first to volunteer.  Let someone help you for a change.  They will more than likely be very happy to lend a hand.

Walking the WAHM tightrope – balancing work and family

Sometimes, being a work at home mom can feel like walking on a tight-rope! Balancing your work-time and you family-time can almost feel overwhelming, but it can be done. As a WAHM you are ahead of the game. The following are some tips to help keep you balanced – and sane!

You have the ability to set your own hours, so take advantage of that right now. If you can handle some tasks at “odd hours”, you will have more family time during the day. Are you a morning person? If so, try to get up an hour before your family to take advantage of some “quiet time” to focus on your business; night owls can take care of emails and other administrative tasks after they have put their children to bed.

If you pick your children up from school, use the time you spend waiting for them to get out of class to return customer phone calls.  A wireless headset for your cell phone will allow you to keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road if you make calls while driving.

During the week, when schedules are busiest, plan speedy dinners. Let your kids help out in the kitchen while you cook – you’ll be spending time together and teaching them skills they will need. There are plenty of cookbooks out there dedicated to “kid friendly recipes” if you need some inspiration on what to make.

Blend family time and work time by getting your children involved in your business. Smaller children can affix the stamps or mailing labels; older children can help hang flyers; and teenagers can take on some administrative tasks such as data entry.

Set aside some time each day to spend with your children with no distractions. You don’t have to go anywhere special; the time can be spent reading a book or playing a game. The point is just to let your children know that they come first, and the business comes second. Remember – you became a work at home mom so you could spend time with your family. Don’t forget to take some time out to enjoy them!

How To Keep Track Of Your Schedule

When it comes to keeping track of your schedule, it is very important to find one that fits your needs and personality.  If you try to adapt to someone else’s scheduling techniques, you may find yourself avoiding the schedule. 

Some people prefer paper planners and others like electronic ones, whether in the form of a PDA or through their email program, such as Outlook or Google Calendar.  A third option would be large dry-erase boards or bulletin boards that you can hang up in your home.

Paper planners come in a variety of sizes and can be found in “one page per day” formats as well as “weekly” formats, where the entire week is spread out between two sheets of the planner. When you open the planner, you are able to see your whole week, spread across the two pages.

When deciding what type of paper planner to choose from, make sure the size will fit your lifestyle.  If you are going to carry the planner with you a lot, find one that will fit inside your purse or bag comfortably.  If it doesn’t fit well, or is very heavy, it is going to be more of a hassle to tote it around.
On the other hand, if you are going to keep the planner on your desk, you may want to opt for a large 8 ½” by 11” size.  That way, you’ll have lots of room to write down any notes.  Plus, this size is often divided into 15 minute increments, which can also be a very helpful tool.

An advantage of using a paper planner is that you can use highlighters to help you get a visual image of where your time is going. For instance, you can assign the color blue to all of your personal and family obligations, such as doctor’s appointments, gymnastics meets, soccer games, family reunions, and so forth.

Keep choosing colors for the various “parts” of your life.  You can decide the categories to best suit your needs. If you have a day job or a home business that you work to earn money, such as a virtual assistant, while you are working on developing your more personal business, you may want to assign both of those different colors.  For instance, the money-earning job can be green and the personal business can be pink or orange.

Once you have decided on what your colors will be, start highlighting activities in your planner that match each colors’ category.  If you notice one color is dominating your week, you may want to step back and evaluate how you are spending your time.

As technology improves, more and more digital planners can perform similar highlighting functions.  You can even find “smart phones”, that combine a cell phone, planner, and even an Mp3 player all in one little package. 

If you like the idea of keeping track of your schedule electronically, but don’t want to spend a lot of money on a PDA or smart phone, you can use a program such as Outlook or Google Calendar.  One of the features of Google Calendar is that you can share your calendar with other users. 

This can be helpful if you plan a lot of events (such as pot-luck dinners, game nights, etc) and want to let all of your family and friends know about them easily.  You may want to keep that calendar separate from your personal calendar, though.  Not everyone needs to know when your next dentist appointment is.

The white board / bulletin board option is great for those that like to have a lot of room to write or who are very visual.  One board can be hung in the kitchen to divvy up household chores among family members or to keep track of everyone’s appointments, games, and so forth.

Another board can be kept in your home office to keep track of your work, household bills, and other things.  If you work on multiple projects, you may want to have several boards, so you can easily see what needs to be done for each project.

Keeping Track of Your Schedule

The first thing to remember when deciding on a scheduling technique is that you need to find one that will fit not only your needs but also your personality.  Trying to adapt to someone else’ techniques may just make you avoid the schedule all together and that’s not the goal.

Some people prefer electronic planners such as a PDA or via their email program such as Outlook or Google Calendar while others may be more comfortable with paper planners, which are available in daily, weekly or monthly formats and in a variety of sizes.  Another option though not portable, is a large dry-erase board or bulletin board hung in your home or office.

Make sure the size of your planner will fit your lifestyle.  If you are going to carry the planner with you a lot, find one that will fit inside your purse or bag comfortably or briefcase.  If it doesn’t fit well, or is very heavy, it is going to be more of a hassle to carry it with you.

On the other hand, if you are going to keep the planner on your desk, consider opting for a large 8 ½” by 11” size.  This will provide you with plenty of room to write notes on.  An additional plus, it that this size is often divided into fifteen minute increments, which can serve as a very helpful tool.

If you decide on a paper planner,you can give yourself a visual image by color coding your tasks with highlighters.  For instance, assign the color blue to all of your personal and family obligations, such as doctor’s appointments, soccer games, family reunions, etc. and your business activities another color.  This way you’ll be able to see what you should be doing at a quick glance.

Choose various color for various activities or part of your life.  Choose categories that suit your needs best. If you have a day job and a home business, you may want to assign a specific color to each.

Once you’ve decided on your color and corresponding categories begin highlighting activities in your planner.  If one particular color seems to be dominating your week, you may want to consider re-evaluating how your time is being spent.

With the improvement in technology, digital planners can perform similar highlighting functions.  Smartphones combine a cell phone, planner, and even an Mp3 player all in one little package.

If you like the idea of keeping track of your schedule electronically, but don’t want to spend a lot of money on a PDA or smartphone, use a program such as Outlook or Google Calendar.  One of the features of Google Calendar is that you can share your calendar with other users.  This can be helpful if you plan a lot of events (such as pot-luck dinners, game nights, etc) and want to let all of your family and friends know about them easily.

The dry-erase board/bulletin board option is great for those that are very visual or those who like to have a lot of space to make notes.  One board can be hung in the kitchen as a reminder to all to keep track of everyone’s appointments, games, and so forth.

Another board can be kept in your home office to keep track of your work, bill payment schedules, and the like.  If you work on multiple projects, you may want to have several boards, so you can easily see what needs to be done for each project.

How To Keep Track Of Your Schedule

When it comes to keeping track of your schedule, it is very important to find one that fits your needs and personality. If you try to adapt to someone else’s scheduling techniques, you may find yourself avoiding the schedule.

Some people prefer paper planners and others like electronic ones, whether in the form of a PDA or through their email program, such as Outlook or Google Calendar. A third option would be large dry-erase boards or bulletin boards that you can hang up in your home.

Paper planners come in a variety of sizes and can be found in “one page per day” formats as well as “weekly” formats, where the entire week is spread out between two sheets of the planner. When you open the planner, you are able to see your whole week, spread across the two pages.

When deciding what type of paper planner to choose from, make sure the size will fit your lifestyle. If you are going to carry the planner with you a lot, find one that will fit inside your purse or bag comfortably. If it doesn’t fit well, or is very heavy, it is going to be more of a hassle to tote it around.
On the other hand, if you are going to keep the planner on your desk, you may want to opt for a large 8 ½” by 11” size. That way, you’ll have lots of room to write down any notes. Plus, this size is often divided into 15 minute increments, which can also be a very helpful tool.

An advantage of using a paper planner is that you can use highlighters to help you get a visual image of where your time is going. For instance, you can assign the color blue to all of your personal and family obligations, such as doctor’s appointments, gymnastics meets, soccer games, family reunions, and so forth.

Keep choosing colors for the various “parts” of your life. You can decide the categories to best suit your needs. If you have a day job or a home business that you work to earn money, such as a virtual assistant, while you are working on developing your more personal business, you may want to assign both of those different colors. For instance, the money-earning job can be green and the personal business can be pink or orange.

Once you have decided on what your colors will be, start highlighting activities in your planner that match each colors’ category. If you notice one color is dominating your week, you may want to step back and evaluate how you are spending your time.

As technology improves, more and more digital planners can perform similar highlighting functions. You can even find “smart phones”, that combine a cell phone, planner, and even an Mp3 player all in one little package.

If you like the idea of keeping track of your schedule electronically, but don’t want to spend a lot of money on a PDA or smart phone, you can use a program such as Outlook or Google Calendar. One of the features of Google Calendar is that you can share your calendar with other users.

This can be helpful if you plan a lot of events (such as pot-luck dinners, game nights, etc) and want to let all of your family and friends know about them easily. You may want to keep that calendar separate from your personal calendar, though. Not everyone needs to know when your next dentist appointment is.

The white board / bulletin board option is great for those that like to have a lot of room to write or who are very visual. One board can be hung in the kitchen to divvy up household chores among family members or to keep track of everyone’s appointments, games, and so forth.

Another board can be kept in your home office to keep track of your work, household bills, and other things. If you work on multiple projects, you may want to have several boards, so you can easily see what needs to be done for each project.

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