Time Management Tips For Work At Home Mom

Some people mistakenly believe that work at home moms have it easy and that there is no reason why they can’t “get it all done.” These people do not understand the challenges that work at home moms face. 

Moms that work outside the home can leave the office and focus on their family, and when they are at the office they can focus on their work.  Work at home moms need to find a way to blend both of those worlds into the same four walls.

Here are some time management tips for work at home moms:

* Define your business hours and let your clients and family know what they are.  When you are working, let your family know that you need some quiet time to get your work done.  When it is “closing” time, feel free to shut the office door and enjoy your family.  Your client can wait until tomorrow for you to return their phone call.

* If you have small children, it is okay to get some childcare help.  Enrolling your child in daycare for a few hours a day twice a week doesn’t mean you are a bad mother.  You need time to work on your business, and you shouldn’t feel guilty about that.  If you don’t want to leave your child at daycare, consider hiring someone to come to the house and watch your children while you work.  A young teenager is qualified for this, and will be very affordable.

* Many of your administrative activities can be outsourced to a virtual assistant.  This will free up your schedule and allow you to spend more time marketing your business.

* Check your email once in the morning and once in the evening, rather than checking it and responding to mail every half hour or so. This will save you a lot of time throughout your day.

* If you are tempted to start surfing the internet while working on the computer, unplug your internet connection until your work is done.  Once you have completed your report or spreadsheet, you can get back online.

* Participating in forums and social networking sites can be a great way to connect with others and gain publicity, but they can also be big time wasters.  You don’t have to join every single one you find.  Choose a few good ones, and limit the amount of time you spend there.

 

Organization Tips for WAHMs

Do you have piles of papers on your desk? Is there a stack of receipts shoved in your drawer? Do you ever find yourself looking for a phone number that you just know you wrote down somewhere? If you are suffering from a lack of organization, here are some suggestions on how to tackle it.

It is no secret that having a disorganized work area is counter productive. By getting organized – and staying organized, you will be able to get more work done in less time.

If you are computer-friendly, you may be familiar with the program Outlook. You can use Outlook to keep track of your emails, your daily schedule, your to-do list, client phone numbers and email addresses and more. You can even synchronize your MP3 player to Outlook and keep all of your info with you wherever you go!

For those that are not as technology advanced, you can still get organized by using old-fashioned paper products. If you do not have a planner, get one! There are many kinds of planners to choose from, in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Find one that fits your needs and use it to keep track of doctor appointments, school meetings, your work schedule, etc. Set up a client database to keep track of phone numbers, emails and other information. You can do this by getting some 4” x 6” index cards and a recipe box.

April 15 is a day that many Americans dread – it is the due date for your taxes! An easy way to keep track of recipes is to get a hanging file folder and 12 manila envelopes. Have one envelope for January, one for February and so on. During the month, throw all your receipts in the corresponding envelope. When the month is over, tally up your receipts and write it on the outside of the envelope. That way, when tax time comes, most of your work will already be done.

By taking some time each day to “take care of the little things” you will stay organized, feel less stressed, and get more work done!

Finding Enough Hours In The Day

I’m guessing that it took you about a week to find out that there just aren’t enough hours in the day when you work from home and still take care of your family. Your list of things that need to be done seems to be getting longer each day. Here are a few things you can do to get more done in less time. Give them a try and see if there aren’t enough hours in the day after all.

Avoid Productivity Killers
We all have some things that just kill our productivity. This could be anything from having a radio or TV playing while we try to work, to having too big of a to-do list or knowing there is still something on the list you just don’t want to have to do. Find those things that kill your productivity and do your best to get rid of them. Find a quiet place to work or adjust your to-do list. Do whatever it takes to keep you motivated and productive.

Prioritize
Before you start any work, take some time to determine what is most important and most urgent. What will make the biggest difference to your bottom line. Grab a pen and prioritize what you need to get done today and then sort by importance and urgency. A great way to do this is to number the items on your list 1 being the most important, 2 the next important one, etc. Then just work your way down the numbers until you run out of time. This way you know the most important things keep getting done, no matter what. 

Automate
Periodically take a look at what you are doing and see if you can’t automate some of those tasks. There are all kinds of software available that will make your life easier. Set up a helpdesk for customer inquiries and use a shopping cart to have electronic products delivered automatically.

Outsource
If you can’t automate it, see if it you can outsource certain tasks. Anything that’s repetitive, or that you simply don’t enjoy doing is a task that can potentially be outsourced. It may be worth paying someone $10 an hour to take care of those tasks if it allows you to focus on higher paying work, or growing your business.

Easy time management tricks for WAHMs

Many people assume that work at home moms have it easy; however, if any of those people have ever lived a day as a WAHM they would know it isn’t so simple. There are children to take care of, a house to clean, a dog to walk, groceries to buy, dinner to cook and dishes to wash. Oh, and then there’s that business to work!

It may not be easy, but it isn’t impossible, either. By using some simple time management tricks, a WAHM can find time to “get it all done!” One thing every WAHM should have is a planner. Schedule your family time first! Then schedule in the time you are going to work your business. Once you have your “work time” scheduled, make it a priority to stay focused on your business during those hours. It is very easy to procrastinate when you are a WAHM.

If your work requires you to do lots of different tasks, try to group similar tasks together. For instance, if you are in a direct sales business and you have a team under you, designate one day to be your “training day”. Instead of helping various team members throughout the week, schedule all of your mentoring sessions for one day. Set aside an hour in the morning and an hour in the late afternoon to respond to email and/or return phone calls. By scheduling that time in, you will find that you are able to get more work done and feel less scattered.

You might also consider outsourcing some of your activities. If you find that you are spending too much time on responding to email, returning phone calls, or updating your website, hire a virtual assistant to do those tasks for you. This will free your time up to work on your business, and by spending more time on the parts of your business that actually bring in money, you will be able to increase your profits.

You can also save time by setting aside a block of time each week to do your “regular” errands, such as grocery shopping. If you plan your meals for the week and go to the grocery store once, you will save lots of time during the week by not taking those daily “quick trips to the market”. And while you are planning your meals, try to schedule a few “cook once, eat twice” days. For instance, you can plan on having spaghetti on Monday and tacos on Tuesday. So, on Monday, brown the hamburger you will need for both days. On Tuesday, half of your work will already be done. And if you are making a meatloaf or lasagna, make two and freeze one for later.

Most importantly, do not feel as if you have to do it all by yourself. You are not a super hero. If you have a spouse or significant other, ask them to chip in on household chores. Children love to help out, and depending on their ages, there are multiple things they can do. And when it is all said and done, don’t forget to take out some time for yourself. Everyone needs a break– WAHMs included!

Creative Childcare Solutions For WAHMs

If you are a work at home mom, you probably became one so you could spend more time with your children. However, there will most likely be times in your business when you will need to arrange for childcare. The following are some creative solutions to your childcare dilemmas.

WAHMs in direct sales are very often faced with childcare predicaments. A main portion of their business is conducting sales presentations, usually held at someone else’s home. If you are a party plan WAHM, the most obvious choice would be to schedule these presentations when your partner can watch the children, but what if your partner has an odd work schedule or you are a single parent? You can hire a local high school student to come to the party and be the “party nanny”. Check with the hostess first, but she will probably love the idea (and so will the other guests – since they won’t have to worry about getting a sitter for their children, they will be more likely to come to the party and the more guests you have, the bigger your profits!).

If you just need an occasional sitter, try setting up a “child care group” with your friends and neighbors. Each woman can designate a time frame on a certain day of the week or month to be “the sitter”. Any of the Moms in your “child care group” who need a sitter that day can drop their kids of at the “designated sitter’s” house. The children will get to play and interact with one another and each Mom can get free childcare on an “as needed basis”.

Check with your place of worship as they may offer a “Mom’s Day Out” type of program where you can drop your children off for a few hours per day, a couple times per week. This may be a free or low-cost service. Also, check with local library as they may have “story hours” where you can drop your children off and the librarians will read the children a book and after the book is read, the children can participate in a craft, game or activity.

If you just need some “quiet time” to do some work, you can hire a neighborhood teenager to come over and play with the kids while you are tucked away in your office. You will have some uninterrupted “work time”, but will still be there in case ‘something comes up’. If you have regular meetings that take you away from the house, check with friends and family to see if they can help out by watching the kids. Offer your product or service in exchange for their time. They may jump on the offer!

And don’t feel guilty if you need to put your children in daycare part-time. Yes, you may have had every intention of working at home in order to spend time with your children, but, there may be times when your business will need your total focus. By taking that time and completing your business tasks, you will be able to focus 100% on your children during family time.

Next Page »