10 Important Tips for Work From Home Moms

Working from home has been the best thing to happen to me in my career!

There are so many pros to working from home. From a mom of 5, I will give you my best tips for work-from-home moms!

If you’re curious about what it’s like working from home, or if you already do and need some pointers, I’ve got you covered!

1. Find Childcare

Even if you’re working from home, you still need childcare. Of course, this depends on the type of job you’re doing, but in my experience in healthcare, having my kids at home is not manageable.

When COVID hit, a few of my kids were home. My oldest two kids, 10 and 5, stayed home. This was okay because I gave them direction, and they knew what they were supposed to be doing at all times.

At the time, I was pregnant and had a 2-year-old and 20 month old. There is no way I would have gotten any work done if the younger two kids were at home.

As I said, it depends on the type of job that you have. But more often than not, you will need childcare if you have younger kids, especially if it’s a job that you’ll be on the phone. And even if it’s not a job that you need to be on the phone, think about all of the interruptions!

It’s important to remember that most jobs track your productivity, and it would be tough to keep up if you could not focus on your tasks.

Even if you don’t have a job that tracks your productivity or work for a corporate company, think of all of the interruptions and you being pulled in a million different directions! I know that may be feasible for some mompreneurs- maybe it’s a personal choice?

2. Create a Routine (For You and the Kids)

Creating a routine is crucial for success when you are working from home! Not only will it be good for you, but it will also be good for the kids. Examples are creating routines around morning, after daycare or school, and bedtime. I’ll elaborate.

Morning

In the mornings I grab a light breakfast, get dressed, and brush my hair and teeth.

My kids know in the morning, it’s time to get ready. (Especially the older ones). So they get dressed, grab a light breakfast, brush their teeth, and are ready for school. (If you homeschool, it would still be beneficial for them to get ready!)

After Daycare/School

We have the same routine after school. This is where I take a quick break and make sure they have snacks. After school, it’s: snack, dinner, clean up, bath and bedtime—every day.

Bedtime

Before I go to bed, I make sure to prepare my and my husband’s lunch for the next day. Sometimes I’ll even lay out what I’m wearing to make it that much easier.

The kids get their clothes out for the next day, bath time, and brush their hair and teeth before bed.

Creating this type of routine is a must!

3. Pack Your Lunch

I’m not going to lie to you; most days, I forget to do this. Because I work from home, I’m used to just walking to the fridge and making my lunch.

However, there’s such power in packing the night before! I pack my husband’s lunch daily, and it’s great to know it’s just done. I like to do this right when I get off work, so it’s already done!

4. Use Your Break Wisely

Any time I can step away from my work computer, I try and use my time wisely. There are so many things you can get done in 5-15 minute increments that really help make things smoother. Here are just a few examples of really quick things I can do on my break.

  • Water the plants
  • Start a load of laundry
  • Clean up a room (bedroom, kitchen, bathroom)
  • Vacuum
  • Start dinner

These are just a few of the things I can do to be productive!

Today I actually used my break to make dinner. I cut up some vegetables and made soup in the slow cooker, which was done when I got off work!

5. Use Your Time Before and After Work Wisely

I didn’t learn this right away, unfortunately. But now, there’s no going back! I’m not the cleanest mom on the block; I’ll admit it. However, I don’t like going to work (even when I am at home) and knowing there’s a huge mess waiting for me.

So, in the morning, I’ll do what I can to ensure that when I get off work, the less I have to do, the better. And when I get off of work, I try to do what I can to make the next morning go smoothly.

6. Keep Up on Housework

Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy to keep the house clean. Especially with kids!

So, keep up on housework and do things right as you see them. This is something I try to do time after time. And we are teaching our kids to do it, too, even though that’s taking a long time to catch on! (It will!)

7. Set Aside Time To Be Active

I’m not going to lie; this one is the hardest one of all for me. I feel active all day long with the amount of work I do each day between work, the kids, and housework, but the truth is you need to be physically active too.

So, set aside time to be active. Is it during a 15-minute break? Is it before work? Is it after the kids go to bed?

There are a lot of excuses but also a lot of options. Unfortunately, I’m learning this the hard way.

8. Be Present With Your Family

Even though you’re physically at home, it’s still important to be present with your family. I like to have snacks for my kids when they get home, talk and do homework with the kids, chat with my husband, and just generally be present.

Also, if you have older kids at home…embrace the interruptions. Sometimes I can get a little frustrated when I’m constantly interrupted, but there is no place I’d rather be than with them and at home.

9. Ask For Help

Why is it so hard for moms to ask for help?! Seriously, just because you work from home doesn’t mean you’re able to do everything. So, if you need to ask for help! Your circle is there for you!

10. Enjoy the Ability to Work From Home

Enjoy working from home, and don’t take it for granted! It’s a blessing to work from home and the ability to be at home providing for my family while also working in a career that I absolutely love. It’s priceless!

 

Working from home is incredible, but our work as moms does not stop there! There are so many ways we can make the most out of our time while working from home, which is sometimes hard to do- with all that is on our plates!

Please note: Every work-from-home job is different, and you will have to find out what works for the company you decide to work for, for your family, and for YOU!

Are you interested in what jobs a mom can do from home? There are SO many!

I hope you enjoyed these tips for work-from-home moms! Let me know in the comments what your best tip is if you work from home!

 

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