Self-Discipline and Time Management for Work-at-Home Moms

Disclosure: In any review for a product or service, products or compensation may have been provided to me to help facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” and "Terms of Use" tabs for more information.

Many moms who choose to work from home do so because they would like to contribute to the
household income without handing over their entire paycheck to childcare services. Plus, many
mothers, even those that have had fulfilling careers outside the home, simply can’t bear the thought
of being away from their children, letting them be raised by strangers, and missing out on some of the
many firsts that will never come again. So there are multiple reasons that you might want to work from
home and the prospect is a fairly attractive one in a number of ways. The only real problem is that you
have to be a fairly organized and disciplined individual if you want to make a success of it. However, if
you know what you need to do, the battle is half won. So here are just a few things to consider before
you give up your day job and move to the home office.

1. Setting a schedule. The first step is to set a daily schedule. This can be difficult with some work-
from-home occupations because you may not know how much work you’ll have from week to
week. That’s okay; all you have to do is populate a schedule with the things you know about
(taking kids to school or activities, weekly errands, appointments, and so on) and then pencil in
other items as they come up. Having an established routine is merely a springboard to making
sure time is not wasted, but it is a necessary place to start. Otherwise you’ll find that you’re
getting up later in the day and running errands in your pajamas. A structured schedule helps
you stay in command of your life.

2. Flexibility (having a plan B). Of course, whenever kids are involved, plans are bound to change,
so it pays to have a backup plan and leave a little wiggle room in your schedule. If you’ve got
everything scheduled to the minute you’ll find yourself constantly stressed when things don’t
work out the way you anticipated (and this will happen frequently). So try to leave some space
in your schedule for those times when you simply have to go with the flow.

3. Alarms. Sticking to a schedule when there’s no one looking over your shoulder can be
downright difficult. You might get caught up in playing with the kids when you should be
crunching to meet a deadline for a client. So think about setting alarms for yourself in order to
help you stay on track.

4. Taking breaks. All work and no play makes for unhappy moms and kids alike. If you’re not
scheduling in break times between work and kids, you’re doing yourself a real disservice; people
who run on full steam run burn out pretty fast. Even workers in offices take lunch breaks,
restroom breaks, and so on. Moms might find this difficult to do (it’s hard to get a break from
the kids), but even taking a few minutes to sit and have a cup of coffee and read the paper while
the kids are napping (or take a nap yourself) can revitalize you and give you the respite you need
to keep going all day long.

5. Tools to get the job done. You can certainly opt for inexpensive used computer equipment
and cheap office chairs because you don’t think your “business” warrants the expenditure, but
spending the money to have the proper tools at your disposal will help to keep you organized
and efficient (not to mention comfortable). So look for deals on the latest technology (try sites
like Dell, TigerDirect, and Newegg), splurge on an ergonomic chair and keyboard, and definitely
get yourself a smart phone. Remember, you can write off all of these expenses at tax time and you’ll be surprised how much they help you to remain disciplined and manage your time.