I get asked “how do you have time to do anything?” a LOT when people find out that I have 5 boys. Luckily 3 of my boys are school aged, but I think any mom out there can agree that getting ANYTHING done with 2 kids 3 and under is hard. Can I get an AMEN? Somedays I struggle to tackle the dishes, laundry and crumbs on the floor. But I somehow have managed to keep this full-time business going while being a mom as well. Today I will share some tips for any other moms out there that are struggling with working from home.
1. Have a Defined workspace.
Years ago, I had my computer in our family room. Then I moved it into the corner of our dining room so that I could easily see the kids playing while working. I thought it was genius, but quickly learned that it wasn’t. I didn’t have QUALITY work-time because I was always being interrupted by someone. Even when I had “work time” and my hubby watched the kids, they were always around distracting me. We added an in-home studio/office for me a few years back and it has been AMAZING! I can go in there, shut the door, turn up my itunes and forget about what is going on in the rest of the house. I find that I have better focus when I know it is time to get to work!
my studio this morning…although it needs to be straightened a bit still. 🙂
2. BE EFFICIENT.
Seems like a simple one, right? I am always finding ways to use dead time during my day wisely. I check and respond to quick emails while in the carpool line or while my little kids are eating a snack. I update my social media while they watch cartoons, etc. I try to make to-do list or brainstorm while they play. And when they nap, I put in a solid hour in the office attacking a task.
3. Set work hours
This is something I struggled with so much in the past. I would work nights after my kids were in the bed and during the busy season it would be around 3am some nights before I turned off work and went to bed. Now, I schedule in a work day the day after weddings. Travis takes off and I cull and edit images. It takes me a few days to finish the entire process, but the bulk of the work is done right away! I also try to edit sessions the night after I shoot them. That way they are done instead of awaiting my edits. I have found that the worst thing is having sessions or weddings back up waiting edits. When my editing list is full, it feels unattainable to finish!
4. Give yourself a break.
Life gets stressful. Sometimes you just can’t do it all. When I have a tight deadline, I know that those nights are a pizza delivery and paper plates night. No cooking and no dishes. Something has to give, right?
Happy Tuesday Friends!
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