Tips For Running Your Own Business As A Stay At Home Mom

I am blessed to be able to stay home with my children and work from the comfort of my living room… or kitchen… or bedroom. But sometimes staying home with the kiddos AND working can become immensely overwhelming. I still struggle with time management, and the best way to get better is simply to practice effectively. So here are a few of my best tips (through trial and error) for the moms who work from home.

HAVE A SEPARATE PRIVATE WORK SPACE
One thing I struggle with is constantly catering to the kids. I am lucky to have an entire spare bedroom that I use as my office and work space. There is a child gate near the door that keeps the little ones out. The bedroom overlooks the living room where my kiddos can safely play while I work. Even just having a child gate zoning off a small portion of your kitchen where you can sit and work really does help eliminate distractors and allow you to focus. If you have a specific place where you always work, you’ll be more organized and more inclined to actually focus on work when you’re in that place.

MAKE A SCHEDULE AND STICK TO IT
Schedules mean everything for stay at home moms. We all have hectic lives. Between school, extra curriculars, medical appointments, and day-to-day fun stuff it can be really hard to actually make time to sit down and work. That’s why having a schedule is so important. Have specific times set aside throughout your day for certain tasks. Then DO those tasks during that time. Time to work. Time to clean. Time specifically to meet the children’s needs.

WORK WHILE THEY SLEEP
When the kids are asleep the house is at peace… sometimes. But quiet can help anyone focus. Wake up an hour early to check emails, update social media, or make phone calls. And stay up an hour or two after the kids have fallen asleep to work on finishing projects and interacting with customers. Those few hours when your children are in bed are completely absent of distractions and a great time to focus on activities that require a lot of attention.

HAVE PRE-PLANNED ACTIVITES FOR INDEPDENDANT PLAY
Each Sunday I sit down and get together 2 activities each day that I can give my kids to keep them independently entertained. I’m not a huge fan of TV and try to avoid movies (although they are a great way to keep the kids still for a minute). I’ll print out coloring pages, get craft kits and science kits together, look up fun recipes they can do on their own, and even buy small toys, games, and books. Then, when they are “bored” and I desperately need a minute to finish something- I can give them a quick activity and have a moment to focus on my business.

SIGN THE KIDS UP FOR OUT-OF-THE-HOUSE ACTIVITIES
Sports, clubs, classes, and volunteering opportunities are all great ways to keep your kids constructively entertained AND give you time to work. Let your children choose activities that they personally are passionate about or interested in learning. Then sign em’ up. It’s a win win for everyone involved. Your kids get to do something they enjoy- and you get an hour or two to focus on your business.

LET THE KIDDOS HELP
I allow my children to help with tasks depending on their age. And yep- I pay them too. They can earn money helping me, just like they would earning money for chores. Help is entirely optional, but if a child expresses interest in helping I don’t turn them down. My younger kids can help pack and put sticky labels on products and packages. My older kids can read through my emails and delete spam- or weigh packages and print shipping labels.

Why 'Because I Said So' Is Never A Good Answer

We’ve all said it. The famed ‘Because I said so’ response to our child asking ‘Well –why- can’t I do this thing?’. The truth is, sometimes parenting is exhausting. Sometimes all of the ‘why’s and ‘why not’s just get old and we don’t want to have to explain ourselves. Even I am to blame for occasionally throwing a snappy ‘Because I said so’ out there- but I always try to correct myself shortly after. And that’s because I’ve learned that ‘Because I said so’ is never the right response, and here’s why.

Kids deserve an explanation
Kids are likely asking permission for something because they genuinely want to do it. Most likely your child is not asking to do something simply to hear you say ‘no’. They’re hoping you say ‘yes’ (and they may even actually be surprised that you’ve said ‘no’.) Just as with adults, children deserve an explanation. You wouldn’t simply want to hear ‘no’ when you ask for something with no reasoning behind it. Children often can’t reason for themselves. They are incapable of looking at all of the options and figuring out –why- you’ve said no. Explaining it to them, helps them understand.

Kids deserve age-appropriate honesty
I avidly believe in being honest with your children. No matter their age, there is an appropriate way to be honest. If you’ve refused your child a cookie before dinner time, explain to them that they should try to fill up their stomach with healthy food before indulging in snacks. If you won’t let your child go to the park after it’s dark out, explain that it’s unsafe for them to be out after a certain time and that’s why they only go when it’s light out. If you are saying ‘no’, you should have a reason. Even if the reason is simply, ‘I don’t have time to drive you to your friend’s house right now- I’m busy.’.

It forces you to evaluate your reasoning
Explaining yourself forces you to truly look at the reason you’re saying ‘no’. Are you saying ‘no’ because –you- don’t want to do what your child is asking? Are you saying ‘no’ purely because you are in the habit (or the mood) of doing so? Sometimes, it’s fine to say yes. Does your child want to mix two different cereals together for breakfast? Is it really that big of a deal if they do? Is your child asking for something reasonable? Then perhaps, it’s actually okay, to say ‘yes’.

Understanding enforces compliance
If your child can understand why you’re saying no, they’re more inclined to listen to you. They know the reason behind your answer, which will make them less likely to be defiant. The general public follows rules and guidelines, because they are made aware of the reasoning behind those guidelines. We no longer accept smoking in many public areas, because we realize the health risks behind second hand smoke. Children should also learn that by understanding the reason for rules, we have a reason to follow them.

You wouldn’t accept ‘Because I said so’ as a fair answer either
If you asked your boss for a raise and they simply said ‘no’, and why you asked for an explanation they said ‘because I said so’, you would not be very happy either. It’s an unfair answer. And sometimes we forget that our little humans also expect fairness. If we want our children to grow up to be successful adults, we should begin treating them like successful adults at a young age- and one way to do that, is to respect the fact that they deserve answers too.

Rather than saying ‘Because I said so’, you can say ‘I already explained why.’
If your child continues to ask ‘why’ (as children often do), you now have a much better response. You can simply say ‘I’ve already explained why.’. It’s a quick way to end the conversation. Your child deserves an explanation, but they don’t always deserve your attention if they continue to nag. By explaining ‘why’ the first time, you’ve allowed yourself some wiggle room to let them accept the answer and move onto a different activity.