Moms are busy, and by necessity you have to wear many hats. People tell you to focus in order to succeed in business, but how can you focus and stay motivated when so many things demand your attention? Here are some tips for busy moms who need to keep their focus and motivation.
Choose the Right Job
If you are just trying to bring home some money and are willing to take on jobs you dislike, you will burn out before long. This is not to say that you can just do what you want and earn money at it, but it does mean that finding the right WAH job is important to your motivation. Choose topics that you care about, and use skills you enjoy using. Just because you are good at something doesn’t mean you want to do it all day.
Establish a Routine
New and interesting things are fun and exciting, but routine helps keep you grounded. It’s a good idea to set your alarm for the same time each weekday morning and head to the home office/computer at approximately the same time each day. Trying to scramble and figure out your work hours each day only wastes time and energy, and hampers your productivity.
Stay on Task
It’s amazing what you can do if you buckle down and shut out distractions. It’s easy to think you spent two hours writing an article, but if you cut out the trips to the refrigerator and the bathroom, the email reads and replies, and the few minutes here and there that you spent on social networking sites, you probably spent less than an hour actually typing. Taking breaks is fine – in fact, it’s necessary to avoid burn-out – but schedule your breaks into your day rather than taking them at a whim.
Delegation is Fine
Presumably, your family is going to benefit from the extra income you plan to generate with your home business. It would behoove everyone to support your efforts! Delegate some of the household chores and errands to the kids and husband (or whomever is in your family).
Ask Others to Help
You might consider getting a friend to act as a motivational partner who can hold you accountable if you haven’t accomplished your business goals. He or she can check in on you at regular intervals to see how you’re doing and to encourage you if needed. Tell this person what your goals and intentions are so that he or she can check on your progress. For some people, it really helps to know someone is „looking over their shoulder.“
Be a Nice Boss
Just because you are your own boss doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be a nice one. Give yourself time off and frequent breaks, but also crack down when things aren’t getting done.