Achieve Work-Life Balance: 10 Easy Tips For Work At Home Moms

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Do you have a healthy work and life balance when working from home?

A good work-life balance may be the most difficult thing for work-at-home moms to achieve. It can seem like a pipe dream, being able to get all your responsibilities accomplished with your job or business and still having time for yourself, your partner, your family, and your home. Doesn’t that sound just divine?

Well, you don’t have to keep dreaming. Work-life balance is actually attainable, even for moms who work at home! It does take some effort and preparation in the beginning, but the rewards are certainly worth it.

Discover how you can learn to manage a healthy balance of work and mom life with the following tips.

10 Work-Life Balance Tips For Moms Who Work From Home

Develop a daily routine
Allow for flexibility
Have a designated workspace
Ensure you have a fast internet connection
Minimize distractions during work hours
Put your phone away
Implement time-saving home hacks
Enlist your kids to help with chores
Consider hiring outside help
Don’t forget self-care (and ditch any mom guilt about it!)

woman on the phone looking at a laptop while holding a smiling baby, text overlay work life balance 10 tips for work at home moms

What Is Work-Life Balance?

Well according to the Cambridge Dictionary, work-life balance is defined as “the amount of time you spend doing your job compared with the amount of time you spend with your family and doing things you enjoy”.

A fairly simple concept but is it possible to achieve when are a work-from-home mom and the two lives get so intermingled? The short answer is yes! It may seem a little more challenging but if you lay the groundwork as shown below, you’ll be able to strike a balance.

Why Is Work-Life Balance Important?

The benefits of having a balanced work and home life are plentiful and include better health (mental, emotional, and physical), reduced stress, improved happiness, and contentment. This balance also improves personal relationships and can help you have a more fulfilling life overall.

Having a good work-life balance as a mom can make you more present with your children and able to enjoy those little moments in life that can bring us so much joy.

How can a mother balance work and home life while working from home?

Working from home as a busy mom who juggles all kinds of responsibilities and trying to do it all is no easy feat but it is doable! Basically, moms are superheroes who don’t wear capes. But even superheroes need a plan so use these tips to set yourself up for success.

Routine and planning are at the heart of this solution and with a little effort, you can find a nice work-life balance that works nicely for your family.

10 Tips For Moms Working From Home To Find Balance

Develop A Daily Routine

Flying by the seat of your pants won’t do you any favors if you are wanting to balance your work and home life!

Establishing a routine each day that allows you to be productive at work and still have time for the household and family is essential.

Include time within your schedule for meals and breaks. Set a time for you to be finished with work each day as well, so you aren’t feeling the need to return to your desk throughout the evening or after the kids are in bed at night.

Allow For Flexibility

This productive routine doesn’t have to be a hard-and-fast schedule. You don’t have to stick to something minute by exact minute, but rather a loose routine of what needs to be accomplished each day. Keep a general idea of how many hours are allotted for certain tasks.

Allow for some flexibility because well… life happens! You may have to care for a sick child one day, pushing back your ability to work until the following day. However, by following the routine on most days you will notice that you are getting more and more tasks knocked off that never-ending to-do list.

Keep A Designated Work Space

Having your work area away from the rest of the house is ideal. This lets you “leave work” even when you are a work-at-home mom. The space doesn’t have to be huge or extravagant. A small desk in the corner of your bedroom works just as well as a legitimate den or separate room office space.

Leave this area during your lunch time and breaks. Only use this space for work. This way you don’t feel like you are always at the office during family or “me” time, but you’ll also train yourself to recognize that area solely as a place to be in work mode.

Be Sure To Have A Fast Internet Connection

When working from home, nothing can get you bogged down faster than having slow or unreliable internet. Having your tech work properly can help you to be more efficient and productive. You won’t have to deal with any frustration that comes with a lagging connection. Simply put, a speedy internet connection equals less stress and better productivity.

Minimize Distractions During Work Time

To properly balance work and home life, you want to be as productive with your time as possible. However, productivity doesn’t always mean that you’re working on something important 24/7. It simply means that you’re the most productive and focused during work time, and you delegate time to relax and do leisurely things as well.

The time in your schedule set aside for work should be only for that. Turn off the TV. Close social media. Close all those open tabs on your browser!

Don’t make other plans during dedicated work time. Avoid letting yourself get sucked into Netflix or spending an afternoon shopping with friends and missing 1-2 hours of scheduled work time. You’ll end up working extra during your “home” time and throwing off the day if you don’t take your schedule seriously.

Stay Off Your Phone

The cell phone is an absolute time suck. It may be the biggest distraction of all for everyone, especially work-at-home moms. I guess it’s that need to feel connected at all times which has developed with technology.

That darn phone can really result in poor time management and productivity! A quick check of emails can lead you down a rabbit hole of Facebook, Pinterest, and a game or two. Before you know it, you’ve been on your phone for an hour and gotten absolutely zero accomplished.

Let your close family and friends know your work schedule, and don’t hesitate to put your phone in another room. We don’t have a landline so I don’t shut mine off in case the school calls or some emergency arises but I definitely keep it out of arm’s reach.

Try Time-Saving Hacks

Freeing up time where you can may be the best way for work-at-home moms to achieve a good work life balance. Schedule a grocery delivery or even a pickup so you don’t spend an hour (or more!) in the supermarket each week.

Shop on Amazon when you can to avoid extra shopping trips. Pay your bills online so you aren’t running to the post office to mail letters or buy stamps.

Have your partner pitch in and pick up dry cleaning or do other errands to give you more time for work or home life.

One or two nights a week, have someone else cook dinner. On Sundays, meal prep for the week to save time. Take advantage of anything that lightens your load and fits your household.

Ask For Help With Chores

Most of the time, moms in general feel the need to do it all. Sometimes it feels like it’s your responsibility to work, tend to your family, do household chores, and run the errands. You want to contribute with an income, but you also want to be a dedicated mom and wife.

However, it’s virtually impossible for one person to do it all. Remember, even superheroes have sidekicks!

Delegate chores to your partner or to your children. Even young kids can help put away laundry, clear the dinner table, or pick up their toys. And sometimes, the kids or your partner may even want to help with the business. Never be afraid (or feel ashamed) to ask for help and take advantage of the help that you’re offered.

Hire Outside Help

Maybe for you, that’s hiring a housekeeper to come in a couple of times a month to lighten your burden. Or perhaps a mother’s helper to help you tend to your younger children while you are attending a zoom meeting. Again, don’t be afraid or ashamed to ask for help when you need it! it will relieve pressure which will in turn keep you calmer, more level, grounded, productive, and happy.

Don’t Forget Self-Care

Let me be the first to admit that I struggle with this one but I have gotten much better.

With all the hustle and bustle of taking care of things, moms tend to overlook the most important person they are caring for: themselves! If you are letting yourself run on empty day after day, there’s no way you can be maintaining a good work-life balance.

Self-Care Ideas to Nurture Your Body, Mind, and Soul

Always include a little “me” time in your weekly schedule. Don’t hold onto an ounce of mom guilt for indulging in self-care! This can include a bubble bath every other night, a weekly pedicure, or 30 minutes of reading every day.

Remember that you can take days off of business and take that for yourself or extra family time. It’ll all be there when you come back. Don’t forget to take care of yourself along with your job, family, and household. Remember, self-care is not selfish and you can’t pour from an empty cup.

Yes, Moms Can Have Work-Life Balance Working Remotely

A solid work-life balance for work-at-home moms is possible with the right plan and support system in place. Make the most of your time every day. Emergencies will arise and nothing will ever be perfect. But that’s just life right?

Use these tips as a roadmap to being more productive, less frazzled, and more balanced when working remotely and being a parent Working smarter and more efficiently is the way to roll if you want to have time for work and still have a happy, involved, and fulfilling family life.

Until next time, K.

Kelly Blakely is the founder and creative force behind Just Our View From Here. As a first-time mom over 40, she brings a fresh perspective to parenting and family life on her blog. Kelly also explores a wide range of lifestyle topics in her writing, including fashion, beauty, self-care, and well-being.