Top Five Mompreneur Productivity Hacks
Top Five Mompreneur Hacks
When you’re a mom raising kids and running a business, life can be hard to keep up with. I’ve been a mom and a business owner for over 20 years. I’ve put together a list for you of the top five things that have helped me get through the craziest of times. (For the record, I have 4 kids, 2 dogs, 20 chickens, a husband, a garden, multiple volunteer commitments, and a business.)
Bedtime – Early to Bed, Early to Rise
Send your kids to bed earlier, and get yourself up earlier. You need time for you. Send your kids to be to read or do quiet (NON ELECTRONIC) time earlier. My kids go to bed at 7:30. Once the kids are in bed, you can have time to read, rebalance, or spend time with your other-half. Yes, the kids complain about bed time. No, you don’t give in because of it.
Get up before the sun. The most productive time for me is early morning, before everyone else gets up. I get up at 4 AM, and usually get a solid 2 hours of uninterrupted work done before the first of my kids gets up.
Mobile Office
I’m always on-the-go, and this is a lifesaver. It’s literally a Thirty-One utility tote (although, this would be a much cheaper alternative), with my half-sized three ring binder planner system inside of a zippered book cover, and a Plano 3600 series tackle box . I usually have a journal, business notebook, the book I’m reading, and a pouch of phone gadgets in the bag too. Inside the tackle box is an assortment of mini office supplies, mostly found at the Dollar Tree, as well as sharpies, pens, and Post-it tabs.
(I posted a picture of my mobile office in my community if you'd like to see, and here's a video I made.)
Between the mobile office and my iPhone, I can run my business from just about anywhere. If you’re wondering, there’s WAY more available free wifi than you think. Often, if you’ve connected to a business wifi once, you can pick it up in the parking lot and work while you wait for your kids to finish practice, during doctor appointments, or if someone falls asleep in their car seat while you’re driving around and you can’t bring yourself to wake them up just yet.
Calendar
I have my own calendar system, which is based on a combination of MANY different systems I have tried through the years. It includes daily, weekly, and monthly sections. I also include my monthly meal plan in my binder, and this helps immensely when I am trying to make a grocery list.
I schedule EVERYTHING in my calendar. I will even make notes about my husband’s schedule when it impacts me in some way. I STICK to my schedule.
Lists
Ideas list, gift lists, Christmas lists, shopping lists, book lists, to-do lists, everything. When you think of an idea, write it down. When you’re wrangling a family and running a business, you tend to forget things, sometimes even one of your children (true-story).
I know there are many, many apps for making and tracking lists. For me, I remember things better once I’ve written them down vs. typed them into my phone. It also combats the out-of-sight/out-of-mind. When you pull out your calendar and see all of your lists, you’re able to do a quick review of them as you scan for your next appointment. Sometimes you even get to scratch things off because you completed or bought them. Physically crossing items off of a list is awfully gratifying.
Chores
You are NOT a maid. Your children can put away anything they can get out. If they spill, they are 100% capable of grabbing a towel and cleaning up the mess. Don’t take it upon yourself to do everything. As my kids get older they have chore charts to help out with more of the workload. Yes, they whine and complain. Yes, they still have to do them even if it takes all evening because they are uncooperative.
Some things you have to simply keep up on. One of my other household strategies is to do two loads of laundry a day (when there’s enough to fill a load). Don’t let any one of the chores build up, because anything will be overwhelming when it hasn’t been done for a while.
What’s your biggest challenge that I didn’t list here? Drop me a comment below!