I've always had a big problem with time management. I know if you can manage your work and home time efficiently, you can be more productive. I just can't seem to stick with an organized time management system. I excel in some areas and slack in others terribly due to this fault. I really wish I could manage my household better. I have four teens and a newborn grandchild. You would think I would be able to delegate most of the housework to the teens. Doesn't work that way around here, though. I seemed to be always fighting with them when I try to delegate duties and it ends up not being worth the hassle. Any ideas on how I can manage my household duties better, while still working at home at least 8-10 hours per day? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
lol - as a mom of teens, I understand teetotally! I am always working on that part of my life. Right now, they are all out cutting firewood with my hubby and my house is deliciously quiet so I am working on some online stuff.... but I actually do a lot of mine in the wee hours or late at night, especially if I am building lenses or adding content to my website. We ARE after all a MOM first My biggest issue is that I tend to mess around too much checking this and that before I actually get down to business when I DO get a few hours online so a big help for me is to spend the first hour or several if I am lucky enough to get a couple in a row in doing things like writing articles, adding content, blogging etc... THEN after that I like to do research on more content for next time. The problem is that for writers, it is either a good time or a bad time for writing. If I am in one those moments that nothing flows, then I just putzy around on other stuff, adding links to pages, commenting in forums, etc.... Hope that helps a teeny bit.
mountainmom5: My biggest issue is that I tend to mess around too much checking this and that before I actually get down to business Thanks! I tend to do this also. I've heard that if you group like tasks together and do them all at the same time, it's supposed to be a more efficient use of time. If I could just practice what I read!
pieinthesky: mountainmom5: My biggest issue is that I tend to mess around too much checking this and that before I actually get down to business I do the same thing. And by the time I get ready to do work, nap time is over
You may want to let your children know who is really the boss. If they can't follow their delegated duties then remove other privileges. Children are dependent not independent. Time to turn over a new leaf as a parent and get the respect you must have, so you can focus on creating a successful home business. These parenting 'things' transcend into the business world and the necessary elements for success.
Well the difference between us is you deal with your teens and you are the house holder. And my situation is dealing with mom. A nagger mom who always make me feel stress. And that's the time I'm getting stress and I can concentrate working.. Well, you really need to discipline them to lessen your household work. They must have their own duties. Tell them you need their participation so that they can help you. Or try to convince them that you are going to make a reward who follow the rules..
pieinthesky: If I could just practice what I read! I wish I could do this also... I have a 4-yr old son and a baby boy. My husband detest household chores so I do most of them. While I have a day job I'm also accepting online jobs such as article writing and forum posting. The problem is sometimes I just get so stressed and easily gets irritated by minor household chores. I wish I could manage my time really well. I can't let go of my online job because my husband won't be happy about that because we want to meet our family goals.(*sighs..)
If your husband has set some goals then he needs to step up to help get them accompolished and not all on your shoulders. We all do things we don't like to do but they have to be done. We woman understand that all too well. So have a heart to heart with those that can help and tell them it isn't all on you. Sorry but that is the way it should be if you want to reach goals that you both want.
Working from home is really very tough. I have a son and he is just too naughty that he keeps me distracting n disturbing me all the time. Sometimes i ask my neighbour to look after him for a while as her son is my son's friend. But this can't work always.
Hi ladies, I'm new to the forum and have only been a working SAHM for a few months so please forgive me if this is an obvious comment. it's taken me a while to get into the swing of things with this working lark and one of the reasons was exactly what mountain mum mentions earlier - faffing about, checking this and that rather than getting on with the real stuff. Over the last couple of weeks I've discovered the power of daily goals and it's been great. At the end of each 'working day' I've decided upon my goals for tomorrow with a commitment that if I don't complete them during the day I will finish off after the kids have gone to bed etc. My goals have been achievable in about 3 hours of quality work time (prior to this I was trying to fit two or three long working days into the week, rather than a few hours every day). the impact has been amazing. I've achieved more in the last week than I feel I did in the previous 6 weeks. I have much more momentum and as yet I haven't needed to use my evenings and sacrifice precious time with my lovely husband for work. I appreciate that everyones circumstances and issues are different but I hope this helps. J
It's really tricky to juggle your time & that of others especially when you feel they always come first, & then there's the house! It's incredibly frustrating sometimes. Before I lost my job a few months ago, I would be up at the crack of dawn getting all the household chores done, making sure the children were okay for school & leave for work. The evening would be spent with the children & then I would collapse. And so the cycle continued. Apart from my children, the structure of my day fell apart. Crunch came I suppose when I realised that I was the boss now! If my business did not move forward it was down to me, my fault. Would I employ me? It does not come easily especially knowing family life and the characters that fill them!
Hey there, Firstly, good on you for even attempting to WFH with a large older family! Secondly - maybe aiming for 8-10 hours of productive work a day is a wee bit ambitious. Most people I know that have regular jobs would struggle to get 8-10 hours of productivity! I have 4 young kids, I would love to get 40 hours a week of solid work but I also recognized that being a Mom is my #1 job, if I want to enjoy my family and not burn out I had to set a realistic work goal - so now I aim for 30 hours. Between unplanned events and family stuff, this often gets knocked back even more, but I have learned to deal with it and relax knowing that every little thing that I do towards this business is one more step towards our goals. Work when they are at school, be a Mom when they are home, work when they are in bed/watching TV. You only get to be a Mom and Grandmother once in this life so enjoy it ! Rach
Rach72: Work when they are at school, be a Mom when they are home, work when they are in bed/watching TV. You only get to be a Mom and Grandmother once in this life so enjoy it ! What fantastic advice Rach, all too easy to forget but when it cones down to it that's what it's all about and is definately why I chose to be a working at home stay at home Mum! From my perspective I also know that I am my own worst critique. Last week was when family and home life completely took over, I don't think I was productive at all in terms of building or working on my business. Obviously nobody in the family even noticed this fact however I spent the entire weekend beating myself up about it, frustrated because I hadn't achieved anything and keen to get stuck in on Monday morning. onthego: Crunch came I suppose when I realised that I was the boss now! If my business did not move forward it was down to me, my fault. This is exactly the point and the reason I beat myself up. However reading this post has reminded me that we are all working very hard to be wonderful mothers, wives, sisters, aunties, cooks, cleaners, friends and successful entrepreneurs. Perhaps we should occasionally let ourselves off the hook, maybe we do drop a ball now and again but we're sure to pick it up again very soon. Now I just have to encourage myself to listen to my own pearls of wisdom! J
It is more difficult if you are venturing into internet marketing while still employed. How do I achieve the balance on this one?
Thanks, JackieM for quoting me! Hope you did not give yourself too much of a hard time. Saying that, I do the same sometimes. If I don't make the right choices & do not use my time to the best of my ability, I do get down. But then, when I have two healthy children, a great husband, I am healthy - I have all I need & this makes me happy. I have to stop sometimes, take a breather & make myself think about this sometimes just to get myself on an even keel! Once aligned, I move on! mbasa: It is more difficult if you are venturing into internet marketing while still employed. How do I achieve the balance on this one? I am really sorry not to be able to offer advise on this one - one positive being that you have cashflow from your employed job whilst you research & start out online. It can take a while to build up a revenue base from the internet to the level of your present income. Can you set aside a certain amount of time a day & be consistent with this - get the ball rolling & become enthusiastic about your developments?
