Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom, someone ready to leave the corporate world behind, a recent graduate, or even a parent whose kids are grown, working from home is a viable option.
Almost everyone is desperately searching for how to be self-employed and work from home these days especially moms who wish to stay at home with their kids.
I totally understand that!
Your family means the world to you, and taking care of them is your top priority.
But if you’re like a lot of parents, you burn so much time keeping the house organized that you have little time to crush your big scary goals.
You dream of finding a way to meet your family’s financial needs while spending more time with your kids and going on fun vacations.
That’s why you decided to try working from home in the first place.
But somehow you’ve not been able to achieve all those career goals you set when you first started.
Don’t sweat it; it happens to the best of us!
When I decided to become a full-time blogger so I could be my own boss and have more time for myself, I didn’t have a great work at home guide to help me succeed at it.
If you’re looking for legitimate work at home programs that will give you extra money, take a look at the following recommendations:
Most moms fail at achieving their career goals because they don’t have a plan or strategy in place to help them navigate the ups and downs of working from home.
Luckily, I’ve been there before and I want to make it easy for you to achieve your goals.
So, I’m going to share with you 7 ways work at home moms can achieve their goals.
7 WAYS WORK AT HOME MOMS CAN ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS
#1 Have a home office
Most work at home moms make the grave mistake of not setting up a home office where they can work effectively.
Without a home office, you won’t be productive at what you do because you will be forced to work on the couch or your bed.
Working like this will result in bad sitting positions and unproductivity.
Moreover, you won’t feel motivated or serious enough when you’re doing your job.
Plus, your family members won’t respect your working hours because you don’t have a serious workplace.
If you have kids you’ll get distracted when they play around you when you’re working.
If you want to be successful at what you do, the first step is setting up a professional home office with a desk, a chair, your desktop and other stuff you need to get the job done every single day.
While you’re working in your office, make sure you keep the kids busy with fun activities so they don’t get bored and start playing around the house.
A home office sets boundaries and keeps you motivated enough to smash your goals.
Remember to leave your office door ajar so you can keep an eye on the kids while working.
#2 Work with a schedule
Another mistake most work at home moms make is working without a schedule.
They pop in and out of their work without a proper plan in place.
You won’t get a lot of work done if you only work when you get the chance.
You’ll always find the slightest reasons to postpone your work till another available time slot appears.
If you want to achieve your goals, you seriously need a work schedule.
If you want to work for 20 hours a week, you have to schedule at least 4 hours a day to get some work done.
Let’s say you work from Monday to Friday, you can decide to work 2 hours in the morning and evening.
But, if you’re awfully busy in the mornings make out time to work for 4 hours every evening.
Working from home takes a lot of motivation and self-discipline.
You’re your own boss and you get to decide when to work or rest but that shouldn’t make you lazy.
You have to show up every single day if you want to succeed at what you do.
THE PLANNER YOU NEED TO CRUSH YOUR GOALS
#3 Outsource some tasks
One great thing about working from home is that you never run out of things to do.
There is always some unfinished task waiting for you on your to-do list.
If you’re always overwhelmed with work, consider outsourcing some tasks you don’t necessarily need to do yourself.
If you find it time-consuming to create cute graphics or you don’t know how to use Excel, find someone else to lift the weight off your shoulders so you can focus on what you love doing best.
If you can’t seem to find the time to work after the kids are back from school, get a babysitter who can watch them for the duration of time you need to work.
You’ll find out that when you outsource some tasks, you’ll have more time for work, a cup of hot chocolate or even a quick nap.
You’ll be more productive because you won’t necessarily need to rush your work so you can look after the kids.
#4 Invest in online courses
As a stay at home mom, you won’t have all the time in the world to go back to school to enhance your career skills. You barely even have time to watch TV!
Luckily, there are many great online courses you can enroll in to learn and grow in the comfort of your home.
Whenever you’re ready to invest in yourself, search for relevant courses on Google, enroll on time and make sure you follow through till the end.
I’ve been guilty of abandoning courses due to a lack of time and work overload.
I’ve discovered that August and December work best for me to actually finish the online courses I enroll in.
I think it’s because I tend to have more time to myself during these periods. Find out what works for you and apply it to your work.
#5 Track, measure and analyze your results
When I first started out as a blogger, I never bothered to monitor or analyze my results.
I think I was scared of feeling disappointed if I measured my results and discovered that I didn’t meet my goals.
So, I neglected the stats for a long time and it cost me a lot. These days, I track, measure and analyze my results every month to check my progress.
It has turned out very effective in helping me attain my blogging goals.
If you want to achieve your goals, remember to track and analyze your results weekly or monthly. It will help to keep you in line.
If you fall short, work harder next month and if you surpass your goal, give yourself a pat on the back and maybe a spa day bath or some other fancy treat.
#6 Remember to take care of yourself
It’s very easy to spend all your time working and taking care of your family.
The hard part is remembering to take care of yourself. You can’t achieve your career goals if you’re not sound in health.
Even if it sounds impossible, try taking some short naps during the day to help you stay refreshed.
You can stretch out on the couch and grab some sleep while the kids are taking their siesta. Don’t you use that free time to do more work; just rest!
I don’t need to remind you to eat right and drink lots of water to stay hydrated; you know that already.
Make out time every weekend for a few hours of beauty sleep, a hot spa bath or some mani-pedis.
You’ll feel refreshed at the start of the week if you pamper yourself during weekends.
#7 Don’t give up
Working from home isn’t an easy task. There are going to be challenges along the way. There will be days when you’ll feel like quitting. Don’t give up!
Most successful entrepreneurs are where they are today because they refused to give up when it got tough.
Remain committed to your family and career goals. If you ever need support, join a mastermind group that will help you pull through when it gets difficult.
There is always light at the end of the tunnel. Keep going!
If you don’t have a planner you use regularly, I want to recommend The Living Well Planner to help you organize your life.
It’s the perfect tool that can help you not only plan your days but help you keep track of your budget, plan your meals, organize your schedule and even help you crush your goals.
Recommended reading:
11 Simple Steps to a Healthier Lifestyle
7 Ways You Can Have the Right Work/Life Balance