Mama! Mommy! MOM!

If you only had a quarter for every time you heard your sweet little one call your name, you’d be rich! Right?

Do you struggle with being productive with your little one at your side while you hustle in your business?

Frustrated and overwhelmed that your to-do list is growing what seems by the second and you’re left wondering how you’re going to get it all accomplished by the end of the day?

I’ve been there, and I get it.

Running a thriving business with a little one at home is not a piece of cake. I tend to be envious of the other Mom bosses who make it look like running a business with a little one is easy peasy lemon squeezy. I wish I was THAT kind of a #momboss. However, the reality is we’re all on our journey. Entrepreneurship and motherhood are two separate beasts! They can both bring you to your knees or be the sunshine on a rainy day.

I wish I could tell you that I have the perfect #momboss life, but the reality is I don’t. However, I have found what works well for me, and I’d love to share some tips with you.

Here are five ways to being more productive in your business with a little one at home:

SHOW YOURSELF SOME GRACE

As a busy Mom boss, it’s important to show yourself some grace. You aren’t expected to be Superwoman even though as a Mom you try to live up to that very expectation. Here is your permission slip to be ok with not getting everything done. It’s ok if you need to ask for help, hire or outsource things that you simply can’t do.

It’s important to remind yourself that YOU are important too. Taking a much-needed break to focus on you is vital to keeping your sanity as a Mom and as a business owner. You’ll be more productive, less stressed or overwhelmed, and feel more at peace.

Let go of the tasks that don’t serve you. Strive for progress, not perfection when it comes to tackling your very long to-do list. Take one task at a time and accept that there will be days that not everything gets done. Enjoy the moments with your little! The dirty dishes in the sink or the emails can wait. They’ll still be there 30-min from now or 2 days from now, but life passes us by quickly, and so do those precious childhood moments.

PLAN YOUR DAY THE NIGHT BEFORE

“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Such a great quote, right? It’s true though! If you jump out of bed each day without a plan of what needs to get done to balance your faith, family, and business then you’re flying by the seat of your pants. While that may be how some like to operate, I don’t personally recommend it. It can increase anxiety and depression as well as make you less productive. It doesn’t exactly set you up for success.

Therefore, take a few minutes after your kiddos are in bed and do a brain purge of all the tasks you need to complete. Prioritize them in order of highest to lowest priority. From there, schedule them into your calendar by designating approximate times you intend to accomplish each task.

Now I want to caveat this by saying when you have a little one using you as a jungle gym or having a full-blown tantrum on the middle of the kitchen floor because you didn’t put his milk in the right cup, just know that you have to show yourself some grace. Take a few moments to gather yourself and tend to the situation. Allow for buffer time for these circumstances that don’t enable you to start a task right on time.

Also, I recommend a contingency plan. A contingency plan has saved my butt many times before! In a nutshell, you have a Plan B for when Plan A “fails” because life happened. Therefore, if you’re not able to complete a task at the desired time, you planned you have a backup time that the work must be completed during. By having a contingency plan, it removes the stress and overwhelm you’re having because you already have a strategy to implement to get it done later in the day.

WORK AROUND YOUR LITTLES

You started a business so that you could be home with your little one but let’s be honest; you sometimes wish they weren’t all up in your “business.” It can be a challenge to tackle your to-do list that has both personal and business tasks on it. Your little one wants your undivided attention, and if you have pets like me, they want it too. If you could only clone ten more of you, then you’d be set!

Rather than getting frustrated that your little one or pets want your attention, focus on what you can get done while working around them. Let your little one play with toys next to you on the office floor, give them a table to play educational games on it like I do from Starfall, pull out the coloring books and crayons. Keep the little one busy while you work is one thing you can do.

Not only does having your little one in the office with you allow you to keep an eye on them, but it allows them to see your work ethic. They’re soaking everything up like a sponge and without you even realizing it they’ll pick up on everything you’re doing, good, bad or even the ugly. Therefore, be mindful of what they’re seeing, but if they see your strong, positive work ethic it can instill some great traits down the road for them!

WORK DURING PEAK PRODUCTIVITY TIMES

As difficult as it can be to work around your little one, try to find times where your productivity is at its highest where you can hammer out some work uninterrupted. Maybe it’s during nap time, early in the morning for the early birds or late at night for the night owls, like me. Either way, I know there are peak times during my day where I am more focused, inspired, and productive.

The goal is to find those peak times and to leverage them as often as possible. The more you can work during the most opportune times, the better it’ll be for tackling your daily to-do list. If you can leverage it while your little one is sleeping, it’s like GOLD!

Now if your peak times are when your child is awake, don’t fret! Use the tactics I mentioned earlier about working on your little one. It’s not easy, but it is doable and once you get into a groove these transitions to work with your child at home get a lot easier. You’ll become the #momboss that others envy!

TAKE MINI-BREAKS

Alright, taking a break throughout your day is just smart overall. It allows you to rejuvenate, stretch, give your eyes a break, and to take some much-needed care of yourself. You’ll also be more productive!

Therefore, schedule multiple breaks throughout your day. Use your calendar and set a reminder. On some of those breaks take care of yourself but taking care of your basic needs. On the others, set aside time just for your little one. Bring them to the park for a bit, snuggle on the couch, read a book, watch their favorite educational cartoon, go for a walk around the block or whatever your heart desires. The point is to take a break!

Your little one wants your attention, and if yours is anything like mine, then they want your attention 100% of the time. No joke, all-the-time! My kiddo doesn’t care if Mama is on a client call or trying to type up epic content. He just wants my love, affection, and attention. When this happens, I show myself some grace, stop what I’m doing and even if it’s for two mins give him the attention he needs so that he can be satisfied.

However, if your little one is home with you all day and you know you have a lot of work to get done, splitting up your day with many mini-breaks allows you to give them attention so that you can work without interruptions. Setting aside time just for them makes them feel special and loved. As long as you are consistently taking breaks throughout your day to give them attention, then over time, they adjust, and the interruptions become fewer. They know Mama is going to be busy, but soon they’ll play. Even at two and a half, my son “gets it.”

Listen, being a #momboss is hard work! There are days you’ll feel like you’ll never be good enough and that being a Superwoman is overrated, but that lasts only for a brief moment because as soon as I look into your little one’s sweet face, you know you’re doing something right.

Pat yourself on the back for the amazing job that you’re doing by being a phenomenal Mom boss! Show yourself some grace because the fact of the matter is what we do takes a lot of chutzpah.

In the comments below share:

What is your favorite way to boost productivity with a little one at home?

 

[testimonial_single id=”2606″]