I find an incredible relief that I can finally get around to this post! The title couldn’t be anymore appropriate. I think I may have had this drafted months ago, and sure enough life just loves being the center of attention now doesn’t she (or he)?

I really was pushing for getting this out not only to share my experience, but to really remind myself of some of these points as I continue to work within a non-existent schedule right now. I am trying to nip this in the bud before things get out of hand again. Moving to Texas has been quite the adjustment and I actually thought I would have a lot more time free’d up. But it turns out that all of those empty gaps somehow got filled and well here I am again searching for a way to attempt to create a schedule that is conducive to my daily tasks.

While I no longer have the schedule that I am used to, there are still daily tasks in my business that I need to maintain, like writing blog posts, keeping my viewers engaged on social media, planning for the next phase of my business wherever I may end up. If I solely intended to “close the doors” per say or really take a true hiatus, then I probably wouldn’t be here sharing this with you.  In addition, having spent time- HAVING a little more time than normal, I can clearly see how much more involved I am in my day to day and it truly is such an eye opener. I would like to keep the momentum going while still making time for being the entrepreneur that I have become over the years. So without further ado, here are some real life tips to help make your day as a work at home mom productive while battling the face of the clock.

1. SET YOURSELF BUSINESS HOURS. This goes without saying, and it’s probably the first thing any WAHM or individual will tell you, so let’s break this one in quickly. Setting those hours will help to keep your to-do list flowing smoothly, while allowing yourself to separate from work and be 100% available to your family when it’s time to “punch out”.

2. STOP ANSWERING PERSONAL CALLS DURING BUSINESS HOURS. If you worked in a traditional workplace, how would your boss feel if you were constantly on the phone with friends & family? Those may be grounds for termination in some cases. So do yourself a favor and put your phone face down or on silent, my personal favorite is putting in another room, and get to work! Unless it’s an emergency then by all means take it, but you don’t need to be discussing the latest housewives episode on company time (says the girl who totally never did that ;)

3. PLAN YOUR DAY IN ADVANCE. This one took a really long time for me to do. I felt like not only did I have to plan my business schedule for each day, but I also have to plan my household schedule, kids activities you name it! Chaos consumed me. I began with meal planning, and then added writing my tasks for work 10 minutes each morning. Once I got the hang of that I combined everything on a sunday morning. That Sunday I would go out do all of my weekly shopping based on based on what I had written that morning, and then before bed, plan out my week on paper. Then each day I would still take those 10 minutes to priortize my list if there was anything out of place. So why go back and still create my 10 minute morning list if I just did that the night before? Well if I didn’t plan the weekly schedule the night before, each morning I would end up with “stragglers” I like to call them, on my list making things completely overwhelming because I was planning as I went along. Having that weekly list the night before would give me a solid plan to stick to. The great Benjamin Franklin said once:

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!”

4. BE KIND TO YOUR TO-DO LIST.  Remember your to-do list is working FOR you, don’t allow it to work AGAINST you, your to-do list has the power to swear at you, and who likes to be sweared at? Rule of thumb for me is to plan 3 small tasks a day and 1 large task that is related to a project perhaps. Don’t plan 3 large task because it will be inevitable that you won’t get everything done. Also, in Getting Things Done: the Art of Stress Free Productivity, David Allen suggests that if your tasks takes 2 minutes or less, get it done at that moment, so overall following those simple rules will help you get so much checked off your daily to do.

5.FEED YOUR BELLY! Don’t get so caught up in trying to get things done that you forget to eat! If you stick to tip #1, go ahead and throw yourself a lunch break in there, you would have that if you worked in a traditional workplace right? Whether it’s 30 minutes or 1 hour sit down, enjoy your lunch, chew your food and step away from the computer or your work area to do this. Make sure you disconnect at this time and nourish your body, never take that for granted. In addition to taking a lunch break don’t forget to take regular 5-10 minute breaks every few hours to stretch as well!

6. GIVE IT UP AND SEND IT OUT. Being a work at home mom is a blessing and somewhat of a curse. Sometimes we can brain wash ourselves into thinking we can do it all. Well I’m here to tell you that you need to leave that mentality because a jack of all trades is a master of none, and we all want to be masters right? There are things that I am just not good at no matter how hard I have tried. Some of those things include graphic design, and advanced editing. Leave it to me and what may seem like a simple head swap can end up looking like a two headed dragon. Don’t be afraid to OUTSOURCE what you can not do. Brick and mortar businesses have this, american companies use this model, you can too on a much smaller scale. This will allow you to free up time for the things you are better at which will then give you the opportunity to excel at if you aren’t already there.

7. HAVE A CASUAL DATE WITH INTERNET. Don’t go all obsessive on it, it will be there when you need it. One of the things I know first hand is that while social media is an incredible tool, that black hole can suck you in faster than you can type the word Google. Incorporate that into your daily planning and schedule as stated on tip #3. Give yourself 10-20 minute increments to catch up on work related posts throughout the day. You can also treat yourself to a fun and private pinning party, or do some internet window shopping once you have hit your goals for the day. Before you know it, your relationship with the www will be going smoothly with no intentions of being a ball and chain, which I think is what you might prefer better.

8. STEP AWAY FROM THE LAUNDRY AND PUT YOUR HANDS UP. The OH SO Amazing Susan Stripling said something on a creative live workshop that has changed my day to day and that was to not do house chores during work hours. Phew! thanks Susan for helping me get out of that one ;) There were times were my day would just fly by because I was spending half of it mopping floors, cleaning and doing laundry (if washing and drying only counts :).Not only was it stressful to keep up, but I NEVER kept up so what was the point? Instead, sticking to my #1 I scheduled myself time to clean parts of the house each day after or before work hours. You can get so much more accomplished that way without feeling like you are neglecting your home.

9. THE 5 O’CLOCK CLUB. This comes from the multi-tasking queen herself Kelli France. photographer, mom, magazine editor, health fitness coach, fashion blogger and the list goes on! I told her that she has her hands in everything and she even had time to laugh! I’m Blown. I recently joined her 5 o’clock club facebook group which was basically a challenge to get up each day at 5 am. Now I know you super moms out there may be laughing at me because you may be getting up at 4 am, but you know what? I am not a morning person…I own it, I’m freaking tired and I love naps ( to which I say I haven’t seen one in a long time). But there I said it. The fun portion of the challenge was not the waking up at 5 am part, but more seeing how much stuff I got done in peace might I add, before the the entire house got up for the day. In doing this ritual it is said that you will earn and extra day! That is some serious Doctor Who kind of stuff right there.

10. LOOK YOUR BEST & CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT THAT INSPIRES YOU. Even if all you have is a crappy corner on the dining room table make a space you are happy to wake up to each day. Whether it’s buying fresh flowers or playing soft music in the background, being in a space that is inviting can make you more productive. Don’t forget about how you look either. Just because you work at home doesn’t mean you need to abide by the “I can wear sweat pants rule” Getting up, doing you makeup and wearing something office casual will truly make you feel good and give you that extra oomph that you need to get your day going. Following this simple tip can be the answer to going from a blah kind of a day to a Wala! kind of a day.

So there you go, all tips I have learned along the way in my career as a professional photographer and stay at home mom. I would love to hear what your tips are for productivity, we can never have too much you know? Be sure to share them in the comments below!