Creating a Work From Home Schedule to Help Balance Your Life

I am constantly being asked the question “How do you do it all?” Honestly, I do not feel like I do it all, but I have found a few things that help make my life much easier as a work from home Mom. Finding balance is difficult but it is a vital part in creating a work from home schedule that is successful.  I always joke and tell people that I do not sleep, because more often than not it does feel that way. To be able to manage my house, spend time with my husband and kids, and run a blog from home something is always slacking. If I am ahead on my blog then it normally means I have a dirty house and about five loads of laundry to do. Working from home is a constant give and take. Obviously, you will NOT be able to do everything, but finding a good balance definitely helps to keep the peace.The most important thing about creating a work from home schedule is finding what works best for both your work and your family. It may take time to figure it out and there will definitely be days where your ‘plan’ gets thrown out the window, but overall these tips below will help you to create a schedule that you can follow each day. My schedule does change depending on my kids phases, school schedules, appointments and other daily or monthly changes. [bctt tweet="Use these tips to find a balance between you home life and blog life. "]My family always comes first. Even though it is hard to put my emails to the side or not finishing a post with an upcoming deadline my main goal is to focus on my kids and husband. So, here are my tips for creating a work from home schedule to balance you family and blog.

Tips for Creating a Work From Home Schedule

Plan the night before. I love having a plan and knowing what my schedule is going to be like the next day. For the most part we have a daily routine that follows the same schedule. Every night I take a few minutes to look over my to-do list and schedule for the next day in order to create a plan of attack. It also allows me the time to wrap my head around all the important tasks that NEED to be done.Have a schedule. Often time our schedule will change but I normally follow the same schedule every day. It is important for my kids to have this schedule and routine, and I like to make sure I plan fun activities for my kids. It is hard to step away from my blog and I can easily get caught up. I include designated times for ‘work’ and designated times for my family and kids. Not only does it help to keep me on track, but it help me to be more productive throughout the day.Shut down. As a blogger your job never ends. My mind is always thinking about the tasks I need to do or posts I want to write. In order to provide my family with my full attention I make sure that I shut down and leave my work in my office. I try to avoid any kind of distraction so that I can fully enjoy the time with my kids. With all the notifications I receive on my phone I easily get distracted so I will even leave my phone in another room or flip it over so that I cannot see the screen.Set aside time for ‘you.’ This is something that is really difficult to do especially when your day is jam packed with everything else that you actually need to do. I have found that setting aside time for myself each day to do something I enjoy helps to relieve stress. I love reading so I try to schedule in 20-30 minutes each day to have this time to myself to read. Think of something that is just for you. It can be exercising, reading a magazine, painting your nails or anything else that will help you to just clear your mind and focus on something nice for yourself. I get caught up in our busy days that I rarely think of myself. Plan this time into your daily schedule and check it off you to-do list if you have to.Prioritize. Figure out the most important tasks everyday and try to tackle those first. This can be applied to both your family life and blog. Prioritizing your tasks will help you to be more productive and motivate you to get everything done that needs to be done. I love making lists, but the problem is I will make a HUGE list that I will not even come close to completing most days. But, to keep a balance I take the time to prioritize my list to ensure I at least complete the most important things on my schedule.Be productive with your time. It may sound odd but the more I have on my plate the more productive I am. I focus on being as productive as possible when it comes to having a schedule for my family and blog. My time is valuable. Whether it is being spent blogging, playing with my kids, or cleaning my house I want to effectively use my time. To do this, I stick to my daily plan and try to not get side tracked. There are plenty of times where I feel like throwing in the towel. There are plenty of days where my kids watch too much TV and we eat fast food, but I have learned to accept that everyday cannot be perfect and for the most part following a schedule has helped me to balance my time between my family and my work obligations.