Scheduling Your Day for Maximum Work at Home Productivity

This guest post was written by Candace AKA “Mamanista”.

Recently I found myself juggling my baby, my husband, my at-home job, and my online community activities. Typing one-handed, I had a laptop balancing on the couch and a baby toy in the other. My husband walked in from work and I was literally short handed.

I needed to reassess my schedule so I could maintain a well-run household and business. Working from home can wreak havoc on family life and family life can upend an otherwise promising career.

The key to balancing a work at home job and your family is to establish a clear schedule, delineating between personal and professional time. First, consider your business, individual, and family needs. Decide how many hours you would like to realistically devote to each every day.

I started with my freelance jobs, clearly communicating how many hours I could work each week and what jobs I could or could not take. Before I had a baby, I could work 40 hours one week, and 10 or fewer the next. With a baby, I needed to even out my hours and turn down work that would result in late-night deadline cramming sessions.

Then I got out pen and paper and drafted my schedule. Here are my tips:

Begin by adding fixed events, such as weekly teleconferences, children’s nap times, or professional or social meetings.

Now, consider your family’s highest need times. Leave yourself free to greet your partner, welcome your children home from school, or take the dog out for his walk.

Identify your most productive work times and schedule yourself to work during those times. Write in your goals for working in terms of hours or other benchmarks. Cross off each task as you complete the work so you can see your progress. Break larger projects into discreet pieces so that you complete your work in a steady fashion, rather than scrambling to meet deadlines.

Do not forget to schedule in time every day, even a few minutes, for activities you find enjoyable and fulfilling. Although it may not seem like you have the time, taking ten or fifteen minutes out to unhurriedly enjoy your tea, read a magazine article, or stretch will make you more productive with work and more emotionally available for your family later.

If you are having trouble finding enough hours in your day, start with a blank slate. Write down the essentials you must complete. Then, write a list of what you would consider important, but not vital to your well-being. Temporarily suspend everything else. Sure, you may want to make a little extra each month, but can you live without it? Possibly you enjoy your message board, but is it as invigorating as your yoga? Pare down for two weeks. You can always add items back onto your schedule if you find you really miss them.

Still too busy? Consider hiring some of your to do list out. Divide your tasks into lists of chores that must be done by you, chores you enjoy, chores you do not like. Look at the last category. Calculate how much it would cost to pay someone to do these duties and how much you can make if you work during that time. If you would end up ahead, let your fingers do the walking through the yellow pages and find someone to help you out.

Pledge to stick to this schedule for at least a week, then revise as necessary. If you are like me, you’ll need to repeat this process every once in a while. Your tendency to over-extend and volunteer is admirable, but you are not helping anyone if you crash and burn. Remember, if momma ain’t happy, ain’t no one happy.

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Candace is a former teacher, part time freelance writer and educational consultant, and a full time wife and mother who blogs on Mamanista! and Mama Saga as Mama Luxe.