If you’re a mom who works at home, whether it’s for your own business or as an independent contractor, then you know how hard it can be to juggle family life with earning an income.
Set time limits for each day
One way to manage the time is to set time limits for each day. For example, I try to wake up at 5:30 am, spend an hour with my daughter, then spend the rest of the morning with my business. By deciding what you want to do each day and keeping your schedule flexible, you will develop a system for yourself that is easier to follow. In addition, when you have a schedule in place, it ultimately eliminates excuses for why you couldn’t accomplish certain tasks.
A second tip is to find the time for yourself. If you’re working from home, it’s important to take time for yourself and your family. If you neglect yourself, you won’t be making money effectively. I make sure I maintain a healthy balance by taking time for my daughter and me every night. After we finish dinner and clean up, we watch a movie together, read books and play games; we even go through an exercise routine together.
Find your niche – The first step is to find something that you’re passionate about. For example, if you love crafts, try making crafts out of things you find around the house. If cooking is something that has always fascinated you, start a food blog about it. Whatever interests you the most, find what your “niche” is and go with it. Completing these steps will help you get back on track and stay focused on tasks and projects to get done, and don’t fall through the cracks.
Embrace what you do for work. Remember, you are an entrepreneur even if you don’t get paid for the job you do every day. If you embrace your profession and allow it to motivate everything you do daily, you will start on the path to success.
Create a Budget
If you’re a stay-at-home mom, chances are you’re living off a budget set by your husband and partner. Take control and be prepared for what’s coming in and going out. Organize your finances using a free online budgeting worksheet to see where your money is going each month. You’ll be surprised at how much money you spend on things you don’t need.
Stay Organized
When you’re running a home and looking after your family, it can be so easy to fall into the trap of being disorganized. Keeping track of your money is even harder when you’re juggling a million tasks. So when I became a stay-at-home mom, I avoided dealing with finances by putting it off. But I soon found out that taking care of my family financially was just as important as feeding them and keeping our home clean.
Accept credit card payments – every stay at home mom should accept credit card payments using a service like Stripe, Payment Cloud or Square. You can take cards anywhere, and your customers won’t need to carry cash.
Go paperless.
Going paperless is easier than ever. Apps like Evernote and Dropbox make it easy to store and access your files anywhere and even turn your computer into a full-fledged paperless office. Go paperless.
Request reimbursement for work-related expenses.
Whether you are a stay-at-home mom, freelancer or telecommuter, you may be eligible for reimbursement of work-related expenses.
If your employer does not reimburse you for the business expenses that you incur while doing your job, then it might be worth it to take a closer look at the tax deductions available to you.
Use your home as an office.
Yes, it’s nice to have a place to put the kids down if they’re restless, but using space in your home to run your business can also save you money by reducing your rent or mortgage costs.
