The Top 7 Mistakes New Work At Home Moms Make + Action Steps for Success NOW!
[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22.3″ custom_padding=”54px|0px|0|0px|false|false”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”27px|0px|0|0px|false|false”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ text_font=”Georgia||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.6em” ul_font=”||||||||” ul_line_height=”1.6em” header_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_2_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_3_font=”Georgia||||||||”]
I’ve been in the Work at Home Moms club for over 9 years. These are the top 7 mistakes I see new Work At Home Moms make, plus 7 action steps you can take RIGHT NOW for success:
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https://livinglifeasmoms.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Working-Mom-Mistakes-Tips-for-Work-Life-Balance.png” align=”center” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”3.29.3″][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”27px|0px|0|0px|false|false”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ text_font=”Georgia||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.6em” ul_font=”||||||||” ul_line_height=”1.6em” header_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_line_height=”1.6em” header_2_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_2_font_size=”27px” header_2_line_height=”1.6em” header_3_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_3_font_size=”25px” header_3_line_height=”1.6em”]
Mistake #1: They forget their WHY – and throw their Passion out the window.
There is seriously no point in doing anything unless you know why you are doing it.
So you decided to jump on the work-at-home-mom bandwagon – WELCOME! What made you decide to work from home?
Is somebody in your family sick?
Do you want more financial & physical freedom?
Did you have a baby?
Did you make something new that you want to share with the world?
Have you or your S.O. been laid off?
There are some really super fantastic reasons to start working from home. There are also some really crappy life circumstances that force us to work from home.
No matter what your reason is, good or bad, it is your driving force. It is what gave you the power to say I AM DOING THIS. Your reason (your family’s health, your finances, your invention) is IMPORTANT TO YOU.
When you remember that, you give yourself the green light to see working from home as a good thing, even if the reason why you are doing it is a nasty curve ball you didn’t see coming. You have passion for WHAT you are doing, because WHY you are doing it is so meaningful.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22.3″ custom_padding=”54px|0px|4px|0px|false|false”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”0|0px|27px|0px|false|false”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ text_font=”Georgia||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.6em” ul_font=”||||||||” ul_line_height=”1.6em” header_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_2_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_3_font=”Georgia||||||||”]
ACTION STEP #1:
Remember your reason for choosing this work at home mom path, and say it out loud.
“I am a work at home mom because___________ and that is important to me.”
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22.3″ custom_padding=”0|0px|54px|0px|false|false”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”27px|0px|0|0px|false|false”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.7″ text_font=”Georgia||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.6em” ul_font=”||||||||” ul_line_height=”1.6em” header_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_line_height=”1.6em” header_2_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_3_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_3_line_height=”1.6em”]
Mistake #2: They forget their GOALS – or don’t bother making any in the first place.
If you don’t know where you’re going, how the heck can you know in which direction to go?
Moms have precious little time to begin with. Precious, constantly interrupted, tiny shards of time.
When I forget my goals, I lose my focus and I take DOUBLE to TRIPLE the time to do the things that matter. The things that are actually going to help me reach my goals. I let tedious mom chores & “looking busy” take up what little time I have for progress.
Where are you going? Do you want a degree, or to run a 10K? A certain amount of money saved up for retirement? Straight up financial freedom? To learn a new language?
Once you commit to a target, your path becomes straight and clear.
There’s a life-altering quote from Stephen Covey’s book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People:
“Start with the end in mind.”
[I have to give major props to Alex Nerney at Create and Go (not sponsored!) for getting me hooked on that quote. Alex & Lauren are the awesome duo behind Create and Go who have really great courses on starting & monetizing a blog – I took them all I’m not just shamelessly plugging.]
If you haven’t already, it’s time to get real about your best life. What do you want in your DONE pile 3 months from now? A year from now? 5 years from now?
You’ve heard of S.M.A.R.T. goals. Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. Sounds complicated, right?
Well I’m going to give you a huge shove right now………
Here’s the easiest way, right now, FOR FREE, to figure it out……
Go to https://passionplanner.com/free-downloads/
……and download the “roadmap” PDF. Print it out.
It’ll get you started on pinpointing your life goals.
If you have the budget for a quality paper planner, there are 2 I love:
1- Erin Condren Planner. This is a high-quality, sturdy planner with lots of accessories & stickers you can buy. It’s easy to create a really customized, effective time-management tool for yourself. You can check out my review here.
2- Passion Planner. This one is geared toward goal-setting, and how that fits into your day-to-day tasks. For every planner you buy, the company donates one to someone who can’t afford it.
But whatever you do, your goals need to get straight.
I’ll tell you right now the time is going to pass you right on by. Time does not care that “nap time” is the only time of day to get actual work done. You can fill it with “busybody” stuff, or you can fill it with giant leaps forward.
Wandering aimlessly will get you nothing and nowhere.
……By the way, unless one of your goals is “break world record for longest time web surfing,” veering off of your work and onto your IG feed will also get you nothing and nowhere.
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ text_font=”Georgia||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.6em” ul_font=”||||||||” ul_line_height=”1.6em” header_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_2_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_3_font=”Georgia||||||||”]
ACTION STEP #2:
Print out the Passion Planner Roadmap. Fill it out and put it in your underwear drawer, where you will definitely see it every morning. Not kidding.
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider show_divider=”off” _builder_version=”3.23.3″ min_height=”116px”][/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ text_font=”Georgia||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.6em” ul_font=”||||||||” ul_line_height=”1.6em” header_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_line_height=”1.6em” header_2_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_3_font=”Georgia||||||||”]
Mistake #3: They don’t check out other work from home mom success stories.
“Success leaves clues.” –Tony Robbins.
You may think you’re in a unique situation, with your specific number of kids or religion or career type. But chances are, there’s someone out there in kinda the same boat as you.
Maybe that person has a much more complicated situation & found some awesome ways to streamline their work habits, or somehow teach their kids how to clean the gutters.
Think about what the most annoying part of your day is. Think about what is making you feel like this isn’t working, or can’t work. Then do some digging online. (Or better yet, leave a comment about it below!)
Also, no matter what you want to learn, somebody probably made a YouTube video about it.
And here’s another thing……….
The people who are successful because they are actually contributing to their community in a meaningful way, are going to be happy to share that method with all of us.
Now I don’t mean they’ll be happy to share their trademarks or their specific ideas or products that they are selling to put food on the table. I mean their process.
I’ll start, since maybe starting a blog is one of your goals: Remember up top when I gave a shout out to Create and Go? I will shout from the rooftops that I found them on YouTube, they were speaking my language, and with their help I achieved something I didn’t think I had any business doing. Having a successful blog. That was a major part of my process to fulfilling one of my goals.
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ text_font=”Georgia||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.6em” ul_font=”||||||||” ul_line_height=”1.6em” header_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_2_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_3_font=”Georgia||||||||”]
ACTION STEP #3:
-Find people or companies whose values align with yours and read their success stories (or total failures).
-Ask the working moms in your kids’ class for pointers. People LOVE to talk about themselves.
-Do your research and let these successful mompreneurs earn your respect. Ask yourself if they are really being transparent with their journeys, showing the good, bad and ugly.
-If you happen to find something really useful, give them a shout out on social media or leave a nice comment on their post!
-And check out the rest of my blog! Work From Home Mom success story over here!!🙌
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ text_font=”Georgia||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.6em” ul_font=”||||||||” ul_line_height=”1.6em” header_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_line_height=”1.6em” header_2_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_3_font=”Georgia||||||||”]
Mistake #4: ……or, they try to totally copy somebody else’s life.
I equate this to makeup reviews. Skin types can be similar, but no two are going to be the same.
There is so much genuinely useful information coming from successful work at home moms.
But it’s easy to get caught up in how many hours that specific person works in a day, or what their exact morning routine is, or what exact form of meditation they do, and think “If I can’t do that too, maybe working at home isn’t for me.”
There is no one right way to do anything. We are all unique with unique circumstances, and nobody knows what you are going through except you. (Not even your S.O. unfortunately.)
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ text_font=”Georgia||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.6em” ul_font=”||||||||” ul_line_height=”1.6em” header_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_2_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_3_font=”Georgia||||||||”]
ACTION STEP #4:
You found a few awesome work at home mom role models!! If something they do isn’t working for you, tweak it or drop it. There’s NOTHING WRONG with you if some parenting method or bullet journal shape that went viral just isn’t your thing.
Use what works for you!
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https://livinglifeasmoms.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/The-top-7-mistakes-new-work-at-home-moms-make-1-min.png” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”3.23″][/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ text_font=”Georgia||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.6em” ul_font=”||||||||” ul_line_height=”1.6em” header_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_line_height=”1.6em” header_2_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_3_font=”Georgia||||||||”]
Mistake #5: They do it alone.
Here is where creativity can really shine through, and help tremendously.
Family, friends, parents of your kids’ friends, after-school programs, carpooling. Having a support system is the difference between being stressed out once and a while, and total and complete long-term mom burnout.
It takes a village, people.
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ text_font=”Georgia||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.6em” ul_font=”||||||||” ul_line_height=”1.6em” header_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_2_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_3_font=”Georgia||||||||”]
ACTION STEP #5:
-If you have older kids or adults in the house, make sure they take on some of the housework load. Set clear tasks for each person so they know what their roles are.
If you don’t know where to start, try out these chore sticks from funcheaporfree.com. My younger kids love them.
-If you have Facebook there might be a community parent Facebook group for your specific neighborhood. They ask and answer questions all damn day long about anything and everything. Ask about drop off programs or drop off events around the neighborhood, babysitter co-ops, etc.
There might even be a few “working mom” community support groups out there, do some research.
-Set up a “my late night” with your S.O., aunt or grandma, once a week or once every 2 weeks, for you to either:
(1) get 3-4 more work hours in while s/he takes the kids, or
(2) go do something you love for a few hours.
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ text_font=”Georgia||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.6em” ul_font=”||||||||” ul_line_height=”1.6em” header_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_line_height=”1.6em” header_2_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_3_font=”Georgia||||||||”]
Mistake #6: They don’t have Netflix.
Hear me out………
Do you have ANY idea how many educational documentaries are on Netflix?
If not, let me introduce you to Megan at happyhealthymessy.com’s Homeschool with Netflix Monthly List!!!
This mom filters through all Netflix has to offer to curate the best educational entertainment for her homeschooled kids.
Do I homeschool my kids? No.
Do I get their stomach viruses every year…..?…….
Yep. Yes I do. And I need something that’s going to keep their interest.
(BTW Why do they recover after 12 hours and it takes me 3 days? I do not get that.)
Scale this out to whatever TV services you have at home. Use them to your advantage, you are NOT just sticking them in front of the TV.
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ text_font=”Georgia||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.6em” ul_font=”||||||||” ul_line_height=”1.6em” header_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_2_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_3_font=”Georgia||||||||”]
ACTION STEP #6:
Make a list of your service providers – Cable, AppleTV, Netflix, Roku, whatever.
Take 15 minutes to make a list of all of the age appropriate educational shows, movies & documentaries you have access to.
Keep the list for emergencies – You are sick, they are sick, major project deadline, extremely important phone call, etc.
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ text_font=”Georgia||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.6em” ul_font=”||||||||” ul_line_height=”1.6em” header_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_line_height=”1.6em” header_2_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_3_font=”Georgia||||||||”]
Mistake #7: They don’t organize their time.
If we aren’t careful, work stuff and family stuff really start to strangle each other. What ends up happening is we go half-way with all the things. Our minds end up always being torn, concentrating on work and home at the same time.
In the beginning I didn’t really have a plan. I would sit down to work and my brain would nag the crap out of me about the dishes or the laundry. Or how I could be outside with my kids instead.
But really the dishes/laundry/active time were all getting done, just “whenever I got to them.” And that put me in a constant state of worry about when when WHEN.
Once I got clear about how much time there is in a day and what my “worries” are (the things my brain nags me about doing), I set aside chunks of time for each thing.
Now I KNOW things are getting done, instead of feeling guilty about “if’s” and “when’s.”
If you need help with this, I have this post on planning your most productive work week. It includes my planner that I use very week.
It also has a great graph that helps me figure out my priorities every week, and gets them on my planner.
Organizing your time is like organizing your stuff. There’s a place for everything.
Some other benefits – organizing:
-keeps you accountable;
-helps your family take your work seriously;
-helps you decide which tasks can be done by someone OTHER THAN YOU; and
-creates a separation between work and home stuff.
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ text_font=”Georgia||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.6em” ul_font=”||||||||” ul_line_height=”1.6em” header_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_2_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_3_font=”Georgia||||||||”]
ACTION STEP #7:
-Set intentional working hours & intentional playing hours/family time. Check out my post on this, it’s really helpful I promise.
Then………
-Remember your goals from ACTION STEP #2.
Imagine you only have 15 minutes to work in a day. What is the one thing you can do in those 15 minutes to get closer to achieving your goal, or finishing your project, or whatever it is? Schedule it for the next time you are working.
It’s only 15 minutes, find those 15 minutes and write that one thing in your planner.
-If your kids still nap, make a list of places to go in the mornings where your kids will use up energy. Make it easy for them to definitely sleep for a solid amount of time.
-Tweak if necessary. Remember being a parent means being flexible. Your schedule won’t always work out every day, but if it regularly gets messed up, move some stuff around.
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ text_font=”Georgia||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.6em” ul_font=”||||||||” ul_line_height=”1.6em” header_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_line_height=”1.6em” header_2_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_3_font=”Georgia||||||||”]
Final Thoughts……..
Remember, if today totally sucked, no worries. You get to try again tomorrow.
Let me know which ACTION STEPS you took in the comments below! What are some other mistakes you’ve made as a work at home mom? I love to hear from you!
XO,
-Mina
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_comments _builder_version=”3.19.10″ form_field_font=”Georgia||||||||” custom_button=”on” button_text_color=”#ffffff” button_font=”||||||||” button_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off”][/et_pb_comments][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_5,2_5″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”27px|0px|0|0px|false|false”][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ text_font=”Georgia||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.6em” ul_font=”||||||||” ul_line_height=”1.6em” header_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_2_font=”Georgia||||||||” header_3_font=”Georgia||||||||”]
If you liked this post, make sure to leave a comment & Pin it!!!
Checkout my other Blog Posts & be sure to follow me on Pinterest, I have TONS more great content!!
Here are some more posts that might be helpful:
–How to Reduce your WAHM Stress Level in ONE Day
–How I Meal Prep Lunch, Snacks & Dinner Working From Home + 3 Days of Recipes!
–6 Workouts You Can Do At Home + Tips for Overcoming Excuses
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https://livinglifeasmoms.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Top-Mistakes-New-Work-At-Home-Moms-Make-min.png” _builder_version=”3.26.3″][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]
