Friends and business associates often ask me how I manage to run a successful online business when I have two very young kids to take care of.
They know that my work in business consultancy and online marketing requires focus, creativity, and brainstorming so the fact that I can do it excellently with kids in tow amaze and baffle them at the same time. Well, I always tell them that what they see now isn’t always how my life was.
As working parents, life wasn’t always easy for me and my husband. We experienced what most young couples go through — struggling with finances, work-life balance, and having that feeling that you almost never have time for yourself.
The problem when I was just starting out as a mompreneur was that I didn’t have the right mindset and strategy. (it’s one of the first things I shared in this video)
Because I was so busy with starting a new family, I thought I didn’t have the time to accomplish things. I normally had two free hours to run my business but because my baby needed my care continuously, I couldn’t get things done.
I would start something to stay productive and then get distracted by duties and chores. Worse, I conditioned myself into believing that it’s okay for my career to take the backseat. As a person who’s goal-oriented, I was discontented with what was happening in my life.
Luckily, after days of introspection, I was able to muster the courage to take control of my life. I told myself “Hey, your baby and your family are your sources of inspiration. You can be a good mom to that bundle of joy in your arms and still be a successful online entrepreneur!”
The moment I developed the right, more effective mindset, I was able to think clearly and strategize. I used a combination of creative thinking and logical reasoning to address my problem. I was able to develop strategies that work best for my circumstances. In short, I achieved that elusive work-life balance many couples are still chasing after.
So how did I master the art of working from home and childcare? Here’s how.
1. Create a Schedule
It is important to have a daily schedule. Even if you’re a work-at-home mom, you need to have a schedule that you should respect.
Believe me, you will accomplish more if you are organized. What you can do is to schedule time blocks for similar tasks. In my case, I assigned a two-hour time block for work-related tasks during my baby’s nap time.
I realized I could accomplish more by If I had a proper schedule. By capitalizing on times when my kids are sleeping or busy playing, I am able to stay productive and accomplish tasks that I have been meaning to do.
2. Prioritize
If you are a stay-at-home parent, you know that you certainly do not run out of things to do.
Never attempt to do everything in the limited time that you have. Identify the most important things you need to accomplish.
Supposing you find yourself with some free time, do not waste precious hours or minutes doing the dishes, laundry, or any other housework. Allot this time for tasks that require focus or concentration such as writing business proposals or making client calls.
3. Get creative
No matter how hard you work at staying organized, distractions and interruptions happen.
If, a few minutes before a scheduled client call, your kids suddenly wake up, what will you do? A strategy that always worked for me is to keep them entertained with toys.
I always keep interesting toys within reach to keep them entertained while I work. I discovered that if I keep them entertained and happy, they become less fussy, which always translates to more time for me to work. (Note: Don’t fall into the trap of giving them electronic devices like I did. Toys, motor skills!)
4. Ask for assistance
I now have two kids and although I can say that I am hands-on in taking care of them, there are times when I have to ask my already busy husband to pitch in, especially when I have important face-to-face client meetings.
When I’m working on closing a deal, I usually ask my husband to cover for me at home so that I can concentrate on my tasks. Works wonders all the time.
Remember, even when you’re working at home, never hesitate to ask for assistance when you’re up to your neck in tasks. This is how you get things done efficiently. When you commit to a project, do so wholeheartedly.
If you need to ask your mom or tap the services of a temporary babysitter to take care of your kids so you can direct your energies on an upcoming business deal, by all means do it.
5. Outsource
This is probably the best strategy that turned my online marketing business into the success that it is today.
As a digital marketing professional, I have a knack for discovering tools that help me stay productive and stay on top of my game. I spent a lot of time researching online and how to build and grow my online marketing business.
I am a self-confessed techie so I loved experimenting with different online resources that helped me build my website, my YouTube channel, and the rest of my digital assets.
Through the years, however, I learned that a surefire way of succeeding at your work from home job is to focus on revenue-generating activities. I discovered the benefits of outsourcing. The world is filled with talented and highly skilled professional who can do your tasks for you so you focus on more important, income- generating activities.
For example, if you want to start a blogging career from home, you should focus on the actual blogging part, promoting your blogs on social media, looking for sponsors, or learning about running ads, or an affiliate campaign.
The other aspect of blogging, which is setting up and maintaining your website, is something you should consider outsourcing.
There are web developers and freelancers who can do that at very reasonable rates.
Of course, it would be helpful if you know about a thing or two on basic WordPress installation and setup, but isn’t it more efficient to just let a highly-skilled professional do the nitty-gritty for you?
As your blog and your business grows, you can even hire a freelancer for social media roles so you focus on the more important aspects of your online career or business.
Another thing I’d like to point out is that no matter what type of online career you are interested in, the web is a treasure trove of resources to help you get started.
But, if you don’t want to waste precious time in collecting piles of information online that may or may not be really helpful at all, why not streamline the process and learn directly from the pros?
This way, your learning curve will be shorter and you are assured that you will learn the essentials and the need-to-knows and not merely the nice-to-knows.
For example, if you want to learn how to successfully market your business online, why not subscribe to webinars instead of doing research on your own. Research per se is not bad but imagine the long hours you have to spend collecting information and even more time needed to process all the information.
To shorten your learning curve, the best way to do it is learn the important concepts and strategies from the pros, from digital marketers who have successfully grown their online marketing businesses.
From time to time, I recommend webinars or paid subscriptions services that offer a wealth of information for those who want to be equipped with the right online marketing tools. (yes I do get a little something for making the recommendation but you get all the knowledge!!!)
I can assure you that I have tried these services myself so each time I share a link, do not hesitate to click on them to access the information goldmine I’m willingly sharing with you!
One such webinar is the Ten Minute Traffic Formula. It’s a Free Webinar that goes through an online advertising case study.
You can grab your spot on the webinar today right here.
Do you like the tips I shared in this article? Share this blog on your social media accounts!
I’m Hilary De Freitas
The Marketing Mom
My Mission: To Bring as Many Moms Back Home, Earning a Living Online and Living the Freedom Lifestyle!
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