7 Tips for Stay At Home Working Moms {Tips}

Happy Monday friends!

Hope you are all staying warm inside ( most of the country is cold and rainy). I am even shocked that we are getting a bit of rain!

I have had several folks asking me about the balance of being a full time stay-at-home mamma as well as working full time from home (aka SAHWM). I definitely have not mastered the two, but I do have a few tips that have really helped me stay less stressed and fully soak up moments with RJ as well as follow my dreams in my fitness/health career.

1// Create an office space 

We are blessed with having a home office/guest room/play room and it’s a place where I can go at night and work without distraction. It’s nice to have an organized place where I can power through blog posts, client workouts, Shred’s, emails…etc. I know that everyone can’t have an office, but even a little corner in the living room or in your bedroom, where you feel like you have somewhere to go and focus can help you feel more productive.

2// Create a routine

RJ and I have a very flexible schedule, but we have a daily routine. I try and wake up at least 30-45 minutes before she does so I can spend some time reading my Bible, making our plan for the day, make a LARGE cup of coffee, catching up on a few emails and just spending some time getting my thoughts together before the begins. When RJ is awake I am “on” as a Mom full time, yes I check my phone here and there for important messages, but I am really trying to put it away of turn it off when I am with her. When she naps that is when I get caught up on work and take a shower. When she wakes up, it’s back to wearing my Mom shoes. After dinner and RJ goes down, I will catch up on a few more work things and then spend time with the Hub’s. I started turning my phone off at 8pm and it has helped me unplug from work. This is also something I am practicing for Lent.

3// GYM Membership 

Joining the YMCA was one of the best things I could have done as a Mamma. Working out honestly makes me more energetic, happier, stronger so I can carry/chase/play with the little, and kills a ton of stress. Our YMCA has great childcare as well as kid programs that RJ can be a part of as she get’s a little older. I get my sweat on and she get’s to play with all of her friends!

4// Set Work Hours 

This is kind of like the routine piece, but just good to have written down. My hours have to be flexible of course, but having them written out is great accountability for yourself as well as for your family. I do work a lot on the weekends, but I set boundaries so that I also get family time in there as well. It’s always interesting for the Hub’s and I because he works a lot from home as well, so communication is HUGE for us! It took some tweaking when RJ came into our lives, but now we have a pretty good rhythm.

5// Turn OFF Phone 

This one is HUGE! I do a lot of work from my phone, answering clients texts, emails, social media…but often times I get side tracked and start spiring into the social media BLACK HOLE! Before I know it, I can’t even remember what I was looking at my phone. So I love the “do not disturb” setting, where you can turn off notifications on your phone during certain hours. You can even control who can still notify you even when that setting is on. I often time just leave my phone out of site. When I go out to dinner with friends, family, or the Hubby I leave my phone on silent in my purse. Being present is something that I am working on and it is easy to always “be on” as a blogger and trainer.

6//Hire Someone to Help Clean 

We hired someone to clean our house twice a month while I was in my busy season of work and it was our best YES! It did mean we had to cut some things out of our budget, but it was worth every penny. I would so rather play on the ground with RJ than worry about our floors being spotless. I also know that this is not something every family can afford, but if you can figure out a way to budget for this DO IT! Maybe just once a quarter, it will keep your sane and create freedom you can’t even imagine.

7// Community 

Surround yourself with other Mom’s that are in the same boat as you. You can learn so much from each other! It’s also just nice to chat about what your are going through as a mother and see that you are not alone. This may not be a live group of friends, this could also be an online community (Thrive Mom’s has a good one). No one has motherhood nailed down to a science, we are all learning together, it really does take a TRIBE!

Would love to hear some of your tips?