I suppose you could say I’m a ‘work from home mum’. I blog full time (ish) and have recently launched my children’s clothing line, and I do everything from the comfort of my sofa.

The thing is, I have a threenager at home to look after too, and a little human cooking in my belly, so it’s not easy to really ‘work’. Life gets in the way and I need to be super organised. I’ve decided to share with you how I make my life a little easier working from home alongside being a full time mum.

1. Use a planner. I recently bought The Blogger Journal and I absolutely love it. Every night I write what I want to achieve the following day. Anything from shipping orders, blog posts, or social media updates. I’m a pretty unorganised person, but I’m creative and have a visual memory, so writing things down helps me remember what needs to be done. I don’t work your normal 9-5 day, especially when Lamb is at home (he goes to Grandmas and nursery), so keeping my planner full makes sure I utilise the hours in the day.
2. Make use of apps. I can pretty much do most of my blogging and correspondence from my phone. I have useful apps that means I can quickly complete tasks. For example, I have the Gmail app for emailing. I also receive the notifications for new orders via gmail. I have the WordPress app so I can write blog posts on the go, I can approve comments and I can schedule posts. I do most of my social media updates from my phone too. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest are what I use the most. I also use the Google Analytics to keep up to date with my current stats and traffic. What’s great about using these useful apps is you can also use them on the go. If hubby is driving us somewhere I’ll sit and update social media and reply to emails. Every minute is vital!
3. Make use of nap time. Lamb doesn’t actually nap anymore, but when he did I made sure I grabbed my laptop to quickly write a blog post. Being able to do everything from the comfort of my sofa means I can chill with a cuppa and get a bit of work done in peace. When baby number 2 arrives I’m hoping he will settle into a routine like Lamb did so I can make use of my time and keep up to date with working on the blog.
4. Double up on tasks. I’m useless at housework. Ask anyone. I’m a perfectionist in most aspects of life apart from at home. I just hate housework. To get things done and to save time I’ve found doubling up my tasks works really well for me, which means I have more time in the day to work. When Lamb is in the bath I’ll clean the bathroom and put away laundry. When I’m cooking dinner I’ll clear up as I cook, empty and fill the dishwasher and put some laundry in the washing machine/tumble dryer. When Lamb is eating his lunch (on those rare occasions) I’ll tidy away his toys and hoover the living room. I could easily just sit back and watch him splash away in the bath or slowly nibble in his crackers, but instead I rush around while I’ve got spare hands and get some tasks done.
5. Relax! One thing I’ve found since becoming a work from home mum is I find it hard to relax. I’m constantly worrying about when I’ll write my next post, if I’ve updated social media enough or sold any more leggings. Of course having a toddler to look after means I have to work in my evenings. It’s no big deal, hubby plays football a couple of nights a week and I can chill out in bed with my laptop. However, I think it’s really important to put away the electronic devices at least one night a week and treat myself to a bath. Switching off every now and then means I’m refreshed for the next few days. I find a Sunday night bath and early night means I get loads done on a Monday while Lamb is at grandmas.

Take a look at this interesting infographic from Dell about working from one device. Like I do with my phone, it’s seems more people of getting things done from the comfort of one place. Not only can I work from my phone/tablet. I can take photographs for the blog, watch TV, read books, access my bank accounts (I use the Paypal app and my banking app), listen to music and make calls. Pretty incredible if you think about it!

So there are my top 5 tips for being a work from home mum. I’ve only been doing it for a couple of months now (although it feels like forever) and I’m actually really enjoying it. I never thought I would cope with being ‘unemployed’, but I’m passionate about what I do and I’m determined to be successful. Here’s to the next year of blogging and designing.

Ax

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