If you are a stay-at-home mom or want to quit your current job, working from home and caring for your kids is a great option. It gives you the ability to care for your child and generate an income that contributes to your household.
The great part about our current day is that we have the ability to work in several different ways, thanks to technology. However, if you become a freelance entrepreneur who works from home, you must be very self-disciplined. Being in your house is great because it is your space, you are familiar with it, and you can control your schedule. BUT it can also lead to a lot of distractions. Television, snacking, that load of laundry you forgot to start, and all things child-related.
It can all get very overwhelming, which leads to a lack of productivity and stress.
I would like to share with you a typical day of mine as a mom to a 7-month old and small business owner.
My business, Radtke Virtual Services, runs mainly during my son’s sleep time. When he is awake, I am giving him attention and doing some easier work tasks that don’t take too much time or energy. A big aspect of my business is staying as flexible as possible.
My day!
5:30am My husband and I wake up. He leaves for the day and I check my emails, check social media post schedulers, and pick three priority tasks to take on for the day. If I am doing Zoom calls or need to be in front of the camera for short-form videos, I do my hair and make up. Don’t forget the COFFEE!
7:30am Franklin wakes up. I feed him and get him ready for the day. We play and have a light breakfast. I also try to empty the dishwasher so I can add dishes throughout the day instead of them piling up.
8:30am Franklin and I play, get small tasks done around the house, and if he is playing independently, I work on easy tasks like watching online trainings, working on courses I have purchased, and engaging on social media.
10:00am Franklin nap number 1. Time to focus! This is when I throw on some good music and get productive. As I write this I am listening to “focus study music” on YouTube, sometimes it’s 2000s country, 2000s boy bands, or Disney. It all depends on the task and mood I am in (and I find it hard to write if lyrics are playing in the background).
12:00pm Franklin wakes and we have lunch then play.
2:00pm I try to get an afternoon workout in with Franklin involved. Right now it is winter so we stay inside but try to do something active. Even if we are just dancing around in the living room.
2:30pm Franklin has a bottle and takes another nap. Time to hammer out the rest of my list for the day!
4:30pm Nap time is over and it’s time to start dinner. My husband comes home and we have family time.
8:00pm Franklin goes to bed. My husband and I tidy up the house a little bit, the dishwasher gets filled. If I need to get any last minute things done for work I do those things and check my calendar for the next day. We usually watch a show and get ready for bed.
9:30pm Bedtime!
This is my ideal work schedule. As mentioned before, I try to be as flexible as possible with my schedule since kids have a mind of their own and things come up. Working from home has really helped us save on childcare costs, gas, and managing the household. Also, I get to continue my professional career while not sacrificing time with my son.
As I mentioned before, this way of working can really be challenging. There are days when I feel like I wasn’t enough as a mother or wife, maybe I didn’t get to folding the laundry, or finish my entire to-do list for work, but then I remember that I felt those stresses when I was working my regular 9 to 5. No job or business is perfect, all we can do is do our best to learn and adjust along the way.
I hope this gives you some insight into how you could manage your own schedule and become the entrepreneur you have been dreaming of. Want to learn more about being a virtual assistant? Follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn where I share my content.
