Work from home Routine - 6 hacks for Moms
My Work from Home Survival hacks
MOM BOSS
6/8/20264 min read
A tale of a mom who tries to “achieve it all”. The struggle is real where she has to strike a perfect balance between work life and mom life. But as we all know that perfection is a myth, she ends up just struggling executing a tightrope act over a pit of laundry.
Can you relate? It’s not just balancing work, family or household all at once, I feel it is the instant mental switch which causes the real exhaustion. I am resolving a complex business analysis issue with colleagues in a Zoom call (with camera off course) and in between muting myself to explain to my daughter why Jupiter isn’t a giant water balloon. We just don’t multi task, we multi-switch.
Another challenge I constantly encounter is mind getting hijacked mid work. I witnessed the household chores staring at me like Zombie’s and I am on my laptop strategizing on how to ignore them by the only weapon moms truly have – procrastination. Eventually I end up achieving nothing. Zombies kill me by end of the day and my soul is burdened by guilt of no work done.
Add OTT series to mix and in no time, I am binge watching the trending series and “Next Episode” dangles like forbidden fruit which I eat anyway.
I figured out some ways to push myself on track with all activities I want to do. So I thought why not share it with my co – mommies who may also be burdening themselves with the pressure of doing everything together.
Discipline and planning can give your life a structure and bestow you with the mighty power of multi-tasking and nailing them all at the same time. This was one of the golden suggestions given by my mom which I finally acknowledged.
Make a routine and Stick to it- Get up at the same time in the morning. Do the morning household chores, followed by a 15 min breather for yourself or light exercise if you have time. Fix a time when you will start your work and be consistent in doing so. The main thing which brought a difference for me was taking a cold bath before I start work. Coming out of my pajamas into something casual comfortable work wear gave me a different energy kick. Treat yourself as if you have to physically go to office.
Create your own office space/corner – Try to setup your mini office which is little far from bed or couches or TV. No working on Sofas or couches or beds. This will not just kill your posture but also prove to be quite less productive. Invest in good office furniture. You will be motivated to sit continuously for few hours to work only if your chair and table are comfortable enough. Design your work corner with some plants, some frames with quotes. Like I have a quote framed – “YES, I am doing the impossible daily- and I can do it I know “
Keep a rewarding nap or coffee time in the schedule – Definitely keep a fixed free time in the schedule to have a peaceful coffee without kids and work. I look forward to my break and give myself targets to finish tasks before that. It’s a self-push strategy like I have earned the break.
Light music in background can transform monotony into momentum - There are somedays when your work tasks are not so challenging and you feel less motivated. At the same time, you are trying to work sitting alone at home. This can trigger lethargy and laziness. So, I put some light music in background to create some active and happy environment.
Outsource some Mental Load to AI – Working from home means your brain is constantly multitasking — deadlines, dinner, emails, and endless “Mom, can I…?” requests. The trick isn’t to do it all yourself, but to delegate the mental load. Guess what ….we are in the artificial intelligence era 😊, utilizing AI as personal assistant would be a smart play. I use it regularly for drafting emails, preparing complex slides, summarizing some learning content etc.
But at home front I use it to generate weekly meal plans, generating lists and charts for kid’s activities so that I can keep them busy while I am working. This I do on weekends for next week. So, the key is planning but definitely you can save your brain energy by using AI.
Fix your closing time – When we are working from home the boundaries between office and home time are blur. The Fix – keep strict closing time for your laptop. This will also boost you to complete tasks with focus as you need to close your laptop at say 5:00 pm. Make sure you keep your laptop out of sight after that so that you can now focus completely on mom role and family time.
Hope these tips help you to define your work from home routine. Remember, the routine is not about perfection but to consistently follow it and provide a structure to your day. Make sure the routine is achievable because the target is to ease your life and not to burn out yourself more.
Work from home mom life can be messy but with some planning, technology help, coffee rituals and your well-defined space can make the days productive even if it is chaotic all around you 😊.
Enjoy your journey!