Those sweet faces belong to my kids.
Those sweet faces can also make it crazy difficult to run a business. I mean, they’re 5 and 3. It’s kind of their job to need you All.The.Time.
The #1 question I get from women is how do you start/run a business with two little kids. The short answer is ‘with a ridiculous amount of planning, and copious bottles of wine.’
(Just kidding.)
(Sort of.)
Here are 2 of 4 ways you can work from home with toddlers and actually get things done.
1. Use those naps and quiet times to do work, not dishes—or laundry, or mop, or clean the toilet, or prep for dinner. Schedule other times for those things (or, someone else to do them during nap and quiet times if you can). If your kids don’t nap, introduce them to quiet time. In their rooms. Don’t come out unless you have to pee or you’re on fire. This will take some training if your kids aren’t used to it, but it’s totally worth the 2 hours of quiet.
I try and keep work during this time to things that aren’t as big of a deal if they’re interrupted, or can be fairly quick if I need them to be
Some things to do during naps/quiet time:
-Answer emails
-30 minutes of social media and relationship building
-Planning for the week or month ahead (set goals, y’all!)
-Client calls (schedule them ahead of time for no more than 30 minutes)
-Plan and/or write blog post
2. Ask for help—I know. Nobody can care for a child like his mama. But if you’re going raise your other child (i.e. your business) then you might want to think about parting ways, even just for a few hours so you can get the work you couldn’t get to during naptime done. Neither my parents nor inlaws live nearby and anyone else I would trust with my kids has little kids of their own. Here’s who helps me out
-the husband. He’s awesome. If you’ve got a mate who’s supportive of your entrepreneurial drive, get him/her to watch the kids. And those household chores you shouldn’t be doing during naptime, get him/her to knock out some of those things too.
-preschool. My kids are in preschool 3-4 days a week for 4 hours each day. This.is.HUGE! No, it’s not free, but consider it an investment in your business. Finding a preschool through a local church is pretty inexpensive compared to a private institution. Don’t have the extra cash, coax that supportive mom, uncle, or brother to invest in your business by helping with childcare costs if they can.
-mom’s morning out. Dude, these are everywhere. Just Google it along with your city and see what comes up. It’s pretty much an off-site babysitter for your kids that allows you to get stuff done. If your city doesn’t have one, start your own with a friend who also has kids. It can be as frequent as you want and far cheaper (or potentially free!) than part-time preschool.
It’s totally possible to work from home when you have small children. Come back Thursday for the other 2 ways.
Want more working from home tips? Click here.
xo,
Tiffany
I’m in full agreement. The 3 hours, 4x a week that my daughter goes to preschool are incredible. I can get so much work done. This time is not for cleaning or socializing, it is my work day. Same with quite time (that’s what we’re doing right now).
I had to learn to take advantage of every second they give you. An unexpected nap? see if you can nail something off the list. Happily playing while you make dinner? Make tomorrow night’s too. I also make our family life a huge part of our business, ie getting groceries at the farmers market as a family might be a blog post, and it’s great fun, and we get groceries.
During rush times, a housecleaning service is a nice treat as my time is much better spent with my family or customers than trying to keep the bathroom clean and it means I’m supporting another entrepreneur too.
Thank you for such an awesome comment, Laura!
Kids’ moods/wants/needs can change from one moment to the next so it’s incredibly important to take advantage of calm, quiet, cooperative times. Good call on incorporating family life into your business. I’m trying to do more of that too. Not only is it great multi-tasking, but it also brings a human side to your business.
Your kids are adorable!!!
Thanks, Leslie!
hi! just found your blog–this is so helpful! I have an almost 5 year old and 3 year old. Last year just getting a few hours to myself gave me so much creativity and time to do some design consulting. But this summer, different story. thanks for the encouraging tips
You’re welcome and thanks so much for stopping by and commenting, Julia! Our kids are almost exactly the same age and it’s definitely a struggle to find the time to work sometimes. Late nights and I are like *this*!
Work from home is really nice since you can get paid without moving the comfort of your own home. I am also having some work at home stuffs going around. “,`:`
Look at our new web portal as well
http://www.caramoantravel.com