Avon Mom’s Tips to Be a Successful Work at Home Mom

Being a work at home mom is one of the hardest things I have done in my life, but it is the most rewarding. It is all about juggling two parts of yourself- being a mom & being a business woman. With these tips, you will be on the road to success.

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Separate Home & Work

One of the most important things to be aware of when you are working at home is you need to put yourself in the mental state as if you would be if you were working outside the home. They always say to keep home problems at home & work problems at work. This can be hard to do when you work at home. Here are some ways that can help you separate work & home so you can be successful as a work at home mom:

Create a Schedule/Routine

In every article or blog you see about work at home tips, this will most likely be on the top of their list. That’s because this is one of the most important things you need to do if you are going to be successful working at home.

Creating a routine will help you know when to be “mom” & when to be “busineswoman”. Knowing when things need to get done, helps minimize what you need to think about. I know this may sound crazy, but think about this for a moment. Everything you do out of habit, you do without even thinking, right? When you live by a routine, you will do things out of habit & it will just come naturally.

In order for this to work though, you need to create a routine that works not just for your work schedule, but for your family as well. The best thing to do to accomplish this is create your work schedule around your kids schedule. One of the many benefits of being a work at home mom is the flexibility. So why not take advantage of that. You can put in work hours when the kids are in school or if they are not at the school age, while they are taking their nap. You can even schedule an hour or two at night once the kids are in bed to get some work done.

Learn how to create a routine for your Avon business by checking out Avon Selling Tips: Creating a Campaign Routine 

Tip: The beginning of each week, go over your schedule for the upcoming week & make adjustments to your basic schedule as needed & plan as many aspects of your daily duties as possible such as creating a weekly meal plan, having a cleaning schedule & what you need to do on a regular basis for your business. This will help you know what needs to be done each day ahead of time.  

TOOLS I USE FOR MY SCHEDULE/ROUTINE:

• Google Calendar: I use my Google Calendar to break up my day & to schedule appointments. This is a great tool for me so when I need to move my basic schedule around my kids appointments & activities, I can easily move items around or even delete them for a day (like ordering out that night instead of cooking dinner).
• ISO Timer: I use this tool to break down my daily duties so I know what I need to do each day.
• Monthly Calendar: I use this tool more for my family so they know what there schedule is & what they need to get done on any given day outside of their normal routine.
• Day Planner: My Day Planner is used to schedule my business appointments & meetings. Having to keep track of 5 kids plus me & my husbands appointments & activities, my monthly calendar gets full quickly so using a day planner for my business helps me to focus on what I have coming up for just my business.

Create a Work Environment Space

Create a space in your home that is just for your business. In creating a work space, this will help you stay organized & have everything you need to run your business in one place making it easier for you to stay on task & be efficient.

Make sure your work space is comfortable & has everything you need to work. This will help you be able to stay on task. Being a work at home mom, it is important to get as much done as you can in the time you allotted yourself. If you are uncomfortable or have to constantly go into another room to get something, your work flow will constantly be interrupted or you will lose motivation in completing a task.

TIP: If you do not have the space or rooms to have a home office, improvise by creating a command center for your business. To learn more about how to create a command center, read AvonMom Tip: Being Organized with a Home Command Center. You can use many of the tips in this blog to create a command center for your business.

Create a To Do list

When it comes to creating a to do list, I am talking about a list of items that need to get completed that are not a daily task. This will help you first of all remember what needs to get done for your home & for your business. Keep the lists separate so (1) You don’t feel overwhelmed & (2) They are easier to manage.

TIP: Use an app on your phone so you always have your to do list with you. You never know when you will have a moment to get something done. Also, choose an app that your spouse can have on their phone as well so you can share the home to do list & he/she can see what needs to get done around the house to help out. 

Set up a time during the week for you to work on your business to-do list, even if it’s just an hour a week so your list starts getting shorter, not longer. In doing this, you will be more productive & things will get done in a more timely fashion. For me, I choose one day during the week that I don’t have much going on so I know that I will have that time to work on my list. Since I began doing this, my list now only contains a few items each week & my business has grown even more so.

Dress for Success

A great way to separate home & work is wake up each morning & get ready as if you are going to work. Even if you are not going anywhere. This will help you get into work mode when you are working. You will be more confident & ready to go when you are working with anyone regarding your business. I love being in my sweats & pajamas but I know when I make the effort & get dressed as if I am going to work outside the home, I am more productive & I feel more confident about my business. It is much easier to be taken serious when you are dressed for success & not looking like you just rolled out of bed. You never know when you may run into someone while you are picking your kids up from school or having to do an emergency meeting via video chat. Whatever that day throws at you, you will be ready to go.

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Being Productive Working at Home

Minimize Distractions

I truly believe that distractions are the number 1 reason many home based businesses end up failing. As a work at home mom, I know this can be difficult at times. Remember creating a schedule/routine? This is where that will play a vital role in helping you.

If you do get interrupted or distracted, don’t make a big deal about it. Just make a note of where you are at if needed & manage the situation as quickly as possible. Then get back to work as quickly as possible.

TIP: Announce to your family or have a sign up stating that you are working so your family knows to minimize their distractions & interruptions. If you have small children, working during nap time or having them do a quiet activity like coloring or a big hit with my kids when I was going to school, was creating a mini office for them to pretend to be working like mommy. Just make sure they are fed & well rested. If you have older children, they can play outside or entertain themselves in their room 

You also need to keep in mind of your own distractions within yourself. I know for me, if I have a personal matter going on or if I am stressed out about something, it can distract me from focusing on the task at hand whether it is for work or for home. What I have learned to do which has helped me out tremendously is worry about work matters only when I am working. It would be just like if I was working outside the home. I wouldn’t go into work unable to do my job because of something going on at home. You have to have that same thinking when you are working at home. If you do not, this can damage your business in a big way.

TIP: You can minimize your distractions with social media by using Buffer.com. You can create a free account where you can schedule posts, share videos and links about your business on all of your social media accounts without actually being on your social media accounts. For a bonus, you can check how your posts are doing & at the end of each week, you will receive a report of what was viewed, liked & shared the most. 

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help

Even if you are a well organized, efficient work at home mom, life happens & there may be moments that you can’t do everything. So don’t be afraid to ask for help. I know for some (I’m one of them) this may be the hardest tip to follow through on. That’s ok, just be aware of it & ask when you need it. Why get stressed out or feel overwhelmed when you have an option that can help you accomplish what needs to be done.

Set a Goal & Create a Plan

Creating a plan on where you want to go is very important when you are trying to run a business. You want to keep growing, but in order to do that, you need to know where to go. Are you looking to increase your sales? If so, how much? Are you looking to move up a level in leadership? If so, what level do you want to be at? Once you know where you want to be, you need to look at where you are at now & what you need to do to reach your goal. I recommend breaking down your plan as much as possible so you can create achievable steps that will have you moving towards your goal on a regular basis.

TIP: Make sure to go over your plan & review what you’ve accomplished & what you didn’t accomplish each step of the way. This will help you see what works & what doesn’t work so you know how to move forward. 

Minimize Priorities & Obligations

One of the many benefits in being a work at home mom is having the opportunity to be more involved in your kids lives & activities. I know for me, this is very important & it killed me when I couldn’t be involved like I wanted to when I was working outside the home. Though you may have more opportunity to be involved in your kids school & activities, that doesn’t mean you need to do everything! Pick and choose things that you truly enjoy & that fit into your schedule. If you start saying yes to everything, you will overwhelm yourself & not have time to accomplish everything you need to do. There are only so many hours in a day to get everything done.

TIP: Find ways to incorporate your business with your kids activities & school. For example, when you are at a soccer game, have a basket of products sitting on the side of you for other moms to buy on the spot. See how you business can help your kids school, for example, as an Avon representative, I offer my kids schools a way to do a fundraiser with Avon to raise money for field trips & whatever else the school may need.

Incorporate your Business into your Daily Life

Many home based businesses have aspects to it that you can build into your daily life whether its making deliveries when you are running your errands or growing your customer base in your daily conversations. By incorporating your business in your daily life, you are accomplishing two things at the same time, which will help minimize the feeling of running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

I know for me, this actually was a bit difficult to accomplish, but once I figured out how, I have to admit, my stress level decreased tremendously & I have actually increased the time I can enjoy with my family.

TIP: Advertise your business where ever you go. When you are parked, place brochures or info packets about your business on your windshield or rear window for people to take. Wear a pin or shirt that has your business on it. Have a business card to give to those who you come across to network with. Have a sign or use window markers on your car. Find creative ways to let people know about your business in non direct manners so as you are going about your day, potential customers or recruits will more likely approach you!

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Take Care of Yourself

One of the most important things you can do to be a successful work at home mom is take care of yourself. We all know, when mom is out of commission, the whole house seems to go into chaos & out of whack.

Stay Healthy

Make sure to eat healthy for your 3 meals, exercise a couple times a week & get plenty of sleep. Taking care of yourself will allow you to take care of your family & your business. If you are not healthy, you will not have the energy or patience to get through your day. This will then lead to added stress & things not getting done in a timely manner never mind if you ever get sick.

TIP: Make sure to set up a sleep schedule by waking up & going to bed around the same time each day. Sleep is a vital part of your health & energy level. Keeping a sleep schedule will help you fall asleep at night and feel rejuvenated to tackle the day when you wake up. 

Do Something for You

As moms, we tend to put our family wants & needs before our own. That is why it is very important to do something for you once in a while. Doing something that does not involve your business or your family will only help you be a better mom, spouse & businesswoman. Stepping away for even an hour from your daily life will give your mental & emotional state a rest. You will come back refreshed & motivated.

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