Setting my work at home priorities often competes with my housework that keeps the family running smoothly.
“You are not my priority today,” I said to the pile of laundry that sat staring at me from the corner of the bedroom. “I am going to walk away now,” I said out loud to the empty room as I closed the door.
“Wow! That was close!” I muttered to myself.
A work at home business means there is always something that could grab my attention at any moment. Dishes in the sink call to me like a siren song when I am stuck on a technical issue with my blog.
Just a quick phone call to make an appointment for a kiddo. Just this, just that, just one more thing and suddenly the clock strikes 4 PM.
At precisely 4 PM, I need to turn back into full-time mommy.
That is why I closed my storefront business and became a work at home mom in the first place.
Mommy is my priority if I am shushing the kids and staring at the screen between 4-8 pm I am not honoring myself or my kids.
If you are dedicated to creating your life rather than reacting to it, there are 3 basic components to consider:
1) Know your why, 2) visualize the end goal, 3) devise a roadmap to reach the goal.
Simply, what are the core foundational values that align you with what you do.
My primary focus at this time in my life is raising my kids. A sick child brought into focus how askew my priorities had become. I ran back and forth between spa and home for 5 days with a child sick in bed.
My conclusion, running a spa business that caused me to be away from home in the evenings and on the weekends did not align with my core values of being a physically and emotionally present parent to my children.
Visualize Your End Goal
Go for a run, sit with a cup of tea, talk it out with your best friend and really get a clear picture of what the end goal will look like.
Drawing it (even in stick figures) will help embed it in your mind which will keep you focused when your thoughts stray from the priorities of the day.
Use a vision board and cut out pictures or a written statement that you see: read daily to keep the visualization of the end goal fresh in your mind. Silly as it sounds, I personally have mine in a plastic sleeve tacked to the shower wall.
My Main Goal For Working At Home
To raise healthy well-adjusted children AND be present for them with a positive loving attitude on a daily basis. Family bonding time is now. The days may be long but the time is short. I love these two humans and want to enjoy every minute with them while they are in my home.
Creating a Priorities Road Map
Having clear priorities on a goal maintains your focus during the daily/hourly/minutely decision-making process.
Every day is a fresh slate. Ask yourself these two questions each morning.
Top Two (Work From Home) Daily Questions
What are your top two priorities for the present day?
Does this fit with your overall end goal?
The Actual Planning to Achieve The Top Priorities
Plan the actual steps you need to take to achieve the top priorities.
Put each priority in a time slot on your calendar.
Purposely neglect the items that are not a priority.
This exercise is designed to take 5 minutes, but give you back hours in your day because it provides focus.
For most mom’s, laundry is a constant.
For me folding and putting away laundry is a satisfying activity. Much more familiar than struggling with Google Analytics.
Often, even though the laundry needs doing, it is not my priority for that hour of my day and is actually a form of procrastination.
Start small with priority setting for both your household and your work from homework.
I suggest starting with a time to stop and start your work day. Schedule just two things as a must do. If you complete those, schedule two more items.
As you start to see patterns, focus on moving from a plan to a routine. This takes trial and error.
Developing routine lets you say to your expanding laundry pile; “I am coming for you on Thursday at 2 PM, be ready”, instead of tackling it in a moment of computer technical exasperation!
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Great post! I too shut off at 4. I want to be home for everything with my kiddos, and that means prioritizing. I hustle like a mad woman while they’re at school so I can enjoy them when they’re home. Love this!
Thank you! Yes we have so little time with them. May be 4 hours a day at most. I am so jealous for their time. What a blessing they are daily. It is hard to shut down at 4 pm but the rewards are great!