We all know as a Mom you don’t have time to be lazy let alone even allow that thought into your mind. And as a work at home mom, the summer months can be a boondoggle for your business.
With your children home from school, the struggle to balance your work life with your mom duties becomes more pronounced. By creating a strategy now, before that first beach day hits, you will feel better prepared to tackle the lazy days of summer.
By preparing yourself now you won’t find yourself without any business at the end of the year, because you didn’t accomplish much during the summer for your business.
First and foremost, create a schedule that you can try to adhere to. It doesn’t have to be anything complicated, and don’t beat yourself up for not following it perfectly. Just set up a simple routine, that will adjust for the time your kids will be home during the summer.
Having a schedule will allow you to have a guide to refer to and when you are off track it will serve as a gentle reminder to get back on track. And if you are on track it will make you feel that much more confident that you are doing the right thing.
Need help creating that schedule? Here are a few simple ideas:
- Purchase a simple dry erase white board large enough to post your kids names and list activities for the summer
- Write down a simple routine for everyone to follow: i.e. sleep in, after breakfast play inside, after lunch play outside, quiet time before dinner
Look at your schedule for the summer months and write down any weddings, baby showers, birthdays, etc. that you need to buy gifts for or need to attend. Any big things, like camp, sports events, and home improvement projects: make sure you pencil all these in as well. This will create a basis to work around.
Once you have all your children’s stuff penciled in then you can work your schedule in.
A great online organizer and calendar for schedules is Cozi.com. Cozi is a free online calendar, organizer, mobile app. and so much more. This program allows you to schedule your family life simply. There are lists, downloads, money-saving ideas, and it’s all free.
Another way to stay motivated during the summer is to create simple goals to accomplish in your business, just for the summer months. This will keep you motivated to get those items crossed off your list.
Need a great motivator to check those items off your list? Reward yourself! Whether it’s a mani-pedi, the latest delightfully sinful novel, 50 Shades of Grey, or your guilty pleasure, the latest Taylor Swift CD, you will find a sense of accomplishment when you add a reward system into the mix. And you can be certain after your first reward, you may just accomplish your goals that much more quickly.
Lazy Days Motivation Board
Create a visually stimulating motivation board. This is an excellent tool to help keep your eye on the prize.
Pick up a simple white board, or cork board, and post pictures that illustrate why you are working during the summer months.
For example:
- Post pictures of your kids and family (since they’re the reason you’re working from home in the first place).
- Post a picture of the future house you’re building.
- Post a picture of that fence you’ve always wanted to build for your backyard.
- That Disney vacation you want to take next year.
- The extra cash you need to set aside for Christmas this year.
You get the idea; visualization is key. Having a visual representation of the things you hold near and dear to your heart is enough motivation to get your fanny back in your office chair and continue working.
By following a few simple strategies that includes preparing your summer routine now, you will find your business busy at the end of the year instead of wondering why your business went south for the holidays.
P.S. If your desk is so unorganized you can’t see the bills from the kid’s homework and latest class pictures, then find out about really simple organizing tips from the magazine of the same name Real Simple. Their article “20 Home Office Organizing Tricks” has some real gems to keep your paper clutter in order.
What ways to you keep motivated and intentional during the summer months?
