Do you work from home, or are you wanting to work from home?

It takes guts, patience, and a little bit of faith.

When I was returning to work after having my baby it was nothing short of a hot mess. I was exhausted from long nights, was fighting a bit of baby blues, and had the mindset that I just could not do it all.

(If you clicked this blog post wanting ideas on what to do to work from Home… click here. I got you!)

If you are planning to be a mom boss, there are a few things you’ll need preparation for. It’s been four months now since I returned to work full time and getting back into the groove of things has taught me quite a few lessons.

You are a mom first.

Your clients, customers, or friends can wait. I don’t mean to not do your job, but I do mean to put baby’s needs first. I make sure my baby has ate, changed, had a nap before it would turn into an issue that would disturb my work.

If you work for a company where you don’t get to set your own hours, try and convert baby’s schedule to work. I have found that feeding her while taking calls gives us the best of both worlds. Anything I can do from my phone is done during play time, and nap times are my prime time to get a lot of computer work done!

In short, creating a schedule a vital.

Take breaks.

Take baby outside and get some fresh air. This will not only give y’all some vitamin c, but allow you to step away from your work space momentarily.

My house doubles as a Home and my workspace. Get up and stretch your legs, dance around with your little one, and make sure you are eating meals too! I often tend to work through my lunch time, so have a snack nearby and actually take a lunch. Keep a water bottle nearby and some snacks on hand!

Keep your work organized

Having a home office is wonderful, but when you are juggling a baby you don’t always get a chance to sit down and have your quiet space. Keep your work stuff organized and it is helpful to have things you need on hand-  within reach.

Since my job can be done from my laptop and phone, those are easy things I can keep at the kitchen table or coffee table. Any stationary, pens, and my work documents are kept stacked in my kitchen so I can have it near at all times. I tend to work a lot from the kitchen because sticking her in the highchair or her walker is such a life saver!

At the same time, don’t get in the habit of working from your bed. It’s tempting, and while administration type work can be done from the phone, its good to have a set spot in your house where you can really do work and be productive.

Create a priority list

What are things that need to get done today? This week? This month? Create a list and organize it by priority. Think of both Work and Home related duties to make sure you’re not forgetting one over the other.

Keep track of any deadlines, customer invoices you need to send, Work meetings you may have, and of course any baby/home related things that need to be taken care of.

Work is important, but so is your home life!

Find a nice balance and you’ll find yourself having success not just in your work but also as a mother. I hope you find these tips helpful as you enter what is some mom’s dream career.