Are you a control freak? That’s ok. There a lot of moms who are, and it’s now necessarily a bad thing. However, if you’re a mom that takes care of the household duties, the kids, and now you are a work at home mom as well, it might be a good idea for you to let go of a bit of the control in order to relieve a little stress and be able to concentrate on your business.

If you still have all the same responsibilities as a mom, but now have a business to focus on, one of them is going to suffer unless you have some clear cut organization.

One thing that has helped a lot of work at home mos with this transition in the beginning is setting daily goals. The trick is to set goals not only for your business, but for the family side of things as well. This will greatly reduce the stress and pressure of having too many things that need to be done, because you will know when they are scheduled to be finished.

Here are a few tips to help you out:

• Every Mom Has Limits
  It is mandatory that you do not let yourself get exhausted. Your business will take a bit of time to grow and you will be more productive with your time if you are awake and alert when you get to work.  Allow yourself the time to get things done right, even if it takes a bit longer than you’d hoped. It’s still faster than doing it twice.
• Don’t Forget Free Time
  This may sound obvious, but some new work at home moms actually forget to schedule in free time. Moms need time to themselves to do absolutely nothing at all, work on a hobby, or simply read a good book in a comfy chair alone for a few hours.  Whatever it is that fulfills your soul and rejuvenates you, be sure to schedule in that time to refuel.
• Separate Mom From Businesswoman
  Set goals and schedules that separate your work and family duties completely, even by alternating the days if you can. That way, you have a few days of work that has no laundry, and you have a day of family tie that is a break from your business. Also, keep testing to see what works best.

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Procrastination is fun, isn’t it? A stroll out on to the deck with a fresh cup of coffee. A “quick” stop into the playroom to see the kids as you pass down the hallway on the way to the bathroom. Those seemingly short breaks might actually do you good if that’s all they were; short breaks. However, when the your procrastinator side kicks in, a 5 to 10 minute break can turn into an hour and twenty minutes of play time.

When you have an unlimited number of tasks to do (being a work at home mom doens’t really ever come to a stop), it’s understandable that stopping to play with the kids is enticing. However, in order to make your business flourish, you will have to learn to recognize when your slip into procrastination mode and figure out ways to quickly get back to work mode.

Here are a couple examples of signs to look for and what to do to counter any  temptations.

• Heavy Sighs
  If you get into the habit of looking at your desk, or task list and follow up with a heavy sigh, then chances are that you are slipping into procrastination mode and are only one or two breaths away. Downtime is definitely a part of success, but you need to clearly define work and play time. A good thing to do is take a solid break in between bigger tasks or projects. So, when one is finished, go for a walk with the kids to the park for an hour or two. Not only will you be separating work from play, but you will actually enjoy the break more knowing that you are not scrambling to get porject number 1 finished when you get back.  You need balance.
• Noisy Distractions Lure You Away
  If your work space is in an area of the home that is close enough to the main living area, you may often hear laughter, bangs, or several other family noises that make you feel compelled to leave your work to investigate.  You’ll have to do whatever you can to discipline yourself from this as not only does it physically take you away from work, but mentally it’s hard to be productive while you’re working. If you can’t block the noise with a door, or move your office, then try other solutions like playing classical music at a very low volume.  Whatever you do, find a way to stay separated while you need to be productive.

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