How to stay sane while working from home.

How to stay sane while working from home.

We dream of working from home..

Then we work from home and dream of leaving for work.

Any way you slice it as a stay at home mom, work at home mom, work away mom, or part-time mom the juggle and struggle is real.

Sometimes when first starting your entrepreneur journey it can feel lonely and like the odds are against you. I want you to know that you’re not alone and these emotions are completely normal. This is why I wanted to completely devote this September Motivation to you mammas who are having a hard time feeling sane and “balancing” it all. I thought what better way than to share a chapter out of my book, The Sweetest Little Life. Chapter Seven is all about finding your zen.  Let’s get right to it and hopefully our mama tribe can walk away feeling refreshed, inspired, and motivated!

Staying Sane while working from home
Creating and Finding Balance

Chapter Seven – Finding  Your Zen

It was Thanksgiving 2017 and the busiest time of year for my shop. Every year around the beginning of November I become elated with the amazing customers I get to meet, the jolly spirits, and the goodies I get to consistently create. Not to mention the amazing home décor finds, crafting with my littles and family memories that get made every Holiday Season. Being sentimental is a character trait that was imbedded in me from birth.

For some reason 2017 was different. It was as though I was becoming resentful of everyone asking something from me. In the beginning of this book I told you that I had become the yes girl. Mamas, I said yes to everything.

Can you pick this up? Yes.

Can you watch my child? Yes.

Can you walk my dog? Yes.

Can you volunteer on this day? Yes.

Can you make me 40 mugs by tomorrow for an event? Yes.

Can you run this errand for me? Yes.

Can you plan this event for us? Yes.

Having your hands in too many things at one time is dangerous, and here is why. You lose your zest. Your passion and drive are something that keeps you going, even on the months you make a whopping twenty dollars. It’s the passion that keeps you trudging through the mud and putting one foot in front of the other.

Allow your passion to become your purpose, and it will one day become your profession.

Being an entrepreneur is the toughest job out there for the simple reason you have no one to answer to but yourself. You are the last person to get a paycheck, you work the longest hours, you have no days off in the beginning, and you consistently struggle with this thing called “balance.”

The most successful entrepreneurs in this world chase their passions not a paycheck. Passion will always lead you directly to your purpose when you feel lost with no direction.

This loss of “zest” didn’t happen all at one time or overnight, but from Thanksgiving to January I became miserable. My work began to show that the passion was drifting away.  I was snappy and grumpy at everyone around me. Looking back at pictures I even cringe knowing how sad I felt inside. Over the months I developed major anxiety. At one point I thought I was experiencing a heart attack!

What was wrong with me? Was I broken?

I knew I needed to snap out of this anxiety, but how? Was I losing it? Should I just quit and not pursue my dreams anymore?

Hell no. I am not a quitter.

Inside I knew I was on the brink of breaking. What I learned was this is the make it or break it stuff that truly makes you grow, not only as a human, but in your business. I needed this three-month funk to make me realize how blessed I was. How much I craved to wake up every morning and be excited for what the day might hold, what opportunities might arise, who I might meet. This is the stuff that keeps me going. After talking to several other makers, I began to see a pattern. Everyone goes through this at some point in their business. It is going to be ok. When you are uncomfortable, when you feel like giving up, it is completely acceptable to turn everything off and unplug for a little while. Prioritize and dig deep into what is really going on. For my personal story, I realized I was saying yes to things that were draining me. They were not my passion, I did not want to do them, but I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.

(Major people pleaser over here yo!)

I have grown more in the past 6 months not only as a mother, wife, maker, and friend but into who I was meant to be, into my purpose of why I was put onto this earth. I stopped giving a “you know what” about what people thought of me. It was the most freeing feeling I have ever experienced.  If it wasn’t for this rough patch where I truly believed my world was going to crumble, I could never have pushed through to fly or made the soul searching worthwhile.

There is a difference between being a push over and being compassionate and empathetic. You can be kind and genuine but still hold boundaries. You need to do this if you are going to be running a business. The more successful you become, the more people will ask of you. “With great success comes great responsibility”. The old saying that holds so true to the heart. Your goals and purpose are going to change and shift with time, that’s just life.

It’s a good rule of thumb every six months to review your goal list and polish it up. (This is where the professional goal digging comes into play.)   The knowledge you gain, the advice you receive, the experience you get from working your passion every day will make you need to adjust and tweak little things here and there to make your business perfect for you and your family.

Now let’s get real.

Family and your business.

This can get messy! Some days you are overwhelmed, stressed out and who does it get taken out on? Well, the people closest to you of course. Naturally we want this journey to be all sunshine and glitter sprinkles, but the truth is that it is tough to balance everything. It will be especially hard when you are starting out and finding what your groove is. When I was in the red for my first year and spending quadruple the amount that I was bringing in, I can’t tell you the amount of arguments and sleepless nights I experienced wondering if I was going to fail again. Fear can stop you right in your tracks, our minds can talk us out or into anything. Pretty powerful stuff right here.

Am I meant for this?

What if I let my family down?

I am not spending enough one on one time with each child.

I am not making my husband proud.

These arguments aren’t worth chasing my dreams, I’ll just try again in a few years.

This negative self-talk will kill you inside and completely shatter your confidence as a Mompreneur. Some days are tough. Plain and Simple. Its being compassionate to everyone around you, knowing when to take days off and disconnect from it all, knowing when to plan and push through on the days you just want to veg out on Netflix. Its trial and error in finding exactly the schedule that works for you.

Being a wife of a Firefighter who is gone four days out of the week I had to get creative with scheduling my endeavors. I finally found what works for me. I wake up an hour before the kids go to school, plan every aspect of what my day will look like, work late on the nights my husband is gone and shut it down the evenings my husband is home. I now say “no” to mom coffee dates after drop off because those four hours that my daughter is in preschool are my only solo hours to tackle my Etsy orders interruption free. It took me months to figure out how to outsource, plan, and make my life as balanced as possible. Once I did this though, once I stopped caring if people may not like me because I couldn’t go to coffee three days a week with them, once I started realizing my priorities were living my dream, being the best mom and wife I possibly could be and keeping my circle small I began to feel alive. Waking up early? No problem. Staying up late? No problem. Excitement for life does amazing things to the mind and body.

The trick is finding your zest and knowing sometimes you may not have the “energizer bunny” motivation you desire. If you’re clear on where you are going and what you’re fighting so hard for, the stamina will always return to you.

Don’t give up, remember your reasons.

Get the Book Today!

Do you know the path you’re on? Is it a clear, freshly paved cement road? Is it more of a dusty desert storm with tumble weeds blowing everywhere and smacking you in the face as you try to walk? Either way, this book is for you. Finding your direction is crucial in creating your personal brand or small business. How do we know which way to run if we can’t even walk properly first? Do you know how you work best? How you thrive? By the end of this journey my goal is to have you feeling inspired, motivated, and excited to wake up each day and live the life you’ve always dreamed of creating for yourself.

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Overcoming Procrastination

Overcoming Procrastination

Where my makers at?! Most of us are so guilty of the procrastination gene! It’s in our DNA – So how do we use it for good? What is it? Were getting down and dirty with it all today!

Procrastination is the act of prioritizing less urgent and more pleasurable tasks over the more important stuff.

You procrastinate because you have a fear of doing something, because of unreasonable expectations, or because you haven’t generated enough reasons to get the job done.

Now, procrastination is not always “bad” nor “good”. I personally thrive when I have a dead line and need to get hustling the day before, but if it’s too much and not organized procrastination I will fail every single time to meet my deadline. I become stressed, overwhelmed, and start the hamster wheel of accomplishing absolutely nothing productive.

So why do we do this? How do we avoid procrastination or organize it to help us effectively? Today I am spilling all my tricks on what I do to stay on top of task that are not pleasurable or “exciting” to me. The ones that often get pushed to the back burner!

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Get the hard stuff out-of-the-way – Every evening before bed I always make a list of what needs to be done the next day. This 1, helps me clear my head and sleep better and 2, allows me to strategically place the things i want to do the least top on my list.

(When I whip out the hard stuff first thing in the morning, there’s not enough caffeine in my system to talk me out of it, and then I am energized with the attitude of “Yeah I just did that, and it wasnt that bad.” “I am ready for more!”)

Set specific, measurable and realistic expectations of yourself – Do not over book yourself and realistically create timelines that allow you to not feel stressed out or like you need to skip a meal to accomplish everything. Remember a healthy you is going to be the most productive you.

Find out what motivates you and eliminate distractions – For my personal motivation I love Podcast. While I am working in my office I feel like I am learning new things from some of my favorite entrepreneurs while getting motivated on every word they say! Some of my favs to listen too for motivation are

  • Rachel Hollis – Rise
  • Jenna Kutcher – Goal Digger
  • Lori Harder – Earn your happy
  • and Julie Soloman – The Influencer Podcast
  • Mel Robbins – 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Method

All of these women fire me up and make working enjoyable and not boring or lonely. I eliminate my text and phone alerts, the television, or any other ding that may distract me from accomplishing the one task at hand.

Complete small new tedious task immediately – Have a phone call to make? A form to sign for the kids? A volunteer obligation? A dish you borrowed but have failed to return? Just do it. All of these tedious task can haunt you and turn into giant mole hills for absolutely no reason. The minute something comes in that I can handle right away I do. This will completely avoid you forgetting later on down the road, or saying “Ill do it after dinner” and becoming to tired and pushing it to the next day.

Find your peak performance time and use it – We all have that time of day that we just kick ass and take names. For some they call it being a “morning person” or a “night owl” others its awareness, either way we all have a time that is perfect for our own individual peak spots.

Don’t get “stuck” on your time and know that as life circumstances or body changes happen your peak performance times may change as well. Perfect example – I am usually a morning person. I wake up before everyone in my house, enjoy my coffee and quiet time, and start busting out hard projects before any one wakes up. Than…. I got pregnant….and I am pretty positive this baby is going to be a night party animal. I’m worthless in the mornings and some days can barely move until 3-5 p.m., then I perk up and can rumble til 1 in the morning. Ya all, this is UNHEARD of for my body, but Im rolling with the punches, Im listening to my peak energy, and utilizing it to the best of my ability. With a few quick changes I just have my “work performance” hours after the littles are tucked in. Be open and accepting to change. 

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Focus on one thing at a time – Dishes, Etsy Orders, Local Orders, Kids Event, Volunteer Obligations, Date night, Dinner Plans, Laundry OH MY – I’ll take the lions and tigers and bears any day. Slow it down girl friend…..This is where list are crucial. Take ONE THING and ONE THING only. Nothing else matters until that one thing is complete. Are you writing a blog? Then you are only focused on doing your best and writing the best piece you can at that moment. Are you doing the dishes? Then you’re not on the phone, your finishing up the dishes so you can get the next meal moving and grooving. I often remind my self “I am only doing this right now.” I literally hold my self back from squirreling and starting 5 things at once but completing nada.

 

 

 

 

 

Five Tips to a Productive Week

Five Tips to a Productive Week

We all love Sundays right? It has to be my favorite day of the week by far.

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For my family it’s a day to spend together baking, adventuring, exploring, or finishing projects. The freedom of this day leads to endless possibilities. Sometimes we cuddle up watching movies and some days we re arrange the entire house, either way, we are doing it as a family.

The most common question I get asked is “how do you do it all?” (Which is funny because as entrepreneurs we are so hard on ourselves.) I often think goodness I am so behind, I should have done this, I need to do that. Some times you just need a little grace and peace. This is where proper planning for your business is so crucial.

Boss babes need days off too!! Don’t get me wrong, rest is so important!

For me personally, I use Sunday evenings to plan my week ahead and I’m sharing all the secret tricks I use to navigate through and tackle it all with very little stress.

I am still not convinced “balance” of mommyhood and entrepreneurship is a real thing, but I think I have gotten pretty darn close to the secret recipe it takes to make it all go round with very few hiccups. Ready Mama Bears? Lets get to it…

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Plan your social media ahead of time. Yes this is totally doable. I use PLANN – an app that allows me to pre post for the week everything I want to talk about and deliver to my audience. The app also allows me to review my color schemes and appearance of all my content before my actual IG and Facebook post go live. Make sure you are delivering quality content that you would be wanting if you were a reader. Nine times out of ten your target audience is someone just like yourself (This means they most likely have the same interests, goals, and want to spend their time reading something valuable.)

Get a planner and write it down. I am all about hand to paper. I just feel connected and it helps me remember vs. typing it in my phone and forgetting about it til an alarm goes off. Call me old school but I am convinced pen to paper is the best way. I write down all of my kids practices, games, and schooling events first. Then I orchestrate around their schedules my work. When will I blog each week? What are my topics for the week? When will I complete my Etsy orders? How much time do I need this week to connect and reach out to companies for work collaborations? Respond to emails? Make appointments? What ever it is that is lingering on your plate – write it down.

Make a weekly goal list. Mine this week went a little something like this –

  • Finish painting kitchen and updating cabinets to all white. 
  • Create content for IG for the week.
  • Schedule September’s Home look photo shoot for blog.
  • Reach out to 10 new people about my book. 
  • Touch base with 5 companies about possible collabs for projects. 
  • Start building nerf obstacles for Liam’s birthday party.
  • Finish up volunteer project for Liam’s Library.
  • Learn something new on Pinterest Marketing – ( Okay totally squirreling over here….eeeeek I love learning new things and am totally including all of you as I learn to navigate traffic through pinterest this month!)
  • Finish all Etsy Orders.

Now that I have my goal sheet I have big things I can cross off and feel super accomplished through out the week as I put a check next to each one of those bad boys. I chizzle out time to multi task the best I can while my husband works. (I have the kids do crafts when I do Etsy, I’ll have them play out side while I do stuff in the garage.) It is SUPER IMPORTANT to have just time with your children and shut it all down, but running a business from home you also need to get creative with how to be present and in the moment while also tackling milestones on your business and not falling behind.

Finish your laundry. There is just something with mammas and laundry. DAMNIT. I am telling you what girlfriend, if you get the laundry done and put away during a great show Sunday night when the kids are in bed, the week goes smoother. You start out fresh and clean with no lingering giant “chores” at home deterring you from your work and mom goals. (I also try to squeeze in a quick clean up of the house to just start Monday off right.) It’s like Monday has a magic new beginning of whats in store for our stories. I love it!

Get some zzzz’s. Nothing has healing powers like water and sleep. For children, for adults, for animals, for any living thing. A good nights rest and h20 can fix pretty much anything. Make sure to get a solid eight hours and wake up feeling refreshed and energized. Grab your favorite book and get those eyes feeling heavy.

Take an hour and just plan, each week it gets easier and you will know how to navigate your time better and better. 

Heres to a Productive Second Week of September –

Who has their fall decor out?

Thats on my agenda as well!!!