Self-employed Work at Home Moms

Turn the computer off.

I run our company from home.

If I don't work...meaning everything from financials to selling to setting up/scheduling transportation of materials then I don't get paid. I'm in the raw materials industry (plastic), and I buy/sell all over the US.

No one is going to pay an invoice if I'm too lazy to produce it and send it out! Money does not go into my bank unless I go to the post office, get mail and deposit checks from the invoices that I send out on time.

No one will sell to me if I don't pay my invoices on time!

My motivation? If I procrastinate, I don't meet my company financial goals, I don't get paid, I could lose our company.

Now I do keep a schedule in my phone, utilize notifications/alarms to remind me of things, keep a weekly dry erase board with listings of material coming in and out.

I do enjoy FB and MMP during down time. I do have long lunches with friends. I need to step away ( out of the house) to recharge. Part of my recharging is getting outside with my dogs, talking/lunching with friends and cleaning house.

I don't answer to anyone but myself because I own and run the company. I am solely responsible for its success. Talk about pressure!

Keeping a schedule helps me. I get up and get ready to go to my home office just like I would if I had a commute.

It's harder for some people and I get that. Having a structured routine and staying on it will help you get used to the routine you need.

I work a few hours in the morning, go run errands, have lunch, work with dogs and in the house. Later in the afternoon, I stay in the office to finalize things from the day. I am always available for email. It's critical I stay on top of the new orders, changes, etc.

You can do it, it just takes practice.

I can't help you with the work stuff, God knows I could never work from home, I don't have that kind of focus and self discipline (I'm like the dog from Up...work, work, SQUIRREL!)
The girlfriend stuff is easier, but you do need to make an effort. I'm in a great book club that meets once a month, with a group of women I've met over the years through kids, school, Girl Scouts, etc. We have started doing occasional movies and cocktails too which is fun. I reach out to friends to go for walks and coffee on the weekend. My sister, cousin, BFF and I are going to see Absolutely Fabulous this weekend.
Women are busy, we all are, with kids, jobs, spouses, but I find that when I reach out they respond. The girls WANT to get out but someone needs to make the call, ya know? Be the organizer, make it happen, it's so worth it!

Get a day planner, schedule each day with household chores, work and fun times. It takes time but stick to the schedule and in time it will become your new normal.

Working at home is just like working in an office, if you make it that way. That means getting up, getting dressed, eating breakfast, and going to your office or work space. People who are not successful working at home are those who do what they would never do in an office - throw in a load of laundry, water the plants, drift in to the office at any old time they want, spend time talking with colleagues without an eye on the clock. If you worked in an office, you'd talk for 5 minutes with someone and then be looking over your shoulder for the boss. You'd get a cup of coffee, sure, but you'd get back to the office and do your work and meet your deadlines. Work at home people (not just moms) have to set deadlines and stick to them, have to have a calendar in which they block off times for meetings and emails and reports and phone calls and whatever else needs doing.

If you sit around in your pajamas and nosh all day, or get up to make a few beds or run a vacuum or just take a quick look at today's magazine or mail, you're doomed.

Procrastination can also be a sign of other problems, including clinical depression. When I suffered from that, task completion was difficult and jumbled thoughts were common. If you think that's an issue for you, get help for it.

I also think fear of failure is a problem for a lot of people, but so is fear of success. So they get stuck, and do nothing.

You have to separate your 'home/recreation' time from work time.
The quickest way to fun is to get the work done!
And only THEN do you log into anything that will suck you in - maybe just an hour or two before bedtime.
It might be easier for you if you go cold turkey on Facebook for awhile (a week or two, maybe a month?).
You need to establish a new habit pattern and that's not going to be easy.

I have to stick to my to-do list and schedule very carefully. I also try to set deadlines and tell my clients those deadlines, so I have to stick to them. I write down 3-6 top things that I absolutely have to do for the day. I do those things first. I agree with others who are saying to schedule time with friends so you can get that connection and adult time. I also heard a quote recently that resonated with me, "You don't have to be in the mood to do something to do it." Don't ask me who said it, but it's true. Force yourself to start a project even if you don't feel like it. When I have a project I haven't started, because I'm procrastinating, I am am always pleasantly surprised that I can get into the groove and get it done just fine. It's the starting that is hard most of the time. Break things down into little steps and just start. I also try to only go to FB when done with something on my to do list and only stay on for a bit. I also try to read news and articles only 2 times a day, for a limited time. You can do it!

Treat working from home like any other job. I only go on FB and other social media during my short mid-morning break (5-10 min) and then at lunch. The rest of the time, I'm working. Schedule the social media time as you would anything else on your daily agenda.

If you have a real issue with procrastination, really give thought to whether working for yourself at home is right for you. If you thrive on finishing projects at the last-minute and do it successfully, it may not be a problem. But if you're failing to meet expectations, you won't be able to stay in business.

Good luck!

When I had a self business, I had to make schedules and become organized.

The job was out of the house but I had to do the work at home in the evening and early morning in order to get it done. I sewed stripes and patches on military uniforms with a turn around time of 24 hours with exceptions for new uniforms for leadership schools. There were times I had close to $300 of patches and stripes due the next day. So I definitely had to create a system to get them done and be rested and maintain family life.

Bed time was 1030 pm, Alarm went off by 5 am and I would start sewing at 530 am and have them bulk of the items completed by 8 am. My kids were up and getting ready for school while I sewed. Around 830 am I packed up my laundry baskets (3) and carried them down three flights of steps to the car and arrived at the shop at 845 to open at 9 am. Anything not finished was completed within the first hour of business.

It can be done but you have to work the system and with younger children it can be harder as they have to have attention as well. You need your family life and time to do things for yourself besides clean.

How dedicated are you to this endeavor? That will tell you how you should proceed.

the other S.