The Work From Home Hacks You Didn’t Know You Needed

Simplifying Work & Life 

If you haven’t learned by now, I love to simplify things. And not just simplify your social media. But simplify your life too. Because as a business owner and mom, it all spills over. Especially when you work at home! (Trust me, I have learned the hard way!) It is hard to focus on your to-do list or be creative when the house is a mess. And frantically making last-minute lunches and rushing out the door for school drop off is not a great way to start the work day. 

I am often asked how I do it all. I am extremely organized and over years of trial and error, I’ve found a system and a few things that work for me. For these reasons, I decided to share what works for us with you! 

First of all, I have an amazing life partner that doesn't just "help" out but does more than his fair share around the house and with our kids. 

But also, we have a system. We plan ahead and do A LOT of things on the weekend to set ourselves up for success during the week. I’m all for downtime, rest and play - but we have found that using some time on the weekend to look ahead and prepare for what’s coming has saved us a lot of stress and made our weeks smoother. 

The System I Use

For all you business owners + parents out there, here are five work from home hacks that are guaranteed to give you your time back and make for more peaceful evenings and less stressful mornings!

Here is how it works for me and my family:

  1. We spend 10-15 minutes on Friday evening or Saturday morning planning out our meals for the week. I keep a list of meals (so we don't forget) in my notes app as well as what we need from the store to make them.

  2. We order our groceries online and either get them delivered or pick them up - depending on what our weekend looks like. (This saves SO much time and with 3 kids I cannot imagine grocery shopping these days!)

  3. We meal prep and make two to three meals over the weekend, usually on Sunday.

  4. I have the kids' lunches planned out and pack them the night before they need them.

  5. We pick out the kids’ outfits the night before school and sometimes I pick them out for the week. (And I get their buy-in so we aren't changing our minds the morning of!)

We've got more hacks I will be sure to share soon but these are our top ones that I can't imagine trying to navigate the week without them. 

The Tools I Use

I also rely on the help of many digital tools to keep my work and business organized. Here are a few I every day:

As a busy mom and business owner, these tools help me stay on track and beat the overwhelm. 

I also meticulously plan out and block my week and work days. I know exactly when I sit down at my computer what needs to get done and I block time for things that help my mental and emotional health, like running, yoga and lunches with friends. Because again, it allll spills over. 

Productivity can only get you so far

If you’ve gotten yourself organized and set up all the systems they system and you’re still feeling frazzled - then it might be time to outsource. I was so hesitant to do this as a young mom and business owner but it is SUCH a game changer. You can outsource some of your home to-do’s (cleaning, lawn care, meal prep) OR you can hire out parts of your business. 

If marketing and social media don’t bring you joy, it may be time to hand it off to an expert. You are meant to do it all! And we are here to help. 

What are your tried and true WFH hacks that make life easier for you, your business, and your family?