Balancing Life as a Stay at Home Mom and a Freelancer

Being a stay-at-home mom is rewarding in so many ways. Nevertheless, the role can be quite mentally and emotionally taxing. Especially if you’re an independent woman who is accustomed to having a career and making her own money! But balancing life as a stay at home mom and a freelancer can be tough!

Working from home is a win-win situations for many parents. You get the joy of raising your children during those important first years. Plus, you get to not only bring in income, but have back a sense of who you are! It is absolutely possible to do and be successful at both! Check out these tips for balancing life as a stay at home mom and a freelancer.

Tips for Balancing Life as a Stay at Home Mom and a Freelancer

By Darlene Mase of Zumper.com

While stay-at-home mom jobs are awesome and allow for so much flexibility, it can also be tough to find a balance between your regular mom job and your stay-at-home mom job. Here are some tried and true tips for balancing life as a stay-at-home mom and a freelancer.

1) Wake up earlier.

One of the perks of being a stay-at-home mom is that you can wake up whenever you want — well, whenever your kid wakes up. I am blessed to have a two-year-old who normally rises at

about nine o’clock each morning, and I have made the mistake of doing just the same. When I wake up at the same time as my daughter, my day feels so rushed and pressured.

However, on days when I am able to will myself out of bed around six or seven in the morning, my day runs so much smoother. I am able to get dressed without interruption, spend time catching up on some reading, and even pound out a few writing assignments for my freelancing job. By the time my daughter wakes up, I feel so calm, unrushed, and productive that I find myself being kinder and much more patient throughout the day.

2) Have a designated workspace.

As a freelancer, it’s easy to just plop down on the couch or at the kitchen table and start working, but having a designated workspace is important. Think about it this way: how many times have you endeavored to set up a workout routine at home? How did that work out? Did you have better results when you signed up at a local gym? Probably so.

Having a designated work area signals to your brain that it’s time to work. Plus, setting up an area for your freelancing means that you will be free from distractions and you’ll have any necessary materials readily available.

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3) Create a work schedule, and stick to it.

Perhaps one of the primary reasons women opt to be stay-at-home moms is so that we can spend more time sowing into our children. But if we’re constantly sending them away to watch TV while we work on freelancing assignments, that kind of defeats the purpose.

Balance with your stay-at-home mom job with your regular mom job by creating a work schedule and sticking to it. Perhaps you find that you’re more inspired when you first wake up in the morning, or maybe nap time is when you’re really able to get things accomplished. Maybe you’re a night owl and work best after everyone has gone to sleep.

Granted, when you have kids, you have to allow for some fluidity, but setting a schedule allows you to have a rough estimate of when what things will get done.

4) Take a social media hiatus.

There is nothing inherently wrong with social media. But when’s the last time you got on Instagram “for just a second” and ended up mindlessly scrolling through your timeline for thirty minutes? It happens to me every day.

Set designated times to check social media. It could be as you wait for the bus, while the kids take a nap, or before you shower, but don’t let Instagram and Facebook steal precious moments from your day. The iOS 12 update allows users to set limits on how long they will use certain apps. These limits can be super helpful if you’re not like me and press “ignore limit” whenever the notification pops up stating that it’s time to log off.

Balancing Life as a Stay at Home Mom & a Freelancer

Stay-at-home mom jobs are super rewarding. They allow you to earn some income while simultaneously spending more time with your children. Finding a balance can be tricky, but it’s not impossible. Allow yourself some flexibility, and remember, that at day’s end, you probably won’t regret skipping out on an assignment or two to spend time with your little ones. They won’t be little forever, so cherish those moments.