It’s Thursday morning, I’m sipping on my second cup of coffee and am about to dive into the world of entrepreneurship. It is going to be great day! That’s because I have almost everything planned. It has taken a long time but I have finally mastered my work flow. And now I want to share my productivity hacks for entrepreneurs with little kids.
Let’s start with what are productivity hacks?
Productivity hacks are like shortcuts, habits or strategies that help you get more done in the shortest amount of time possible. In our case, we aim to get more done, both for our business and family alike.
Having kids has been one of the greatest blessings for us. But kids and entrepreneurship don’t mix very well. Especially when you are working from home, like we do. It takes time to master the art of being productive while also not sucking at parenting. Worst of all not being there for your kiddos, when they need you!
Earning money doing what you love while staying at home with your kids is a dream come true. But only for entrepreneurs who can pull it off. Small children who aren’t in school yet need a lot of your attention. Yet, for you to succeed as an entrepreneur, so does your business. This is why we thought that it is important to share our productivity hacks for entrepreneurs with little kids. We hope that we can help you find balance in your business journey.
Working at home with kids requires finding a balance. There is also some trial and error involved as you “find your groove.” Every work-at-home parenting setup will look a little different. But there is one thing that is the same across the board: the more you plan ahead and strategize, the more you’ll be able to accomplish work without compromising your parenting.
Table of Contents
Our Top 10 Productivity Hacks for Entrepreneurs With Little Kids
We hope they will help you balance work and your family life.
1. Stop Multitasking
Are you’re juggling everyday parenting tasks with things you need to get done for your business? If yes, then it is tempting to try and multitask. We all do it.
However, doing tasks one at a time speeds up the time it takes to do them. This approach also reduces the stress that builds up when you’re doing too much at once. Research shows that multitasking is really just “switch-tasking”. Switching between tasks only interrupts you and takes away from your time spent accomplishing them.
I am not saying that you should stop multitasking completely but trust me when I say that for the most part, if you do 1 thing at a time, it is easier and mainly much faster.
Try and focus on one task at a time. Soon, you will realize that you have completed more than you planned for and have more time to focus on your family and kiddos.
2. Plan Ahead
Planning helps you avoid the temptation to multitask, and ensures you fill up your time doing only the things that matter. It’s a time management skill you have to master if you’re going to stay productive working at home with kids.
Each day, plan out not just your work tasks with a prioritized to-do list, but also activities for the kids. It’s great if they take initiative to play on their own, but always have a new activity up your sleeve so you keep them occupied. We hide a couple of old toys and then whip one out when we need something “new” to entertain our children so we can tackle another item on our to-do list.
Do you need ideas to keep your kids entertained? Checkout our 101 Productive Activities to Keep Your Kids Entertained All Year Long
Create routines for you and your kids that help you get things done. Plan enough breaks in the routine to keep it exciting for your little ones too.
3. Make Your Workspace their Playspace
You need to have your own workspace that turns on your entrepreneur brain. Using this space, you can quickly shift modes when your child is occupied with playing or napping. You could set up a desk in the playroom so that you’re keeping an eye on the kids while working. You can also have space to yourself while they’re napping in other rooms too. Have a drawer or shelf where you can put your phone while you’re at your desk. This will help you ignore the temptation to check notifications and indulge in other distractions so you can make the most of both playtime and nap time.
We also have an outside office where we sometimes get away but working from home is our main focus. We use our super comfy couches and on any given day, you will find us with the laptops in our laps, cracking away at our daily tasks.
Many people ask us how do you do it? How do you work at home, while the kids are roaming around you?
There is no real secret. It takes time, getting used to and most importantly planning and constantly adjusting to the daily needs. This is one of the main reasons I decided to share our top 10 productivity hacks for entrepreneurs with little kids.
4. Get Up Before Everyone Else
Getting up early before anyone else wakes up and working the graveyard shift is often the best way to get your most important tasks out the way.
Believe me when I say that I sometimes take care of 50% of my tasks for the day in the time between breakfast and having to take one of my kiddos to pre-school. I skim trough my inbox and find the things that I can do the fastest. Then I focus and get them done as quickly as possible, while also responding and deleting the completed emails.
When I get back, I feel much more relaxed and can focus on the more hard and time consuming tasks!
Getting a chunk of important work done first thing takes pressure off the rest of your day so that you’re not stressing out while you’re with your kids. Drown out distractions so you can tackle only your top priorities during this precious alone time.
5. Make the Most of Nap Time
It can help to get your child on a consistent schedule with napping, so have a ritual for them that winds them down for sleep. Once your child falls asleep, though it may be tempting to indulge in something more relaxing, get in the habit of making nap time an uninterrupted, productive work session.
Turn your phone on airplane mode if you have to. Ignore distractions like emails and housework so you can make the most of the peace and quiet and accomplish critical tasks or get on an important Skype call.
If we don’t have any critical tasks, we also use this time to take a nap ourselves. Naps are a key habit to healthy and focused life. If you want to learn more on our habits for better health, check out this article here.
6. Have a Ritual that Shifts You into Work Mode
It’s easy for your productivity level to drop when you’re shifting gears between kids and work. To kick your brain into work-mode faster when it’s time to work, have a habitual way of getting started. A ritual you consistently use, like burning a candle at your desk or having a cup of coffee at your side. This ritual can train your brain to get right into the rhythm of working.
Coffee is my ritual! Who can live without it?
I just don’t know how some people can go without coffee! Before I truly sit down and dig in, I must have a fresh cup. Sometimes it is my 2nd or 3rd from the time I got up and got everything ready for the kids.
7. Simplify Other Things In Life
When you’re a parent and an entrepreneur, you have a lot on your plate. Try to simplify or automate tasks in your life outside of parenting and business as much as possible. For example, you could hire someone to help you with cleaning, or you could order groceries online for pick-up or delivery instead of taking the time to shop.
Want to simplify your meals? How about a complete meal delivery service? If you want to get the best possible meal delivery for you, there is no better place than the following 3 services. We use all of them on or off at different times. Please check all 3 and decided which one appeals the most to you. You can’t go wrong with either of them.
1. Complete Meal Delivery – The folks at Complete Meal Delivery will let you compare and choose from some of the top brands on the market.
2. SplendidSpoon – SplendidSpoon is designed to kick start healthy habits at breakfast and lunch, so you can reach your health goals. Each meal contains the freshest plant-based, gluten-free, and GMO-free ingredients — and nothing else.
3. HomeChef – Enjoy cooking? Then, in our opinion, this is one of the best meal delivery services out there today.
8. Make Time for Playing with Your Kids
When your little ones really want your attention, there’s no way you’re going to get anything done. It’s important you make time for undistracted playtime so you can spend time with each other. When they see that mom or dad isn’t all work and no play, they’re more willing to play on their own at other times during the day.
This is one of those productivity hacks for entrepreneurs with little kids, that is almost a non brainer. However, there is one thing that is very hard to achieve. Can you guess what it is?
For us, even when we close our laptops and start playing with the kids, we catch ourselves always peeking at our phones. Not only it is not nice, but the kids noticed it too and soon enough our playtime turns into everyone looking at their phone or iPad.
To get over this, we now have a rule – once we go to “play time”, we leave our phones as far away as possible. For the most part, we use that time to charge them while also leaving them completely out of sight.
By the way, did you know that you can use your smartphone to make extra money? No! Then checkout out 28+ best money making apps and start generating some extra income today.
9. Stick to an Exercise Regimen
Exercise reduces your stress levels and makes the rest of your day better. It gives you confidence, improves your mood and, of course, it improves your health. Exercise also gives you the stamina it takes to juggle entrepreneurship and parenthood. Prioritize exercise by sticking to a regimen that works for you.
We do between 30 minutes to an hours workouts and are blessed to have access to a gym in our community. Not only that but we actually started taking our kids to the gym with us. While me and mommy are working out, we allow them to watch something educational on their iPads. Not only it is a productive time for us and our health but also a chance for them to learn something new. At the end of the workout session, we have a quick conversation on what they learned and also help them expand on that knowledge.
This is one productivity hack, that has worked wonders for us. If you can incorporate your kids into your workout routine, it’s a great way to spend time with your kids, but if not, make sure you fit it into your day regardless.
10. Squeeze in a Few Minutes to Meditate Daily
Meditation allows you to hit the reset button at the end of the day so you can stay balanced and relax. If you never take time to unwind, you won’t be productive in the long term. Meditation is proven to promote relaxation and mindfulness and lower your risk of anxiety and depression. It’s even shown to boost your IQ. While it’s tempting to have a glass of wine in front of the television at the end of the day, meditation is a way to unwind that provides benefits extending far beyond the momentary feeling.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t pamper yourself on occasion. If you don’t pat yourself on the back and do something fun now and again, you’re putting yourself at serious risk of burnout. But make 5 to 10 minutes of meditation part of your daily routine no matter what you do, and you’ll see a big pay-off when it comes to your mental health.
Want to learn to meditate like the pros? Then checkout ParallaxMind! this super easy program teaches you how to meditate and unlock your full potential. It’s much, much easier than you think!
Improving Your Habits and Tweaking Your Productivity Routines
Succeeding in business while you’re at home with your kids comes down to your everyday habits and routines. The little things that keep you sane also play a role. Try these productivity hacks and continually tweak your strategies based on what works for your business and for your kids so you can get the best of both worlds.
Remember, in order to succeed in anything, you need to be open to a constant adjustment and learning. The above productivity hacks have been an integral part of our success, but we also tweak and change almost on a daily basis. The goal is to succeed both in business and in life but make no mistake, there is nothing more important than family, friends and especially your kids.
Cherish them and help them grow into adults that you can be proud of. The feeling is indescribable!
For us, we couldn’t have made it without sticking to these top 10 productivity hacks for entrepreneurs with little kids. What are your productivity hacks that you use with your family and business. Please share them in the comments below. Not only is it going to help us but all our other readers.
To your continued success