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It sounds like a dream job. No endless commute. No nagging boss. And every day is casual Friday. But ask any work-at-home mom and they’ll tell you that it’s also super easy to pick up a host of bad habits. Unless you take steps to avoid them, these pitfalls will leave you less-than-thrilled with your career choice.
Taking on too much
When you first begin to work from home it may be easy to say yes to every job that comes your way. You want and need the money and are willing to work extra hours even for the jobs you don’t really want. This can be a hard habit to break but until you get it under control, you’ll be stressed and burned out. Instead, focus on what type of client you really want and what type of work comes with it. Determine the services you really want to offer and make it clear that you won’t step outside those lines. You have enough on your plate taking care of the kids while working. You don’t need to cause yourself any unwanted frustration.
Bad Sleep Patterns
You might try to say that it makes sense to work at all hours of the night while everyone else is sleeping. You can get a ton of work done that way with no distractions. However, you are preventing yourself from getting a good night’s sleep and this will eventually catch up with you.
Maintaining a decent sleep schedule makes a world of difference when it comes to productivity and motivation during the day. Studies have shown that not enough sleep, as well as multi-tasking, can impact productivity as much as 40%. Lack of quality sleep also affects your hunger hormones and you’ll be scarfing down the chips as you chug along at your next project if you’re not fully rested. If you feel the need to get things done after everyone else is sleeping just make sure you monitor how long you work. Don’t fall into the habit of staying up until dawn just to feel productive.
A fantastic resource I recommend on the topic of sleep is Shawn Stevenson’s Sleep Smarter.
Procrastination
When you work from home it’s easy to fall into the habit of putting certain things off until later. Discipline and self-motivation are two important qualities that a work-at-home mom must have. If you don’t you may talk yourself into starting tomorrow on almost everything including work that will bring in a good amount of income for you and your family. It’s easy to say “I’ll do it later,” but it hurts your business and your overall success. If procrastination is something you struggle with, my 3 ebook bundle can help get you on the right track.
When you work from home it’s important to develop good habits right from the start. Having control over your income is a huge responsibility and it takes some serious dedication to make the business work. Developing bad habits will not only hamper your success, but it will also create unnecessary stress and frustration. If there is one thing that can make or break a business it is the sheer will and determination of the person running it. Avoiding bad habits from the start will give you that extra push you need to succeed.
Are you a work at home mom? What habits do you have a hard time breaking and what good habits have you implemented in your life to replace the bad? Please share your thoughts in the comment box at the bottom of this page.
