How to Work From Home With Kids Without Losing Your Mind

Being able to work from home with kids can be overwhelming. There’s a lot to do as an at-home mom, and it’s easy to get burned out. Nevertheless, most of us need to make an income. We also have ideas, stuff to say, things to create, and life goals.

Balancing being an at-home-mom and working from home can be tricky, but it is possible. In this article, I’ll share my tips on how to work from home with kids productively without losing my mind, (most of the time!)

You can be productive working from home with children and keep everyone else, including yourself, happy and taken care of. Read on to learn how PLUS a free PDF printable checklist: The Ultimate Work-at-Home Schedule For Boss Moms. (Scroll down to grab yours!)

**This post contains affiliate links, meaning I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you for products you purchase via this website. For more information click here.**

Here is exactly how I’ve created the time and energy to build a successful, growing blog out of nothing and managed not to burn the house down.

Copy my recipe for balance, happiness, and productivity- grab your free printable schedule at the bottom of this post.

How to work from home with kids without going insane

Tip # 1- For maximum energy, start your morning off right

Morning is a busy time.

As the mom, you have many boxes to check: make sure everyone drinks water, brushes their teeth, gets some snuggles, eats a healthy breakfast… the list goes on. Just don’t forget to take care of yourself so you can be productive and happy! Here’s what I do:

Coffee:

After everyone has what they need, I sit down with my coffee. Coffee time is the best time and I make it luxurious by using a French press coffee maker.

A French press makes coffee that is so much more delicious than coffee from a regular coffee maker, and it’s fun to use.

Exercise:

In between getting everyone ready for the day, I do some simple stretching and foam rolling.

Foam rolling helps relieve muscle pain and tension. It releases tightness in your fascia (connective tissue) for better blood and lymph flow. Plus, it feels like a deep-tissue massage.

After foam rolling, I’ll do at least a few planks. This simple exercise routine takes less than 10 minutes.

Eat:

A healthy breakfast. I like fruit, eggs, and/or veggies such as leftover sweet potatoes or avocado. No cereal, and nothing with grains for me as they cause inflammation in my body.

Shower:

It can be hard to squeeze one in, but I always feel happier with a shower!

Taking care of yourself in the morning is super important as a mom and gives you the energy you need for each day.

Tip #2- Determine your plan in the morning, based on the day

Each day is a beautiful snowflake. On any given day you might have:

Sick kids
3 Loads of laundry
A brilliant new idea
A deadline
To have to go grocery shopping or to another store
Doctor appointments
Playdates
Extra cooking
Extra dishes

It’s unrealistic to be too rigid in your schedule as a mom, but at the same time, you need structure to get it all done. It makes sense to plan out household work, kid activities, and business tasks on a day-to-day basis for maximum productivity.

Write down everything

I like to jot down my daily to-do list on a dry-erase board. That way, I can easily see what I need to do without forgetting anything.

Always write down everything!

I also keep a planner to jot down appointments and plans.

Tip #3- Plan to work from home with kids at the right time

For me, the best time to work is during nap time. When my youngest stops napping, I’ll have to revisit nights or very early mornings. But for now, nap time works best.

I recommend experimenting to discover what work time feels most productive for you. When you work from home with kids, you need motivation and discipline. Choose your time wisely and be consistent.

Tip #4- Keep your kids safe, busy, and happy

Safe:

Child safety is #1. We have a 2-level house with stairs, and I always keep the baby gates locked in place. I use this baby gate at the top of the stairs, drilled right into the wall, and this one at the bottom.

The outlets stay plugged up with safety plugs and I use cabinet latches in the kitchen. My oldest is good about safety, but I’m still always reminding her to play gently with her baby sis.

Busy & happy:

If it’s a school break or something and I have both kids, I still try to do blog work when my littlest is napping. Sometimes I’ll schedule a playdate for my oldest during that time, or I’ll give her an activity. Here are some of the activities I like to offer:

An art project: My oldest loves to draw, paint, cut, and tape. One of her favorite art tools is this Gelli plate. Gelli plates are super fun for creating colorful prints with multi-layers! It’s the BEST thing EVER!

Work in her workbook: There are all kinds of activity books for kids. We have some cute unicorn ones.

Reading time: This doesn’t last as long as the art activities, but I can usually get a good 20 minutes this way. We also practice writing, and I encourage her to write in her own journal.

Music time: We are big on music in our house and we like to watch appropriate music videos. I encourage dance parties and don’t mind the craziness! Currently, we’re listening to a lot of Dua Lipa.

Honestly, I can’t work on my website much with my 1 1/2 year old around/awake so I don’t try to. Babies need so much attention! But art, music, and playing with older sis do keep baby sis busy enough to allow me to complete the housework.

*Update: My girls are now 4 and 9. It gets so much easier to work from home with kids when they are older. And having a schedule still helps, but there is much more freedom in some ways.

Tip #5- Set boundaries with your work time

Occasionally, I will work on my website for one hour starting at 5:30 pm when my husband gets home. It almost never happens without interruptions.

I have to remind everyone that I am working for that one hour. Boundaries are important to teach because they show self-respect and demonstrate a good work ethic.

Tip # 6- Ask for help with chores

One of the best ways to get kids to help with chores is to make them fun.

We frequently have “laundry parties.” I always say “Laundry is the party that never ends” LOL. I’m full of quotes like that, (and even sell an art print of this quote.)

Relieve some of your household burdens by assigning some “special helper” tasks. You can try using a chart like this one with stars.

If you have family around to help you with the kids or chores, then let them!

Don’t feel bad about asking for help. Let your partner or husband take the kids so you can have some time to do what you need to do.

My neighbor and I frequently do “kid swaps” where I take her kids for a few hours then she takes mine. They all love the chance to play all day!

Tip #7- Simplify as much as possible

I look for shortcuts in housework whenever possible.

For example, I try to cook meals that are simple and healthy. No fancy chopping over here. I’ll do something like baked potatoes, steamed broccoli, and pan-fried chicken.

It also helps to declutter your house on a regular basis to keep it neat. Less stuff= less mess to deal with. I seriously go to Goodwill once every month or so. Minimalism is my goal. I do love the Konmari method! (And yes, I’m a Virgo.)

We also try to keep our toys organized and try to put stuff away when we are done playing.

When your house is de-cluttered, and organized, and you’re feeling “on top of it” in that department, it is much easier to work from home with kids. Unless you’re not distracted by huge piles of dishes.

Tip # 8- Cultivate a positive growth mindset

We all struggle with work, parenting, and keeping it together, but we can make it easier on ourselves by adopting a positive growth mindset.

Having a positive growth mindset means that you know you have the ability to improve your skills/life with hard work, dedication, and persistence. And most importantly, it means you do this in a kind and self-loving way.

You realize you don’t have to be perfect or have it all figured out. And neither do your kids. Simply knowing that it’s ok not to have all the answers and allowing yourself the freedom to make mistakes makes life so much easier.

Understand that you can figure out what it takes to accomplish your goals, even if you don’t know yet.

Instead of being hard on yourself about things, allow challenges to make you stronger and smarter. Remain open-minded and flexible. Work hard, yet be easy on yourself.

Concluding thoughts on working at home with kids & being productive

I hope you enjoyed these work-at-home mom tips!

No one ever said it would be easy, but working from home with kids can be done productively without driving you insane.

I hope you find the free PDF printable schedule helpful. Let me know what you think in the comments!

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