If you’re an entrepreneur and a mom, you know how hard it can be to stay focused and motivated when your to-do list for work and home life is a mile long. I’ve been working from home since my early 20s, and I’ve picked up some tips along the way on how to be more productive at work.
With so many of us working from home these days, staying productive is a challenge. Especially if you’re like me and have two kids who make constant messes, and there’s always laundry to be folded or dishes to be washed. When you have all this outside noise and mess around you, it makes it even more challenging to stay focused.
There’s literally always something to be distracted by!
If you’re looking for how to be more productive at work, these tips will help you cut out the noise, get focused, stay motivated throughout your days.
If you really want to get organized and ready for serious growth, get access to my Streamlined Business Blueprint inside The Collective when you join. This membership gives you monthly live calls, Q&A sessions, access to my course, and 1:1 access to me—we help hold each other accountable and encourage each other along the way! Learn more about the membership here!
How to Be More Productive at Work as an Entrepreneur & Mom
Dedicated Workspace That Inspires You
I didn’t have a dedicated workspace in our last apartment in Chicago and it made it so hard to stay focused. I was bouncing around from the kitchen table, to the couch to a coffee shop and never felt like I had my own space.
When we moved to Denver, I laid claim to the downstairs study because I loved how I felt in there. It’s bright, has beautiful French doors, lots of natural light and just enough space.
You don’t have to have a big, beautiful space to get work done. But, carving out some small area of your home is essential for staying focused. Why? Because you’ll enjoy being there! When we love where we are, it’s easier to stay focused on what’s in front of us.
Batch Similar Tasks
If you want to know how to be more productive at work, this tip is one of the BEST. Batching similar tasks will save you so much time. It’s especially great for work that has to get done every week or every month. I do this for things like blog posts, and creating Instagram content.
I find that once I’m in the writing zone, it flows easily and quickly. Instead of writing the blog post the night before, which is stressful by the way, I’ll write a whole bunch of posts and once. Usually I aim to knock out 4 at a time. You can get them totally prepped and scheduled. Then you don’t have to think about writing again until the next month!
I do the same thing with Reels for Instagram. Instead of making a single one each time, I record a bunch at once. I then edit them all, write captions, add music and then save them in my drafts. Then they’re ready to go whenever I’m ready to post. I typically do 5 at a time and it takes me 1.5-2 hours to knock it out, vs. at least 30 minutes to do a single one.
Brain Dump All Tasks at the Beginning of the Week
To relieve any Sunday Scaries, I like to do a brain dump sometime on Sunday afternoon, usually while my kids are napping. I just make a list and write down everything I need to do, some items I’d love to focus on if time and any appointments, etc. that I have that week.
I then break it down by what is happening each day and put it in my calendar. That way I can go to bed Sunday evening with a clear plan for my week. I’m not overwhelmed on Monday morning when the work week hits.
I just started using an app called Motion that’s been incredible for filling my time for me. It uses AI to create a daily schedule for you so there’s no sitting there thinking and deciding what to do next. You just do it!
Create Systems That Work For You
I now use a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system, Dubsado, to run my business. I use to just rely on emails and notes, and things got lost so easily. It did take about a day or two to fully set up the automations and workflows, but this has been a life saver. It saves me so much time. Contracts and invoicing are a breeze. Onboarding clients is so much easier as well. It also compiles all my calendars and appointments into one place!
Take Time to Do Things You Love
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that my business flourishes when I’m having fun and enjoying my life.
That abundance just pours into everything in my life.
It’s easy to get caught up in all the things that we need to do for our business. But I promise, resting and taking a break to do something that fills your cup outside of work is essential to your productivity. When you have that break, you can come back to your desk with creative energy and excitement that you didn’t have before.
Block Your Time
When I need to really get something done, I block out a certain length of time. Usually an hour to an hour and a half is enough. I turn off my phone, I close my door, and I close all other browsers and things that might distract me. I turn on calm music that helps me focus and I get to work.
This is great for handling tasks that you’ve been putting off. It forces you to just do the work without any distractions. Usually, the task doesn’t take nearly as long as I thought, and I think, “wow, I can’t believe I put this off for so long”.
I’m almost always blown away by how much I accomplish when I block my time like this. It makes me think I should apply this method to more of my tasks, ha!
Keep an Organized Calendar
I never used to keep up with my calendar, but now that I have deadlines and Strategy Sessions and Discovery Calls scheduled throughout my week, it’s essential. I don’t know what I’d do without my calendar! Between work appointments, kids stuff, and our own social plans, an organized calendar keeps you sane. When I’m not feeling frazzled and crazy, I’m so much more productive.
One thing I love is that my Dubsado calendar links up to my Google Calendar and vice versa, so I never double book myself anymore! It’s a game-changer.
Tidy Up
Keeping a tidy home when you work from home can give your brain a major break. The constant mess causes me to stress and get anxious. When I feel like that, nothing gets done. Some mornings when I find myself struggling to focus, I’ll take a 15 minute break and run around the house tidying things up. It always does the trick!
The same goes for your workspace. When you’re shutting things down at the end of the day, spend a few minutes organizing items on your desk, putting them back where they go. I always end up taking a stack of cups back to the kitchen and recycling old papers I no longer need. It’s so nice to come into my office the next morning and have it all clean and ready for me!
Working from home as an entrepreneur and a mom can be challenging until you find your stride. But, it’s also so rewarding to have the freedom and flexibility! I hope these tips help you to figure out how to be more productive at work, and I hope to see you inside our membership group, Business Accelerator, to level up your business and life! What other things help you stay focused and productive?
BTW, 10 tips for planning your most successful year yet, and which email platform is best for your business?
