Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Some of my friends wonder where I find the time to blog when I have kids to deal with and a house to clean. Well, to be honest, my house is usually a mess and sometimes I ignore my kids. Yes, I said it…sometimes I ignore them. Not to the extent of neglect, if they truly need my help then I am more than willing to help them. But I feel like if I am constantly entertaining them and doing things for them, then they won’t learn to function in society. They will turn into needy adults that feel like they need to be constantly entertained. I want to raise independent kids!
When they are having an argument, I don’t jump in until it escalates beyond their own control. My kids have uttered the words “I’m bored” about 2 times in their entire lives. They have learned to entertain themselves and it’s wonderful!
Don’t get me wrong, we still have lots of family time everyday and I try to dedicate Fridays afternoons/evenings to being primarily Family Fun Day. We don’t necessarily do anything out of the ordinary other than turning off the electronics and spend time together. That may mean going to the mall, having a family movie night at home, a trip to the store to just walk around, a bike ride at the park or even a family dance night! It doesn’t have to be expensive, just time spent together.
Since I am not entertaining them 100% of the time, I have down time where I can get other things done. I usually do the dishes and the laundry, straighten up a bit and then go to work on the blog. I can’t always get a concrete block of time to do big things but I can often check a lot off of my list during these small bits of time. Often times, I’m up doing a gazillion things in between thoughts. In fact, right now I am cooking lunch while writing this post! Finding the small minutes in your day is essential in time management when you have kids!
I saw a Facebook post today that said something about setting a timer for an hour and just getting to work, don’t let anything interrupt you. This is great advice for someone with no kids or maybe older kids but for mom’s with younger kids, it just doesn’t work unless you are able to hire a babysitter or have another adult in the house to help you. So instead find those extra minutes here and there and just get it done! Don’t use them to hop onto Facebook just because you only have 10 or 20 minutes…use them to write, use them to build traffic, or brainstorm ideas.
For tasks that require more concrete blocks of time, you may have to sacrifice your evening TV time after the kids go to bed, stay up late or get up early. If you really desire making your home business happen, you will find the time!
Take a moment to think about your day, are there extra minutes that escape because of little distractions, can you “ignore” your kids for a 20 minute period? How do those of you with successful home businesses/blogs find the time to get things done with kids around? I’d love to hear even more tips!
Don’t forget to sign up to my newsletter!!
There will be times for me where I will just block out a 20 to 30 minutes time where I just freely write what’s on mind and just get it out there. Sometimes I tweak it and use for blog posts, and other times it’s just deleted.
Though, it seems as if those times that I do block out are always so nice to have! I really enjoyed hearing how you do it with so a busy schedule and kids! That’s inspiring to hear, instead of hearing so many others just throw out excuses.
Keep up the great work and keep writing!
Eric
Eric Pangburn recently posted…Review – The Gadgeteer
Thanks Eric! I figure if you really want something, you’ll find a way to make it happen!!
Hi Erika,
I definitely set a timer when I sit down to accomplish a task. I am too easily distracted and lose focus quickly. I am a dreaded multi-tasker that regrets getting so good at it. I used to pride myself in being able to do four things at once…Etc…No more.
Focus and deliberate completion of my tasks is aided by a simple kitchen timer.
I appreciate you being transparent with your readers, great quality!
Take Care,
Carol
Carol Amato recently posted…Long Tail Pro – An Easier Way to Research Keywords
I would love to be able to sit down with a timer but with a 6 and 3 year old, it’s not always an option! I do recommend doing this if you have the time for sure especially when trying to get bigger things done. However, since my blog is geared towards moms, I figure many of them may feel like there isn’t enough time in the day to get much accomplished. Just trying to show them that there is a way to get some of the smaller things done so that they can free their late evenings/early mornings for tasks that need more focus.
Hi! I am working my way around the blog hop, and I just had to say I love this post! My kids are both in school now, so I finally have a bit more time. But, I still need to work on the weekends sometimes, and that is when my kids know they have to entertain themselves.
I love how you openly admit to ignoring them when necessary!! So true:-)
And, I totally agree that kids don’t constantly need to be shown how to play, or what to play – just let them play on their own and be kids!
Marie recently posted…Follow Me….but Excuse Me if I Don’t Follow You!
Thanks Marie!