50 Productivity Hacks For Work At Home Moms

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Are you a work at home mom? These 50 productivity hacks will help keep you and the kids on track so that you can get everything done!

I have been a work from home mom full time now since June of 2013. It’s been a long time. It hasn’t been the easiest ride and feeling like I have balance with everything comes in waves. We have a good groove right now and whenever we were hit with the coronavirus pandemic, I didn’t panic when it came to work because I felt like I’ve been preparing for this my whole life.

Since the beginning of March, when so many of you had to adjust from working outside the home on a daily basis to being inside the home and having kids distracting you from Zoom calls, I’ve been trying to share some things I’ve learned along the way. I hope that these 50 different productivity hacks for work at home moms helps you!

50 Productivity Hacks For Work At Home Moms

Here we go, mama! I know that you will find a thing or two on this great, big list to help ease your already very complicated day.

Create an impactful morning routine and stick with it – here’s how!
Use time blocking to organize your day.
Stop multitasking and focus on one task at a time.
Set a goal for each day, or each hour if that works better for you.
Work in short bursts, this allows you to go between work and the kids.
Learn how to say “no” to things that aren’t helping you to be productive.
Have a designated space to work and make sure you have these work from home must-haves handy!
Perform a schedule audit to find more time in your day.
Make sure you are taking regular breaks. The kids tend to act out and get into things whenever they know they aren’t being paid attention to.
Close out websites or apps that are distracting to you.
Set a timer when doing tasks. This helps when the kids are in the room, too, because they know they have to be quiet until the timer goes off.
Know which tasks you are able to complete with a little bit of chaos and which ones you need alone time to do and divide your day up by those.
Know that you might need to adjust your routine for different seasons.
Decide on a time whenever you start and end your work day and stick to it.
If you are working from home for the first time, follow these tips to learn how to adjust.
Take advantage of virtual babysitting!
Only check your email during designated times during the day.
If there is a small task you must get done, implement a 2-minute rule where that’s as long as it can take you, if it takes longer then you have to move on.
Know what noises are triggering to you. If music helps your productivity then play it, if not, know that you need quiet.
Create canned responses to generic emails.
Use templates as much as possible and to your advantage – no need to reinvent the wheel.
If you have similar tasks that need done, try batching them together.
Do the most difficult tasks first to get them out of the way.
Use the “one thing a day” rule whenever it comes to housework so that you don’t become focused on laundry and cleaning – that stuff can always wait.
Write everything down and keep a pen and paper handy. Seriously, if you’re like me and get distracted balancing the kids and work and forget things, just write them down.
Use a password manager. Never spend time trying to reset passwords again!
Wake up an hour before everyone else does. I promise that it will save your sanity – even if all you have time for is a cup of coffee!
Schedule a deadline for each task.
Workout. Seriously. I am so much more productive on days that I’m working out. Learn how moms can fit in a daily workout routine here.
Be proactive instead of reactive.
Make sure you are sustaining your energy. You have to refill your tank (i.e. you belly or quench your thirst), don’t forget about these things or you will burn out.
Track your progress. Seriously mama, this will help you give yourself so much more credit for the work you are doing.
Give yourself a pep talk. Seriously, words of motivation as simple as “I’ve got this!!!!” can go a long way in your productivity.
Stop comparing. Seriously. This will slow down your productivity I know it’s hard, but put those blinders on.
Create a “do not disturb” sign between you and your kids and don’t be afraid to use it.
Accept help when necessary.
If possible, have a babysitter or send the kids to a babysitter, even just for an hour. Blake goes to our neighbors twice a week for just 2 hours at a time and omg – I get SO much done in those 4 hours!
Read your emails once. Yes, just once. Decide what you are going to do with it right then and then (reply, forward, archive, etc). Just don’t leave it for later and allow your inbox to build up.
Know what you need to get done a week in advance. I get myself situated every Sunday – here’s how.
Delegate. Don’t do everything alone!
Get these 10 things done before 10am.
Ask for help whenever you need it.
Get yourself dressed. Seriously. Wash your face, change out of your pajamas. You will feel and be more productive whenever you feel good about yourself.
Finish what you start. Don’t start something you know you won’t get done.
Know when you work best. Are you more productive in the morning? Evening? Invest in that time.
Automate as much as you possibly can! I love IFTTT for this!
Turn off those pesky mobile notifications. You know what I’m talking about. Kidd those push notification buh-bye.
And speaking of mobile, schedule time for social media so that you aren’t aimlessly scrolling.
Reduce the number of decisions that you need to make in the day. This is called decision fatigue. Meal plan. Write a to-do list. Whatever you need to do to have everything laid out for you.
Lastly, make some time for self-care. There is no way that you can be productive if you aren’t taking care of yourself. Try these 17 self-care activities for busy moms.