Does this scenario sound familiar to you? It’s Monday afternoon and you’re feeling pumped to get some work done on your Internet business. You’re thinking, “This is the week I’m going to be ultra-productive.” You’re feeding the baby a bottle and thinking in the back of your mind that you have to get online for a couple of minutes, just as soon as you pick up your other children from school. You pick up the little ones from school … and … yes! ... The baby fell asleep on the drive home, so that REALLY means more time to work online! When you arrive home, you tuck the baby safely in her crib and off you go to feed your older children snacks. You’re excited because you MIGHT have time to sneak some work online while your kids eat their snacks and watch their favorite afterschool cartoons. At this point, you’re thinking, “Work online or wash the piles of laundry and clean the bathroom?” Wait! You need to do the bills, or they’ll be late because you forgot to pay them last week. Your scenario might be slightly different than this one, but you could very well be on the same page.

The point I’m trying to make is this: Are you trying to be everything to everyone and trying to DO IT ALL? And yet, do you still have trouble putting in the time to work on your business? Do you feel overwhelmed and burned out? How much time would your say you spend each day working on your business? Can you even come up with the hours or minutes?

Nobody said being a work-at-home mom was going to be easy. Continue reading to get tips on how you can LOOK like a Super WAHM, feel more energized and focused, and not feel guilty or burned out when it comes to managing your Internet business and taking care of your family.

You CAN Have It All BUT You DON’T Have to Do It All!

When you treat your business as something that you simply do in your free time, you aren’t 100% committed to it. If you’re married, you don’t say to your spouse, “I’m not so sure if I can see you this month because I have other things to do besides you.” That’s a fine example of NOT being 100% committed in a marriage because you’re not making the time to spend with your spouse, causing him/her to feel insignificant. Now, let’s take the spouse out of the equation and replace him/her with your business. Answer this: Do you TELL yourself that after you get XYZ done, you MIGHT have the time to work on your business? If so, it’s a sad thing. But don’t worry if you tell yourself that because I’ve done that too. You’re not a bad person.

I’m starting to believe more and more that because we are moms, we THINK that to have it all, we have to DO IT ALL. We can have it all BUT we certainly don’t have to DO it all. Please take that sentence to heart. As human beings, not just moms, we need to realize how much is too much on our plates. If you keep piling more and more onto your to-do list and you know for darned certain you can’t possibly get it done in one day, then you’re going to hit the breaking point very soon. You start feeling guilty for not working on your business or for working on it too much and not spending enough time with your children or significant other. You have to get ABC done and you TRY. But you can’t possibly get it done, not when you have to do XYZ--cooking, tending to the children, and laundry! You get the picture? We’re moms, women, and human beings, not robots or superheroes. I think we sometimes forget that when we take on the mom role and try to be the very best parents to our children. We need to stop feeling guilty, period. So drop the mom guilt and start living a happy life. Guilt is a form of stress, and you certainly don’t need more stress in your life, do you?

Tips for Being a Happier Work-at-Home Mom

I believe there is only one way to stop the insanity. I call it the Altered Work Schedule. What an Altered Work Schedule means is that you create a weekly schedule of your life. You include the hours you want to put into your business and you also include appointments and errands you HAVE to do each day. I call it an Altered Work Schedule because you don’t necessarily have to work Monday through Friday; that’s the beauty of it. If you’re like me, you hate the same old boring schedule every week and you LOVE spontaneity. That’s why I came up with the Altered Work Schedule. You can even plan out volunteering at your child’s school if you so choose. But the main thing you MUST do is pencil in business time. And it has to be pure, un-interpreted work time.

Yes, I can hear you now: “I thought working at home was supposed to be spending 30 minutes online with a few clicks here and there between my children’s naps.” I say, if it works for you and you know your child won’t wake up in 30 minutes and you can still make good money online only working 30 minutes a day, go for it; however, it usually takes quite some time to get to making truckloads of money spending ONLY 30 minutes a day on your business. Just remember, pure, un-interrupted business time. I know this news may sound a bit depressing, BUT if you want to have a happier lifestyle, this is the way to go. Your business is not a hobby or a thing you’ll get around to. Neither are your children, your spouse, or you. You’ve got to commit to everything 100%, and doing so commands your full attention and effort. The trick is you have to MAKE the time, not squeeze everything all together.

Another tip that will free up your time and create the illusion that you’re a Super WAHM is outsourcing! If you’re on a budget, you can still outsource. To do this, come up with a figure you can afford each month and let that be your starting point. Next, you’ll want to make a list of things you absolutely hate to do or don’t have the foggiest clue how to do. And don’t be stubborn and try to master a certain task if you know it’s going to take you 10 hours to figure it out. Remember, your time is valuable. Focus on things you like to do and you’ll notice a HUGE difference in your business and personal life.

What To Do When You Have a Relapse 

For me, this is the year I would like to refer to as The Illness Year. Not once in my life have I ever broken a bone in my body or even been stung by a bee. But this year, I fell ill, and I have to say it was because I was TRYING to be a Super WAHM in 2007, and it caught up with me in 2008. It really was an eye-opener for me. Staying up late will take a toll on your body just as smoking will affect your health. Literally, I was forced to slow down and take it easy. Not words I like to hear. I love staying up late and working until the dawn breaks; it’s beautiful, but it really isn’t good for your health; and in fact, I’ve become an insomniac from too many No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn Nights (that’s what I call pulling all-nighters).

I almost reached the breaking point yet again this year, and it scared the crap out of me! I was supposed to be on bed rest and taking it easy--doctor’s orders. But oh no, I wouldn’t have any of that! I thought because, mentally, I felt like a billion dollars, I could still do all the things I normally would. And these normal things were little things, like getting myself some food or getting up to grab a DVD for my daughter to watch. Well, one day when I was supposed to be on bed rest, I got up too many times. When I went to splash water on my face in the bathroom, I nearly passed out cold on the floor. It was horrifying. I remember everything went grey and black! I somehow found the strength to make it to the bedroom and forced myself to lie in bed (and not to rethink about getting up for several hours). Thank God I didn’t pass out because it’s was only my daughter and me at home and that would NOT have been good situation.

Although I wasn’t trying to be a Super WAHM at that moment in time, I was trying to do too much physically, and my body was trying to shut itself off. It was telling me to slow down, but I ignored it because I was stubborn! That’s almost the same as trying to be a Super WAHM. You’re doing too much work and you know it. Your inner voice may not say it clearly but your actions do. Irritability and feeling completely stressed, like your life is spinning out of control, are very clear warning signs. That’s when you know you’re having a relapse. When you have a relapse, you need to SLOW DOWN, regroup, and get back on the Altered Work Schedule or redefine it. Your goal is not to have meltdowns but to live a healthy lifestyle, physically AND mentally.

Conclusion

My final thoughts on trying to be a Super WAHM are this: Don’t even try it! Stick with a schedule that works for you. If you find you’re not happy or things aren’t as balanced as you’d like them to be, redefine your schedule and make things work in a healthy way. And above all else, don’t feel guilty. Pamper yourself often and be a happy mom. That’s what a real Super Work-at-Home Mom should be.