Productivity Tools for Moms Who Work At Home

 

When you’re a work-from-home mom, staying focused and productive can be difficult. The key is to set yourself manageable goals. To support your working week, there are several productivity tools you can try. All of these can help you to get organized, and manage your remote working schedule.

1 . Serene

Serene combines a range of different productivity features in one single tool. With Serene you can choose to block distracting sites, making it easier to stay focused. The app allows you to:

• Create to-do lists
• Set goals, and
• Plan out your workday.

Serene offers many different ‘focus music’ tracks, helping you to stay on task. The app guides users to work for 20-90 mins, and strive for high levels of productivity. These are called ‘power sessions’, and are followed by short breaks to recharge, similar to the Pomodoro Technique. The concept involves not spending ages on one task, and therefore remaining alert and energized.

2. Teamwork Projects

Teamwork Projects is a fantastic tool to manage your projects and stick to deadlines. Key features are reports, task management, milestones, and Gannt charts.

The platform includes a ‘teamwork desk’ tool, where you can boost productivity, measure traffic, and manage communications.

Teamwork Projects allows you to

• Create budgets
• Manage documents
• Access project templates, and
• Set priorities.

3. Evernote

Evernote is a nifty note-taking app, streamlining the process of getting organized. With Evernote, you can manage tasks, store ideas, and create to-do-lists. The app allows you to save receipts, photos, and audio too. You can also store itineraries, and make annotations with ease. It’s simple to sync with all your devices, to check your notes while you’re on-the-go. I've been using Evernote for several years.

4 . Toggl 

To stay organized throughout your working week Toggl is the application you need. With this app, you can see exactly how long you spend on every task, and use this data to improve your schedule. The tool allows you to keep on top of your projects, with handy bar graphs and pie charts. It’s simple to use the app along with tools such as Freshbooks and Basecamp. Some of the handiest features are time tracking, reports, break-downs of each task, and the ability to work offline.

5. TickTick

TickTick is an effective task manager and to-do list.

Using this app you can

• Create the perfect schedule
• Manage your time
• Remain focused
• Set reminders for deadlines, and
• Organize your work from home life.

Whether it’s setting goals, capturing ideas, or accomplishing work, TickTick can help you to get more done. You can track your habits, assess your projects, and collaborate with colleagues. Further features of TickTick include voice input, alarms, and productivity charts. For further support, check out Productivity tips for mompreneurs.

Saving yourself time

Working from home is all about remaining productive, whether you’re a working professional, or you run your own business. When you’re managing a remote operation ensure that you get yourself mailbox access online. A virtual mailbox is the easiest way to organize your mail, and save yourself time. When you’re working remotely, it’s all about time-saving hacks that help you to stay organized!

Productivity Tips for Stay-At-Home Mompreneurs

Although some women love the life of a stay-at-home mom, some crave creating and building something outside mom life. If that’s the case, then you could have decided to start your own business. Starting your own company is a great way to boost your income and gain what many people crave in life: financial independence. 

If you are starting your own business, then it’s important to explore the best ways to ensure it is a success. One of the ways to do this is by making sure that you do remain productive through the business day. If you can’t remain productive, then you are ultimately going to struggle to maintain profitability and keep your new business in the red. So, how can you ensure that productively levels are high in your business model? Here are a couple suggestions. 

Use The Right Software

The first step to keeping things productive is making sure that you are using the best software for your business model. For instance, if you are using employees in your company, then you will need to think about investing in a time clock. A time clock will ensure that your employees are paid the right amount and guarantee that you aren’t accused of unfair practices. 

Unfortunately, working out the hours here can be quite difficult and take a lot of time. If you are worried about problems here then you should think about looking at the best small business time clocks. One option would be a cloud solution. This will allow you to easily keep track with an automated system, saving you a lot of time. Don’t forget, when you’re running a small business, time is money. 

There are also automation tools you can make use of if you want to spend less time on repetitive tasks. These can be used by all kinds of businesses and entrepreneurs in a wide range of industries. There are tools for specific tasks, such as contact center automation software.

Another productivity booster is a website blocker. If you have a modern phone, you will get an update each week on your screen time. This will show you the apps and websites that are taking up most of your time. A blocker can solve this issue and stop you from easily accessing problematic sites like social media networks through the business day. Of course, some elements of social media might be relevant to your business. 

What About Technology?

Next, you should think about the tech that you are using for your business. It’s possible that you’ll get away with using old tech to watch Netflix and check your emails but this might not be the best idea if you’re trying to run a business. 

You need to consider elements that you have never thought about before like processing speeds and power or even performance. In some cases, you’ll need multiple apps and pages open and running at the same time. If that’s the case, then you might need to consider investing in a high-end laptop or computer. 

It’s possible that you have a high-quality computer but you are still experiencing issues with it running a lot slower than you need it to. If that’s the case, then you need to make sure that you are checking your systems for viruses. Should the problem continue, ask the experts for advice on how to deal with PCB supply chain disruptions. This is particularly important if you are keeping customer and client data on your computer. Security must be a top concern as it could leave your business vulnerable to both lawsuits and financial penalties. 

Get The Right Set-Up

Running a business from home is always going to be different compared to working from an office. You have more freedom to work where you want, when you want, and how you want. However, you should still think about setting up a space where it will be easier for you to remain productive. 

You should definitely avoid trying to work from your bedroom or even a comfortable location like the lounge. If you do this then you’ll probably find that you take far more breaks than you need to through the day. 

Working at a desk will ensure that you don’t get distracted and potentially help you avoid issues with a Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) at the same time. A problem like RSI can cause your productivity levels to crash completely. The pain from this type of injury will cause you to lose countless hours when you are trying to work from home. 

We hope this helps you understand the best ways to remain productive when you are running a business from the comfort of your home. Keeping productivity levels on the right track will be the difference between a company that has longevity and one that burns out after a year on the market. 

How to Lock App in iPhone or iPad so Kids Have to Stay in an App

This post has been moved to my new blog: Money Fit Moms.

Go to How to Lock App in iPhone or iPad so Kids Have to Stay in an App (in 3 Easy Steps).

My little guy using my iPhone. That OtterBox case has paid for itself MANY times. :)

What You Should (AND SHOULD NOT!) Insure

Okay, we have officially left the realm of "What is absolutely the only correct way to do things" and entered the land of "What Lisa believes, due to what she was taught by her CPA dad, college personal finance professor, and a bunch of other really smart people." Meaning, this is my own personal opinion. What you decide to insure or not insure is your personal decision since you're the one who will have to live with the consequences so don't sue me. Seriously, don't. :)

So here is my take on what you should and should not insure. It can be summed up in one brief sentence: INSURE ONLY WHAT YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE.

What do I mean by that?

Welcoming my new Money Hip Baby! (My Favorite Things for Pregnancy, Labor, and Newborns)

Well, this blog just hit a couple milestones. We reached over 10,000 views per month (thanks everyone for reading!) and... I just had another Money Hip Baby!
A little over a week ago I had my second baby, my first totally natural birth (to a 9-pounder, no less). It has been a beautiful experience. I am about 1,000 times less stressed this time around than I was with my first. So in celebration of this beautiful new baby, I thought I'd throw together a list of the things that have helped me the most throughout my pregnancy, labor & delivery, and recovery with a newborn.
I hope you enjoy (and that you'll add your own tips in the comments section)! By the way, if you haven't already liked our Facebook Page, please do so now!

My new little sweetie @ 5 days old. As you can imagine, I am completely smitten

-------PREGNANCY/PREPARATION-------

1. The Waiting Game

I know due dates are