Today we’re talking about how to transition back to supper, dishes, and kids when you close down your laptop for the day – because when you’re a work-from-home mom, your true work day hasn’t ended yet.
You’re just shifting gears – to the 2nd shift.
So, how do you mentally shift gears out of copywriting and launch planning and client project mode, back to kids-and-cooking mode?
I’ll show you what I do, and then you can modify that to suit yourself, your rhythms, and your unique family. Deal?
So, the first thing I do is avoid going straight from, say, knocking out a copywriting project to closing the computer and prepping supper.
I need some time to process the day. Otherwise my head is still in business mode, and I’m treating my family like they’re interrupting my to-do list.
The cure for that is to give myself some time to process, THEN tackle supper. This can be journaling, it can be walking, it can be several different things.
But for me personally, I combine my “process time” with workout time and just do some moving meditation. That way I feel like I’ve closed my business day and settled what I want to work on next, and can fully move into my next chapter for the day – aka, my 2nd shift. (As moms, we all know what that means!)
Now, another thing I do is make sure I’ve gotten all my exercise time in. I feel a lot more energized late afternoon if I’ve done a quick body weight workout, and this is a great time for me to do any exercise sets that I haven’t gotten to earlier in the day.
I think it’s pretty normal to have that afternoon slump, so after I get all the swirling thoughts out, I make sure to re-energize for the 2nd half of my work day (the “feed the family” time) by giving myself that endorphin high.
It’s actually quite effective! Just pick your favorite fast form of workout, or do 50 jumping jacks if you don’t know yet, and give yourself time to catch your breath after. You’ll feel this surge of energy, like you can tackle anything, which is a great feeling to go into the late afternoon or evening with.
And finally, the last thing I do to wind down my work-from-home day – how I avoid going from biz to family with no time in between – is I allow myself some personal time in here. Yes, I’ve shut my brain down from the work time, but do I have to go straight to “take care of my family” time? What about breaks and fun for me?
When I have the time – and I almost always make the time – I let myself listen to a couple podcasts after I’ve cleared my brain from business things, to fill myself up before I get back to serving my family.
This doesn’t have to look like earbuds in podcasts for you – it could be reading, or sewing, or drawing, or whatever your hobby is. I’m a learner, I like to learn. That’s what relaxes me.
So, there you have it – my three strategies for transitioning the work-from-home day to the cook-at-home day. Which one do you need most, or is it all three?
Once you’ve added the brain time, quick workout, or something-just-for-fun to your day, I think you’ll like your mompreneur transition a lot more.
