Writer Mamas – Writers who are moms and some how make it all work. A week long series featuring mamas writing about mamas for mamas.
Today’s feature comes from one of my very good friends, Brannan Sirratt. She writes and edits for various site around the web. You can find her at Mama Tashov and the Pregnant Vegetarian
Working from home is a bit unique. You don’t automatically have set hours or a set job description. You just kind of do what sounds good and what comes along. If you aren’t careful, this can translate to too much very quickly. I have a tendency to do that. My predictable work might get slow for awhile, so I commit to multiple ventures. Before I know it, I’ve got an onslaught of things to do and burnout is coming up right behind it. Here is what I’ve got to do to stay on track without getting bogged down:
Keep a To-Do List or Editorial Calendar
Typically, my list is in the form of a complicated Excel document that no one would understand but me. There are tons of apps and planners out there, but mostly I just come back to Excel, like when I took fabric inventory for my sewing room. It just works for me.
Whatever you use, the point is to look ahead at for at least a month. That way, you know what is coming far enough in advance that when you get the opportunity to do something with a deadline a few weeks away, you know what is on the agenda already and whether you can take it on.
Know When You Can Work
Currently, I have a handful of writing times slated. Monday nights I pre-write for both of my blogs, Saturday afternoons I write for my guest posting/article gigs, and that frees up what time I have during week days for editing. Wednesday nights are for sewing, and if I’ve got to take pictures and do etsy listings, I typically do that on a free Sunday afternoon.
If something comes up that won’t fit in those times, I have to pass. In theory.
Plan Family Time
I’m not good at being spontaneous, so as bad as I feel for “penciling” my family in, I have to. Otherwise, I’ll get wrapped up in one more project and the moments will pass. When it comes down to it, if work is important enough to set aside time for it, isn’t my family that much more important?
It takes some discipline to “be your own boss” and work from home. In my case at least, it takes even more discipline to say no when something is just going to be too much for me to take on. Having a plan and understanding what I can handle is definitely the key for me.
Brannan Sirratt is MamaTashov to three crazy kiddos, writing in multiple crazy ventures, editing for crazy-awesome writers, crafting whenever the crazy gets quiet.
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