Creating Harmony: Mastering Work-Life Balance for Stay-at-Home Moms

As a work-from-home mom, I've faced the struggles that come with trying to balance my career and family life, and this summer is no exception. With my kids out of the house and involved in various activities, I've found myself juggling different schedules and lacking a consistent routine. In this episode, I share my summer update and ponder the challenges that come with managing work and family life. Tune in as I reflect on my previous list of 11 sanity-saving tips, discuss what's been working and what needs improvement, and explore the importance of prioritizing our kids during these precious summers.

At times, finding work-life balance can feel like an uphill battle, especially when you're a mom working from home. I share my experiences of trying to create a productive space, setting working hours, and even my full meltdown when my husband was away. Learn from my journey and discover how to thrive, not just survive, during these busy summer months with your kids. I also encourage fellow moms to reach out and share their own tips and advice for making the most of this summer. Let's support each other on this journey of finding the perfect work-life balance.

Listen to my original episode from May, 11 Sanity Saving Tips to Do as a Work From Home Mom This Summer https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/social-media-influencer/id1490332908?i=1000614461651

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:02

Welcome to the social media influencer podcast. I'm Jenny Peterson, a stay at home mom of three turned six figure, social media influencer turned CEO of my own seven figure product based business. I'm obsessed with all things online business, online marketing, influencer marketing, affiliate marketing and social selling. Why am I spilling all my secrets? Because I believe when we all do better, we all do better. Let's dive in. Hello, my beautiful friend, by the time this episode airs, we're going to be smack dab in the middle of summer And I thought it was time to give you a summer update. Let you know how it's going On.

Speaker 1: 0:38

May 25th, episode 133 dropped and it was titled 11 sanity saving tips to do as a work from home mom this summer. I wish I could go back to Jenny in May. I was optimistic and full of hope. Summer has notoriously always been so hard for me to manage And I went into the summer with a plan and I was determined to make it work, to achieve work life balance, friend. I'm now in the middle of summer and I'm like SOS, send help, abandon ship. This isn't working. Well, some things are working and some things aren't. So I thought I would go through that list of 11 things that I shared and share what is really working and what is absolutely not working for me this summer. Let's dive into this episode. You know I pride myself on keeping it real And I'm going to share with you which of the tips I shared that are not working whatsoever and which ones are really, really working.

Speaker 1: 1:45

Number one prioritize and schedule family time. I feel like we could be doing that better. We are scheduling and prioritizing family time. I would like to see us do like a weekly pool day, which we haven't been doing. Sundays we definitely spend together as a family. Number two take advantage of camps and activities. Done this, scheduled the kids for all the camps, and it's great because it's getting them out of the house, which is giving me more time to work. But what I did not anticipate or plan on or even think about was what that actually looks like, and I'm just going to give you an example. Like, for example, tomorrow schedule.

Speaker 1: 2:26

Tomorrow morning, kylie has cheer from 8.30 to 10 and it's 30 minutes away, so it's just far enough away that I stay there and wait for her to be done and then we drive home together, okay. Then Jamie Lynn has a dentist appointment at 9. Then she has to be taken to summer school at 9.55. That normally gets done around 11-ish. My son has summer camp from 12 to 3.15. My daughter needs to go to the temple at 1pm. Then both my girls have activities at 7pm.

Speaker 1: 3:03

Do you see the problem here? Oh, my gosh, i'm spending so much time in the car driving these kids around. Right now I'm recording this podcast episode in the car. It's extremely windy, like the wind was so strong today it blew my trash can over. You can probably hear it in the background, but my daughter, her singing group, has a two hour practice and the place is 45 minutes away. So I'm like I can't come out here and then by the time I get home I'm going to have to turn around and come back. So I bring my work with me and I've been working from my car.

Speaker 1: 3:44

On one hand, i'm really glad that I scheduled things for my kids to do. On the other hand, i just didn't realize what that actually looked like and how much time it actually be spending in the car. And yes, my husband is home. Sometimes He does travel a lot And when he does travel and he's not here like last week he wasn't here I was in a world of hurt because I have doubled and tripled scheduled myself with these kids. So I'm glad that they're out of the house, i'm glad that they are doing activities At the same time. I am so busy and no two days look the same.

Speaker 1: 4:23

And some of these suggestions that I gave in May I'm just like who was I in May when I made this list? Like number three have a bedtime and a wake up time. That sounds simple enough, right? Like go to bed the same time every night and wake up the same time every morning. Huh, that is the biggest load of crock I ever said.

Speaker 1: 4:45

I don't think we've had the same bedtime or wake-up time at all this summer, and part of the reason why is because of all the activities. Literally, it's summer and I have to ask you because I asked on Instagram in the summer, do you tend to wake up at the same time you do as the rest of the year, like during the school year? do you sleep in? In the past, i feel like we have slept in, but this summer, no, my kids have activities in the morning. Like I'm talking early morning. Like some days, kylie has to be at cheer at 7. And that's 7 am. By the way, another time, jamie Lynn had a video music video that she was shooting, and she had to be in another city by 6 am, so we have been getting up quite early. No two days are the same, and we have been going to bed late too, because they stay up late as well. So I know, in theory, it'd be great to have the same bedtime and the same wake-up time every day, but that has just not been the case for me, and I'm not going to lie or even pretend like it is, because it's not.

Speaker 1: 5:52

Number four I shared was create a morning routine. Now, each morning looks different. I do have somewhat of a morning routine and I do try to go to the gym first thing in the morning, and that has been really helpful for me. I need all the energy I can get. Are you kidding me right now? And if you want more energy, working out gives you more energy. I know it sounds like it's counterintuitive. I know it sounds like well, i'm too tired to work out. Well, that's exactly why you should work out, because it's going to give you more energy. So I do feel like I do. Even though I'm waking up different times every day, i do feel like I am following a same morning routine pattern.

Speaker 1: 6:29

Number five was another one that I'm like. Who was I when I made this list? I said give your kids a summer checklist. Here's the thing I did this last summer. It worked beautifully, especially with my youngest son, who loves checklists and is very responsible and checks off all the boxes and did all the things. I have not given my kids a summer checklist. I have no excuses, i just haven't done it. And would things run more smoothly if I did? Probably Would I be able to delegate more things off my plate and have the kids help around more of the house? Probably, but I'm not going to say that I'm doing something if I'm not doing it. With that being said, i have done that in past summers and it did work, but it's not working this summer for me And at the end of the day, that's on me, that's on me.

Speaker 1: 7:18

Number six was set working hours, and I have been trying And I do believe it's great to set working hours. When you are your best, you know, throughout the day you have different levels of energy, different levels of focus and concentration, all of the things, and, like this week, my son has camp from 12 to 3. So 12 to 3, that's three hours right there that I've been getting to work. Those are not my best hours, those are not my peak hours. I normally feel like I have a hormonal crash in the middle of the afternoon. I normally feel really tired. I don't feel my most creative in the middle of the afternoon, but this week those are my working hours. This is also my working hours, 4.30 to 6.30. I'm in the car waiting for my kid, so it's not ideal. I am still setting working hours, but it literally is different every single day.

Speaker 1: 8:16

I think the key here is to just plan And plan okay, when can I get work done? And then stick to it, even if that's not the ideal hours for you. Sometimes we've got to do what we've got to do. Tip number seven was be all in When you're working, be all in on work, and when you're moming, be all in on moming. Right, don't try to do the two things at the same time, because you're going to end up feeling like a failure at both, and I can definitely attest to this. And it also goes with number eight of blocking out all distractions.

Speaker 1: 8:48

Now I told you I put my phone on. Do not disturb, i will tell you. Just a couple of days ago I had a full, complete meltdown And I called my husband and I said I can't do this. I think I even just sent a text. Let me see if I'll read it to you. I'll read it to you. Shall I read the meltdown? Hold please. Okay, i remember now I had to go back.

Speaker 1: 9:08

It was last Thursday. My husband had been gone all week long, so I was at the end of my rope, to be fair. But I texted my husband and I said I cannot work in this environment. I'm so dramatic. I cannot work in this environment. Can you just see it? I'm going to start leaving every day for at least a couple hours a day so I can get something done.

Speaker 1: 9:29

Then I wrote him like a novel And I'm going to read it to you because I want to know if you've ever felt like this way before. I want to know if you can hear how frustrated I was When I wrote this. I think I was close to tears. So I said I want to work out some kind of schedule where I can leave and get work done for at least two to four hours a day, monday through Friday. I also want to make plans as a family for fun. We don't have very many summers left with Jamie and Kylie, but we all need to get on the same page.

Speaker 1: 9:59

I tried to explain to Stratton that I have to get work done. Please don't interrupt me. It's really hard for me to get refocused And if you interrupt me it's going to take me way longer to get my work done And I don't want to be working all day. But he still came downstairs saying I'm bored Throwing balls against the walls and being super loud and distracting. There has to be a better way. There has to be a better way to be successful in both being a mom and as a business owner, and right now I feel like I'm failing at both.

Speaker 1: 10:32

That's the text that I sent my husband when I was like at my breaking point, like I can't do this, this isn't working. I can't do this. And I don't know about you. I don't know if you've ever felt this way before, if maybe you're in it with me right now, maybe it's summer right now, when you're listening to this in real time And you are in it and you're trying to work from home and you're trying to be a good mom and just not working. That's exactly how I felt last week And it has gone smoother this week, but last week I was like I can't do this anymore And I don't want to feel Like I'm failing at business and I don't want to feel like I'm failing as a mother, and So I told my husband That it's too distracting to be at the house and it really is, and number eight on my list is block out all Distractions.

Speaker 1: 11:31

And yes, i can silence my cell phone. Yes, i can put it on. Do not disturb. I can also have a conversation with my 10 year old son and Ask him and beg him to please let me get my work done, but that doesn't mean that he's not going to come in and interrupt me 27 times in an hour, and that's when it gets really tricky. And so something that I told my husband that I need is I actually need to get out of the house. I need to get out of the house. I can work in my car. I can go up in the mountains. There's a picnic bench. I have a spot. Do you have a spot? I have a couple of spots. I'll even go to a Starbucks and put in noise-canceling headphones if I need to. I honestly don't know how anybody works from a Starbucks, because if you have ADHD, like I do, i hear every single individual conversation Simultaneously and I'm so distracted by everything that's going on around me. But at least I know I'm not gonna get Interrupted over and over and over again. So I told my husband I just need to get out of the house. I just need to get out of the house so I can get work done, and that means Working in my car, and right now it just started raining. There's probably a whole bunch of background noise on this episode, but the episode's getting recorded from my car and that's where I am right now in life.

Speaker 1: 12:52

Number nine on my list was choose a dedicated workspace. Again, that's something that's not working for me. I have an ADHD brain. I don't necessarily even enjoy working from the same place every single day, so I have been choosing different workspaces. I've been going in the basement some days. I've been going up to my husband's office some days I'm working from my car right now. Like I See what I was thinking when I said choose a workspace Like this is where I do my work, but honestly, that has not been working for me, and what's been working for me more is changing it up every day and that Actually is working better for my ADHD brain as well.

Speaker 1: 13:33

Number ten on my original list was track your time. That's something that I am doing still, and I think even more so now because I have way less time than I thought I would have. So, for example, today I knew my son was going to be a camp from 12 to 3 and I was like I have three hours To get crap done right now. What's the most important things that I can get done right now? because after three hours is up It's not like I can just stay hyper focused and continue on. I have to go pick him up. So I have been tracking my time.

Speaker 1: 14:10

Tip number 11 for sanity saving tips to do as a work from home mom in the summer is Probably the best tip out of the bunch. This has definitely been working for me. And tip number 11 was mega batch content creation, and I'm going to change this to mega batch. Everything that you can summer is crazy. What can you mega batch? How can you work smarter, not harder, and actually get ahead of schedule? So in a couple weeks, preston's entire family is coming to our house. It's gonna be absolutely insane. There's gonna be over 30 of us inside our house for a few days and then for a few days We're gonna go up to our cabin in Bear Lake and I know it's gonna be crazy.

Speaker 1: 15:01

And you know what I do not want to be doing during this time when I am hosting and I'm not just hosting family in town at both of my houses, but we're doing a birth, we're doing two birthday parties, we're doing a baby blessing like it's a lot. It's a lot of things. Do you know what I 100%, absolutely do not even want to have to worry about when the family is in town for those 10 days work? So right now I am mega batching, like a mad woman, to get ahead of schedule. And one thing that I want to get ahead of schedule on is this podcast, and I'll be honest, i've been mega batching podcast episodes. This is the third podcast that I have recorded today And I know that I want to be three weeks ahead of schedule So when the family comes I don't have to worry about it.

Speaker 1: 15:48

I'm good. I want to have majority of the things that I need to do done For the entire time that they are here and even the week after that they leave. So I'm putting in the work now so that when they can come I don't have to worry about it. It's already done. And just for the record, when they do come, i'm not like going off the grid and not going to work in my business at all for those 10 days. I am just doing what I can do today to make it easier for when they come.

Speaker 1: 16:21

I am putting in the work today so that I don't have to worry about it when they're here And I can really enjoy being with them and be present and not have to be worried about what am I in a post tomorrow or what should I podcast about? That stuff's going to be done. That is the number one thing from my original list of 11 sanity saving things that you can do as a work from home mom this summer. That's the number one thing that is really working for me Mega batching and mega batching, not just content creation, but mega batching everything, anything and everything that you can. When you do get a window of opportunity to work, even if it's sporadic, even if it's from your car, your getting the most out of that time. Some of the other things that I put on the list I'm sorry, i don't know who I was in May.

Speaker 1: 17:12

That girl, she was optimistic. The girl who said wake up the same time every day, go to bed the same time every day, work in the same place every day, give your kids a checklist That girl yeah, she gone, she gone. This is, this is the girl that is presently going through the situation, and I wish I could say that you just follow the planet, it's all going to work out. But that's not how it is for me. Anyways, it's like here's, here's the things that you could do that could help. But, god speed, because summer is hard, can we just be real for a minute? At least it is for me, at least it is for me. I find like when my kids are at school, i have so much more time to work And it's more structured and it's more scheduled, and no two days have looked the same, at least for me, this summer. I'm just doing the best that I can, so I want to leave you with this.

Speaker 1: 18:13

I think about this parenting hack. Mean that I've seen it's parenting hack. Just kidding, there are no hacks. Everything is hard. These kids do not listen. This is your life now. God speed, i'm like how to save your sanity in the summer as a work from home, mom. Just kidding, just kidding, it's all hard, god speed, but I'll. jokes aside, just do the best you can, mama. Just do the best that you can. Okay, it's fine time to enjoy your family this summer and find time to enjoy your business this summer.

Speaker 1: 18:49

And it may not go as according to plan. It's going to be okay And in a blink of an eye, the summer is going to be over And, like I told my husband, like we really do need to prioritize our kids this summer, because I don't have a lot of summers left with my kids. You want to be sad for a minute? You want to be sad for a minute, mama, think about it. You really only have 18 summers with your kids, that's it, that's it. And then they're grown and it goes by so fast. So don't blink. Okay, you can do this, you and I, we are going to.

Speaker 1: 19:20

And I said in the other podcast like I don't want to just survive this summer and all these things are like survival guide for moms And I'm like I want to thrive this summer. Right now, in this moment, i feel like I'm surviving And I really do wish for you and I that we can thrive in the summer and that we can make some amazing memories with our children, with our families, and we can also move the needle in our business. So if you find yourself ever getting frustrated, i just want you to know you're not alone. Do the best that you can. You can do this, i can do this, we can do this, we got this. And, mama, if you have advice, what has been working for you this summer, working from home, girl, you better slide into my DMs on Instagram and let me know. Okay, hook a sister up, help a sister out, sos What is working for you? I hope that this podcast has helped you. If anything, i hope it's entertained you, okay, and I love you so much And I will see you inside another episode.