“I Don’t Have the Time!” and other reasons Moms avoid picking up side hustles
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Let’s paint a picture of a typical day in the life of a stay-at-home-Mom, shall we? The day begins at the crack of dawn, when you try to wake up before your children to take a quick shower. Plans are immediately foiled as the baby starts screaming for a bottle, waking the toddler who now demands a very specific breakfast immediately. You stumble through the morning, half focused on each task at hand… feeding the baby, dressing the toddler, all while attempting to get yourself together and also wash the bottles you left in the sink the night before (oops!) and change over the load of laundry that’s been slowly growing mold in the washing machine (double oops!). As you microwave your coffee for the fifth time, you realize you never brushed your teeth. Somehow, it’s already noon and you haven’t even been able to crack open your laptop.
I am what you call a “hot mess” Mom. I went from being insanely organized in my corporate job pre-kids to a total distaster as a stay-at-home Mom. After I had my second baby, I just couldn’t keep it together. I had no routine, no schedule, and no plan for how to get either of those things established. I desperately wanted a work-from-home job or side hustle both for the financial reward and the feeling of having my own job again, but I knew I would never be able to abide by any sort of schedule or time sensitive deadlines. But guess what? If you work for yourself, you make the rules!!
After becoming an Independent Consultant for Usborne Books & More, I became driven to get my daily life organized. I’m not saying I have everything totally together here (I’m still a hot mess), but I now have a reason to create structure. I look forward to having my “work time” each night after the kids are asleep, during nap times, or when I bribe them to sit still for 20 minutes with TV shows or sticker books. My desire to accomplish meaningful work that I genuinely enjoy has created more willingness within me to adhere to a schedule. I was honestly standing in my own way by thinking “I could never” do these things. I have found that creating positive working habits professionally has carried over into my personal life and paved the way for a more organized system in all aspects of life.
Many stay-at-home Moms wish they could have a side hustle or work-from-home job but will not pursue it out of fear that they do not have “the time” to get anything done. For anyone struggling with time management or disorganization, I highly recommend creating a simple block schedule! You can purchase a planner or wall calendar that does the organizing for you. I especially love the Schedule Magic brand. You can even make your own that looks like the below, or snag a (prettier) template from Etsy!
Once you are organized and get your ducks in a row, you will find time to do the things you need and want to do. The actual work you are doing then becomes more manageable (and enjoyable!) since you’re fully focused on it and not rushing through tasks like a crazy person! Once I saw my full day written out in front of me with specific tasks and a general idea of what I was supposed to be doing at certain times, it felt like the day almost got longer! Children also feed off routines and structure, so it can only help your kids to know what to expect from different sections/blocks of the day.
If you’ve been avoiding a work or side hustle opportunity due to time constraints, share in the comments what it is that’s holding you back?
And if you’re looking for an awesome work-from-home opportunity, contact me, as I might just have something awesome for you to check out! You can also check out my article about the ultimate side hustle for Moms!