My Command Center

Welcome back!

Last spring I had ever intention of creating a command center. It was on my Spring Clean to do list and everything. I started it, but oddly never finished it. Today I tackled that project again. I was inspired by Org Junkie’s contest and there are still a few things I’d like to have for my command center, but…here’s what I have so far:

I still would like to have something to better organize papers and a calendar as well.  Hoping I will win the Org Junkie contest.  Do you have a control center?  How do you stay organized? (Click on picture to view larger).

Mommy Come Home: Stay at Home Mom Schedule

Amy over at The Finer Things in Life is doing a series on Mommy Come Home, about the choice to be a stay at home mom.  How it can be a leap of faith, how it requires certain sacrifices, some getting used to and some real life changes.  She was looking for someone to write a guest post on how to be a productive stay at home mom.  I’m not always as productive as I want to be, but I pride myself on being organized and scheduled.

Here’s my story:

I became a stay at home mom at the birth of my second child.  I had only worked part time before, but this was still a huge leap of faith for us and I was also “leaping” into full time ministry as a Christian writer & speaker.  Later I would become a freelance writer as well and begin several online business ventures.  Therefore being productive is a must.  Most everyone I know asks me “How do you do everything that you do?”

Scheduling, routines and being organized are three of my answers, the other two are prayer and faith.  These things play an equal role in my productivity.  My day must start with prayer or I feel it when I don’t.  I must also rely on my faith or nothing will go right.

Scheduling, routines and organization are the other end of the spectrum that balance it all out.  It took me quite some time to determine a schedule that “worked” for me and my family.  This schedule also changes during certain times of the year such as “summer” or “Christmas vacation”, and I must be flexible enough to realize that.  Two keys to a workable schedule are “trial and error” scheduling until you get one just right that works for you, and “being willing to be flexible”.

Second, routines, such as my morning routine of:

• getting up,
• doing my Quiet time with God,
• eating breakfast,
• cleaning kitchen
• everyone taking baths and showers,
• and working a committed 1.5 hrs on my businesses.

The routine helps me to “function” and get things done.  My afternoon routine involves housework, time with the kids and a bit more work time.

Finally, staying organized is another key to productivity, such as:

• having a system for bill paying,
• a system for menu planning,
• a set grocery day,

and other similar things is how I am able to manage a household, a ministry, and a few online businesses.

The decision to be a stay at home mom is one that I will never regret taking, no matter how hard I must work to make it all work.  Even though you’re a stay at home mom doesn’t mean you can’t have a schedule.  It can make you feel much more productive and in control.

It’s Not Just Time Management

It’s not just about time management, it’s also about discipline. Discipline is something I’m going to need a great deal of over the next few months in order to make my working from home plan continue to work. I have been doing very well working from home since about October of 2007. All this time, my son has had 1/2 days of preschool. Now, he’s out for summer, and there are going to be 100s of distractions for me, not just him, but his activities such as VBS at church, my mom is off (she’s a school teacher) and there will just be more temptations to do something OTHER than work.

A fellow WAHM wrote on this topic on here blog, and I loved a few of her suggestions. In fact, today I’m going to try them. They include not turning on the computer before I eat my breakfast, get dressed, and do some housework.

Another is that I spend a specific amount of time on certain tasks and then stop. I am bad about just messing around online for endless amounts of timing hopping from one task to another. Though I am organized and do have a plan, I need more discipline to actually STICK to it. So it’s not JUST about Time management for me it is also about discipline.

Finally, I agree that I should have a quitting time each day and for the summer especially since my children will be home all day with me I think this is going to be important. Especially with the new baby coming I need to be disciplined with my work so that I have time to enjoy my family too.

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