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As a busy, working mom trying to grow your side business, it can be hard to make time for it. Between your job, running errands, and spending time with your family, it can feel like there’s little time left in the day for you to actually work on your business. 

But you want this business to succeed. That’s going to be your ticket to quitting your 9-5 and finally being able to work from home. 

So how do you make time for your side hustle when life feels so busy already? 

I’m going to share 7 productivity hacks that’ll help you not only find time to work on your side hustle but you’ll also be productive while doing it. 

Let’s get into it. 

Time Management Tips To Fit In Your Side Hustle

Get out of the house 

 

Trying to work on your business at your house might seem like a good idea, and sometimes it’s your only option, but it really helps to increase your productivity if you actually work outside of the house sometimes. 

Head to a coffee shop or the park. 

That way your kids aren’t able to distract you and you can’t see the laundry that needs to be done. 

Giving yourself that dedicated time to work on your business outside of the house can really increase your focus. 

I personally love working in a coffee shop because it takes me back to being a grad student and the only time I ever went to coffee shops was to study or work on something. 

What else are you going to do while there anyway? The only option you have is to work on your business. 

Take advantage of your lunch break 

Instead of going out to lunch with your co-workers, opt for bringing your lunch and working on your business during this time. 

This is one of those time management strategies where you have to decide what’s more important to you: socializing with coworkers or growing your business. 

There’s something to be said for being social at work and taking your lunch break to literally get a break from work, so you might not want to do this every day. But a few times a week, working on your business during your lunch hour can be a great way to make strides in your business.

Have a list of tasks that take 15-30 minutes and pick something from that list so you can make sure you have enough time to get into the right mindset to work and then actually finish it. 

I used to do this all the time. I would eat lunch as quick as I could and then I’d list items on ebay or write blog posts. 

If you’re in that phase where you really don’t want to be at your job anymore but you have to, then working through lunch like this can really help. 

It gives you a sense of taking control of your time (because you are) and motivation to get through the rest of day knowing you’ve accomplished some goals. 

Ask for alone time

This isn’t always easy, but sometimes you just have to literally request that you have time for your business. 

Ask your spouse or a family member to watch the kids for a couple of hours so you can have that dedicated time to work. 

If you don’t like asking people for help like that, then that’s going to make it an even better idea for you because knowing that you’re asking someone to watch your kids means you’re not going to want to waste one second of that time. 

Wake up early (before the kids)

If you can wake up before the rest of your family, do it. It’s seriously amazing. 

Not only is the house quiet and you won’t be interrupted, but your mind can really work at it’s best when it’s refreshed. 

I used to think it was so hard to wake up at 5 to work, but I listened to a podcast episode where Ruth Soukup was interviewing Hal Elrod about his book the Miracle Morning. Honestly, just hearing this podcast episode really motivated me to start waking up early. 

Word of caution though, kids have a 6th sense that you’re awake. 

If waking up early isn’t your thing, you could also try staying up later. I used to do this but realized that even though I was “working”, I was actually just messing around on the computer with nothing to really show for it.

Have an inviting workspace (that you actually like)

Even though plenty of moms have built businesses working on the laptop at their kitchen table, it really helps if you’ve got a dedicated workspace in your home. 

It doesn’t have to be a full-blown office (though that’d be ideal). You can simply have a dedicated table in a spare room that is just your workspace.

Your brain will get into work mode every time you sit there so it’ll help increase your productivity. 

Instead of clearing the mail off the table so you can get to work. 

Eliminate distractions

When you sit down to work, make sure you don’t have anything that can easily distract you. Put the phone away. Turn off the TV. Close down all the tabs on your computer. 

If you need a bit of extra help (like I do), there are actually chrome extensions (like this one) that can help you stay focused by not letting you go to specific websites (i.e. social media). 

Doing all of these will really help you focus your time and increase your productivity. 

Know what you’re working on ahead of time

This one is the most important when it comes to being productive in the little bit of time you have for your business. 

Know exactly what you need to work at all times. 

That way when you have a few minutes to work or even have dedicated work time, you aren’t wasting time trying to figure out what you need to work on in the first place. 

Trust me, if you don’t have things to work on, then when you finally sit down to work, your mind is going to start spinning with all the things you need to work on and it’s going to be hard to get started. 

To make sure your work time is always spent working on things that are going to get you closer to your goals, make sure you’ve taken time for a goal planning and strategy session.

I know that might sound daunting, but really all you need to do are these steps: 

  • Choose 1-2 big goals for your business
  • Break down each big goal into 12 major steps (for each month)
  • Come up with 4-6 steps to accomplish each major step

Doing it like this will help you figure out exactly what you need to do each week, and you’ll know that what you’re working on is getting you steps closer to your big goals. 

Need more help with this, then check out my free business goal planner workbook that helps you figure our your big business goals and map them out for the year. 

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Conclusion

Finding time for your side hustle when you’re a busy working mom can be a challenge, but with these 7 tips you’ll be able to improve your time management (and fit in your side hustle) and increase your productivity (get more done when you’re actually working on your business). 

Here are the tips again for you: 

  • Get out of the house to work (for quiet time and a change of scenery)
  • Take advantage of your lunch break (and work on your side hustle)
  • Ask for alone time (to have focused time for your work)
  • Wake up early before the kids (so you’re refreshed when you work)
  • Have an inviting workspace (so you’re training your brain to go into work-mode)
  • Eliminate distractions (your business is important and everything else can wait)
  • Know what you’re working on ahead of time (so you don’t waste work time)

Just remember that when you can do some of these at least some of the time, then you’re going to have a lot more time for your side business which means you’re going to be able to work from home faster. 

I’d love to hear what you think of these tips or if you have any of your own that you use to fit in your business when you’ve got a busy life as working mom already. 

Share in the comments below. 

2 Comments on 7 Productivity Hacks for Working Moms with a side hustle (and no time)

  1. Great post! Getting out of the house one night a week as been key for me. Getting a frappe is a nice treat and helps motivate me while I work. I find that when I put my earbuds in and turn some music on, it helps to eliminate the distraction of what is going on around me. The coffee shop that I go to and actual seat that I choose is a determining factor in how productive I am. Plus, my kids get some one on one time with their dad while I am gone. It’s a win, win! I say play around with it, and see what works best for you.

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