Hello everyone! Last week I had the pleasure of being on an “expert” panel of direct sellers for the Direct Selling Women’s Alliance tele-class for Party with your Kids Week! It was a lot of fun and I got to share some things that have worked for me in balancing my home-based business with my family’s needs. Here are 2 of the questions I was given to answer, and the answers I had planned to give. Enjoy!

* I have a full-time teaching job, a husband and two very active KIDS. How do I develop a good time management system that will allow me to do all that I need to do and still be there for my family?

At one point I was teaching full time as well, so I understand what a challenge that is. What worked for me during that time was streamlining my business wherever I could. Getting physical materials ready on the weekend so your work time isn’t spent getting ready to get ready. Find an hour or two that you can dedicate to your business each day or every other day during the week and have a laser like focus during that time. Make your phone calls on certain days, put in orders on another day, and be ready to work at that time. I liked being available for the kids to help with homework and then get dinner ready, so my work time was at about 7 so I could get started while they’d be getting ready for bed, and I could make some phone calls before it got too late. This way I was still present with them during the after school hours.

Then create a master task list and systems so that you are making the most out of your work hours and working efficiently. Creating a master task list was immensely helpful to me in realizing which tasks I could systemize and which tasks I could delegate or in some cases, drop all together.

To do this I took notes for about a month about all the little things I need to do for my business and when the logical time to do them is. I broke the list down into things that I need to do daily and then weekly and monthly. Then I highlighted all the tasks that absolutely positively had to be done by me regularly, such as customer service calls, hostess coaching calls, doing my actual parties etc. Then I found jobs that could be delegated or shared, such as assembling packets or putting stickers on catalogs, stamping my order forms. I share those with my kids or my husband whenever possible.

Establishing systems for these repeated tasks helps so much, not only so your business can run smoothly but also so when you are able to delegate tasks, everyone does them the same. So for example I have a list of items that go into my hostess packs. I put the same thing in every pack in the same order. I can either delegate that task or knock out a bunch of them on a Saturday morning once a quarter and then insert the monthly specials before using them. I do the same for my opportunity packs.
Once I had the master task list made up it was easy to plug the tasks into a blank calendar so I have a predictable but flexible schedule of when I do things. First I looked at my family’s calendar so I had a good feel for when I had “open times” and which days I had phone time. For example I have blocked out Thursday mornings for phone time because my 3 year old is in preschool. I also know that on Monday and Thursday afternoons I have an hour I sit in the car, so I bring my laptop and use that time to clean out my inbox. I like to start every week knowing where I stand so Monday morning my task is to balance my business checkbook and reconcile my order/commission summary. Then the tasks that are not as urgent can be spread out throughout the week or month and if something comes up, the non-urgent ones can be put off if need be. I also have Friday as “catch-up day” which means anything I didn’t get to the rest of the week, I try to address on Fridays so I can relax on the weekends a little more.

This is a great time to involve your kids in your business too. Let them help you set up your materials or file things. There are different things they can do at different ages. My 3 year old might help me just by making that stack of papers into a straight pile, my 10 year old loves stamping catalogs, and my 13 year old comes with me to events. Incorporate your kids whenever you can and “pay” them from your business account. I pay my kids a penny a stamp, it’s not much but they love doing it. I give my 13 year old 10% of the profits when we sell at events, which she usually spends with other vendors.

It’s important to be sure you are running your business and not letting your business run you. There is nothing in your business that is more important than your family. Nothing. For most of us, our family is our “why” so it’s important to keep them first on your list. It’s easy especially as the busy selling season heats up to lose sight of that, and it’s almost like an addiction, where we are constantly thinking about our business. Get yourself set up on a schedule so you aren’t as apt to fall into that trap and can be there for your kids.

Most of our businesses can be worked in just a couple hours a day and a few hours on the weekend. And the beauty of it is, when you duplicate yourself through sponsoring, your income increases without your work hours increasing too much. When you have a team, hold team trainings or group coaching sessions so you are reaching as many people as possible at once and that will streamline your coaching. For me I have group conference calls and team meeting chats in a chat room, and an email discussion list. Meeting with groups regularly allows me to answer questions for everyone and reduces the amount of one on one time needed.

* I need overall suggestions for organizing and balancing time for
business stuff when KIDS are at home. How do I do it all?

It was a real blessing for me when someone told me that I don’t have to “entertain” my children all day. In fact it is good for them to learn how to play independently. Imagine that! Have a variety of classic open ended toys such as blocks or art materials, cars and people, things that can be played with a variety of ways if they use their imagination. If you’ve been entertaining a lot, you sometimes have to teach them how to play independently, but turn the TV off and let them discover and learn on their own.

When I know I need to get some work done and my little one is around and kind of clingy, I bring out certain toys or projects that I know will engage him and that he doesn’t see very often, such as crafts or puzzles, or let him play in the bathroom sink filled with a little water and some bath toys. I will also enlist his help with my job and either stack things up, or let him “play” work by giving him some stamps and papers. I also have a 2nd computer set up and let him “work” on the computer with educational games right next to me.

Also look for the times in your day when the house is calm, if you have a napper, or before everyone wakes up, or after dinner for example, and be sure you are maximizing those times. Enlist the help of your husband to take over after dinner and do the baths and bedtime routine while you make phone calls. Consider hiring a mother’s helper, or swap play dates with other mothers, or see if Grandma can set up a weekly trip to lunch with the kids.

Some other random thoughts I wanted to share:

- I’ve been in direct sales for 9 years, and have 3 kids who are 13, 10 and 3, so I’ve never worked my business when there weren’t children around, and I’ve experienced the challenges of just about every stage from pregnancy through the baby stage to the chauffeur stage and everything in between.

- It can be crazy but isn’t it wonderful to get to bring an income for your family and have flexible hours? It’s a mixed blessing, I totally get that.

- One thing that’s helped me stay focused is knowing that to be successful in my business, my work time is flexible but not optional. The key is prioritizing so that you are making the most of your work time so you can be truly present when it is family time.

- I am not an expert at this I am still evolving – because my kids are always changing! It’s kind of like parenting in general – once you’ve got it figured out, it changes!

- What’s important in your life, what are your values? Eliminate things from your life that don’t support your values. Say no to things. It’s OK!

- Relax – There are usually no real emergencies in business. ? No one is going to die if you can’t get to something until you tend to your family.

- Remember: People before things – in your family and in business.

- Fitting in “me time” and taking care of yourself is important – I always get more done and feel better about my life when I’ve had some time to take care of myself. They say you can’t give to others until you give to yourself, and sometimes that’s hard when you have little ones. I’ve gone so far as to put on a meditation CD in the (parked!) car and close my eyes and drift away while waiting for the kids to get out of class. Getting up early before anyone else and taking a walk or reading a book can recharge your batteries too. I know I’ve had that feeling like “I can barely find time to do the things I have to do, how can I find time for myself” often, and I know a lot of moms feel this way too. But put yourself on your to-do list and everything else will fall into place, and you’ll have a fresh perspective.

I have lots more I can say on this topic since it is a “project” for me and working on it has given me So much more peace in my life! I will write more when I have time (haha) but if you have any tips to share with our readers, leave a reply! What has worked for you?