The past few years have been crazy! I’ve had to explore the realities of working from home vs. working in the office and working at home with kids around. I’ve been battling where to place my priorities and the classic mum guilt. You get comments and questions from every man and his dog about how you ‘should’ do things.
The list goes on...
I’ve been blessed to have an incredible workplace who give me flexibility to work from wherever I need to be. However, whether you are a work-from-home mum, or an in-the-office mum, productivity is important.
If you’re a new mum, or soon to be, here’s a few tips from what I’ve learnt that can be helpful for productivity while navigating the crazy journey that motherhood is.
Tip 1 – Carve out time for yourself
I know everyone says that, BUT it’s so important. You need to recharge too. No matter how much you love your job you need to take time out to do something that sparks joy in your life.
For example, I like to go down to the beach, lay on the sand, and just be. I might journal a bit or write down ideas I have. I may also just nap, or stare blankly at the ocean for an hour, whatever it takes to turn off for a bit and just relax.
Hot Tip! Turn off your phone, or at least put it on do not disturb…
Tip 2 – Have a sweet playlist to listen to while you work.
For me, music has always been something that keeps me on task… Until it doesn’t. I love listening to music while I work because it helps me to not get distracted too easily. Baby noises in the other room, or people talking in an open plan office is very enticing when you’re meant to be doing your work.
However, you have to be careful when choosing your playlist. Something too lively makes things awkward when you just want to dance around the office, rather than work. Something too soft may just put you to sleep. Only you will know the perfect mix for you. Personally, I like music like, Without Words – Bethel Music.
Tip 3 - Communicate with your boss.
When I first ventured back from maternity leave, I made sure to have biweekly check-ins with my bosses. They helped me to look for things to work towards and helped me to get out of my mum brained state. Encouraging, flexible, bosses are worth their weight in gold.
COMMUNICATE. COMMUNICATE. COMMUNICATE
Any time I was struggling, I was able to talk to them and find a solution. I guess that’s a perk of working for a productivity firm. They are always open to trying new things to have more productive staff.
Everyone’s journeys are different, but hopefully these few tips help to start you off in the right direction.
Till next time,
Rachel