Summer holidays are some of the most challenging times for the work at home parent. Unlike during the school year, you have no pre-set blocks of time where you can do your work. In other words, in order to stay productive you need to consciously carve out time to get things done.

Here are a few strategies to help you get through summer holidays.

=> Have a Talk with Your Kids

If your kids don’t really understand what you do for work or why you need time on your own, then perhaps it’s time to have a talk with them.

The difference between having your kids on your team and your kids trying to vie for your attention is huge. If you can really get your kids to support your work, it’ll make things a lot easier.

=> Work Away from Home

It can really help to get away from the home atmosphere and distractions of being at home. Hire a babysitter, if your kids are small, then take your laptop, find a nice cafe or lounge with Wi-Fi and do your work from there.

Even if you can’t do all your work away from the home office, try taking a portion of your work with you and see if it improves your productivity.

=> Minimize Distractions

If possible, have your spouse handle the kids during work hours. If your kids are old enough, explain that they shouldn’t interrupt you unless it’s a true emergency.

Shop for groceries in bulk to avoid having to go multiple times throughout the week. Stock up on snacks and easy to make foods. Err on the side of over stocking rather than under stocking for summer holidays, as kids can really eat a lot when they’re on break.

=> Kid Sitting and Play Dates

Make plans with other parents to have play dates and kid sitting exchanges.

Basically, one or two parents can watch a whole handful of kids. All the other moms and dads can just take the day off while the kids play.

This is a great way of making sure your kids are having fun, while also freeing up time to get your work done.

=> End Your Work Day

At the beginning of every work day, pick a time to end your work. It can be very easy to get sucked into your work and not spend valuable time with your kids.

Summer holidays are a unique time for kids to create new memories, to spend time with friends and to spend time with mom and dad.

Yes, it’s important to get your work done. But it’s also important to take the kids to the park, to new playgrounds, to see movies. Craft your schedule so you can be productive, but make sure to schedule in time for your kids too.

We love:

Mompreneurs: A Mother’s Practical Step-By-Step Guide to Work-At-Home Success
Available from Borders.com

There are plenty of work at home moms forums and online communities for mompreneurs. They are springing up all over the internet. Some of them are free. Others are not.

So why should you join them? There are a number of benefits they offer. Here are three of the most important:

#1) Work at Home Moms Forums allow you to meet like-minded people.

It’s no secret that mompreneurs often feel isolated from the rest of the world, since they are often working from home alone. A lot of people take for granted the social camaraderie that a job can provide.

When you get out of that environment, it’s easy to feel like you are a lone ranger, so the human interaction is one of the biggest benefits these communities provide. You are instantly a part of like-minded people.

Think about sports teams. Great players can’t win championships by themselves, because they need a strong supporting cast. That’s what communities provide.

#2) Accountability

One of the most important things about internet communities is that they keep you on track with your goals. Lack of accountability is often one of the biggest reasons people fail to achieve success.

How are you held accountable? There are a few ways. One, you can just post your work at home income goals on the main forum, and report on them regularly. This is a great way to use embarrassment to help you succeed. This is because you know that if you don’t achieve your goals, everyone will know about it.

And another method to be held accountable is through mastermind groups. Often times these forums have mastermind groups you can join. This helps each other report on their progress and exchange ideas at the same time.

This is similar to an online community, but mastermind groups take it one step further. They involve more regular meet-ups, and are often done over the phone or in person.

It’s simply a more intense form of accountability. Many successful business owners have reported their income going up dramatically from being a part of these groups.

And finally, sometimes you can find a coach in one of these communities. This is another great way to stay accountable.

#3) Learning from others’ mistakes

One of the biggest advantages online communities provide is acquiring knowledge from other members. For instance, if you want to start a pay-per-click campaign, chances are that somebody in the community is making money from that.

Learning what other work at home moms are doing to make it happen will help you achieve success much faster. This will dramatically speed up the process, because you can avoid making the same mistakes they did.

Which work at home moms forums/communities are the best?

Generally speaking, the free forums and communities tend to have a lot of tire kickers – as well as people who are simply there to sell you on their business opportunity or mlm. Generally, the paid ones will have people who are more serious about making money. When a WAHM pays money to join a community, she makes a commitment to focus on learning as much as she can from that particular group. If you are in a tightly focused niche business, check to see if there are any work at home moms forums specific to your niche.

Online mompreneur communities really can be an excellent method to achieve your goals. They might require a small initial investment, but the end result will be likely be well worth it. Like many things in business, you’ll get out what you put in.

We recommend:

Mom Masterminds

To start the site’s free trial, click here to read more about Mom Masterminds on the sales page and click the link to sign up. You’ll see an option for a 7-day free trial on the signup page.

Or sign up for the free 9-day email course here >