You peel yourself out of bed at 6 am, pop your air pods in to listen to a podcast or uplifting music, and turn the coffee pot. Before you know, before the first sip touches your lips, a little one comes out to join you. You grab a book you have been completely emerged in and started to read through the pages.

Does this site seem all too familiar? My oldest is an early bird and is known to wake up right at 6. I used to struggle with this but more recently I have tried to embrace the early wakings to spend time with her in the early morning. With working from home being so common these days it’s sure to cause some unexpected stress but I’m hoping that with these 10 tips that you’re able to take a deep breath and refocus.

1 // Early Wake-Up

IF it’s possible, make it a habit to wake up early. When I do wake up early, I try to spend it drinking a hot cup of coffee and reading a book because let’s be honest as a mom to three littles it’s hard to get that time in. I try to do that for about 30 min, and then I get a head start on looking at my todo list in my planner. This leads me to my next point.

2 // Create a priority list

When I create a list, I tend to work from most important to least important. I don’t know about you but I get a lot of satisfaction from being able to check things off my to-do list. Plus, with littles running around, it might be hard to try and just remember what needs to get done.

3 // Your screen time is theirs too

I try to get anything that involves a screen early in the morning or after they go to bed. If I need to do something during the day, I usually allow this to be the time where they can also use a screen. Let’s be honest though sometimes the tv is on too long, and sometimes they play a little too many games on the iPad, at the end of the day we all know that being stuck inside won’t be forever.

Right now, there are a lot of resources for kids that not only free but also educational. A lot of zoos are offering live streams of various animals, and programs like ABC Mouse are offering extended free memberships.

4 // Create a Schedule (be flexible)

My kids have always thrived from being on some sort of predictable schedule. It makes it easy for them to know what to expect so that they aren’t stressed out. I understand that it doesn’t work for everyone, and it’s not always 100% possible. My oldest does e-learning from home right now, so i try to have all of us sit at the kitchen table so that she can do her iPad work and then either have my younger girls play a game, do a craft or play in their room.

4 // Toys Rotation

Something I have learned from reading mama blogs is to divide up toys. Store some and rotate them. We are in the process of doing that now, and I think it will make a difference. I don’t know about you, but the more my kid’s toys are cluttered, the less they play with them. When I organize the toys, it’s almost as though they can easily access things, which may keep them occupied enough so that you can get things accomplished

5 // Get Moving

Let’s be honest; sometimes, all we need is a little bit of Vitamin D to feel refreshed. On days where it’s been a little warmer in the morning, I try to get the girls fed breakfast and bundled up (spring in the Midwest), and we head outside for a short walk. Getting outside almost always seems to help when we hit the mid-afternoon slump too. It helps to break up the day and for everyone to get the wiggles out. If you cant, get outside put on a great work out video or crank some tunes so you can get moving for a little bit.

6 // Block Scheduling

My friend Faith over at Faith Marie Co is the queen of sharing all of the best productivity tips. She shares about the Pomodoro method where you do work for 25 min increments and have breaks. And she also talks about breaking your day into sections so that you have a segmented time to get something done.

7 // Dedicated Work Space

While this isn’t doable for everyone to have a dedicated office, I would suggest at least having a little area carved out where you keep items you need easy access to for your workday. I have a small space in our living room where I can easily be with my girls, but all of my materials for work get organized in that little area.

8 // Have A Plan In Place For The Next Work Day

There is nothing I love more than sitting down at the end of the day and going over the items I have planned for the next workday. In my planner is where I create the list I mentioned previously. I make a list of what I need to get done work-wise in my Simplified planners.

9 // Batch Your Work

Blocking out one’s time may not apply to everyone. Still, as a Pinterest manager for small business owners, I work with a variety of businesses, from bloggers to home decor businesses. I break my day up by the type of tasks I do. Typically I do my designing in the early morning, so I can focus on creating since that is my passion. I usually take the midday to schedule the content, and I try to batch schedule content for a few days at a time at the very least!

9 // Selfcare

Take care of yourself! You can’t be a parent, business owner, or employee if you aren’t taking care of yourself. Whether that’s getting out for a drive with the windows down, reading that book, you have been putting off, turning off work, and cuddling up on the couch to watch your favorite rom-com or baking. Make sure you take the time to do something you love that will refocus you and fill your cup! Remember, you can’t pour from an empty cup.

Share below things that you do to help your productivity while working from home!