Work From Home Productivity Tips (How To Plan Your Day With Your Partner)

I’ve been working from home on-and-off for 11 years (since I started my own business), and my husband works for Cisco & they have a culture of encouraging employees to work from home (hello WebEx!) so this is not our first rodeo when it comes to sharing an office — and doing it while the chaotic four-year-old is home.

⁣I will never say we are perfect, because… no one is, even if they look like it on social media. Throwing a headstrong kid in the mix, while being stuck at home 24x7, worried about our own small family, friends and other family members getting sick, and stressed over our own jobs (I have lost 2 gigs, and Jeff’s is doing well, but it is easy to get stressed that everything could go) — and life gets pretty chaotic during the normal 9to5.

From years of working from home, as well as what we have been doing for the past week, here are some of our work from home productivity tips for planning ahead with your partner:

✔️ Create a plan with your significant other for trading off child care (if this is possible). ⁣
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✔️Sit down with your partner (or by yourself) each morning to drink coffee, and go over the schedule. Write down your three main work goals, either in a day planner, a piece of paper or on your phone. ⁣
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✔️ If it’s your turn to work, close the door to your office or your room, and focus. Set a 15, 30, or 45-minute timer so you can keep focused on the task at hand, versus checking social media for the latest coronavirus news (which we all know can lead you down a rabbit hole). ⁣Here are ideas for some other work from home tools, including my favorite social media tool: a kitchen timer!
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✔️ If you do have to work while watching the kids, try to do simple tasks because we know they take a lot of energy. And save deeper projects for naptime, after bedtime, or first thing in the morning (to be honest, that’s when my brain is the most productive). ⁣
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✔️ Make sure to drink enough water, eat healthy snacks, and move around. ⁣Take walks with the kids when it is your turn to watch them (we broke out the stroller after being dormant in the garage for a year because we don’t trust the 4-year-old not to lick a lamp pole, or stay 6-feet-away from others). I also love this radio flyer wagon for multiple kids.
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Who knows how long this is going to last, but I can tell you from experience that focusing on one thing at a time will get you through your to-do list. ⁣
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Let me know if you have any other productivity tips, I’d love to hear them!!!

Back to school and back to work

I have written about Ryeson being out of school since March a few times, but I haven’t really brought it up over the past month too much, other than on Instagram. Mostly because it’s been me and him every day since we moved to the East Bay. 

Every day, with only a few hours for DEDICATED time to work -- around 6am for a half hour while Jeff got up with Rye, during nap time, and sometimes after Rye went to sleep (but, honestly I was usually just to worn out to do any deep-level writing or thinking). Over the past several months I've had to turn down gigs, writing opportunities, and speaking engagements because I was a work-from-home // stay-at-home mom.

My one solace during those long days, suck inside because of 90+ degree heat was taking him to kids care at the gym for up to two hours per day. It was a nice break, and sometimes I would work out, other times I would catch up on emails and writing from the locker room.

But now that he is back in school, I have my days back again… I am learning how to work full time again… And, honestly, I’m learning how to be myself again. 

Back To Work, In A New City

It’s different this time around, now that he’s in school. I live in a place where I don’t know many people in the East Bay, and I am trying to figure out what my next steps are in terms of a career. 

I am finding networking events, like speaking at Tuesdays Together, put on by the Rising Tide Society, or trying to connect with people at my Monday Cardio kickboxing class, or wine events happening at wineries in Alameda, and Berkeley - but it is surreal…. This is only the second time in my life where I lived somewhere where I didn’t know anyone (the first was when I moved to Sacramento, but quickly started school and working at a Starbucks, so I had a built-in social calendar).

I still have my Recipe for Instagram online course, and I still teach classes occasionally on Instagram, or social media marketing for wineries, sweet producers, and no solo entrepreneurs. 

And of course, I still write for Sonoma Magazine, SonomaCounty.com, North Bay Business Journal, and other publications, but I’m looking to expand to more broad topics outside of JUST Sonoma County (though, don’t worry, I will still write for all of these publications, as long as they will have me). 

It’s Okay To Not Know Your Next Steps

Right now is the first time in a long time that I am not sure what my next steps are going to be. And, right now I am trying to learn to be okay with not being in charge of that. I mean, Julia Child didn’t even release her first cookbook until age 49. Which means as of Sep 23 of this year, I will have 11 years to write my first book. Thankfully I have an outline and a few chapters that I wrote 4 years ago somewhere….

The Move to the East Bay

I’ve been a Sonoma County resident for most of my life. I moved from San Jose to Windsor, California in 1998 with my parents and little sister, out of my parents’ house to Napa for the first time at 19, and then to San Diego/Sacramento for college. After that, I moved back to Santa Rosa after four and a half years of being away.

Since then, I’ve lived in several houses in Healdsburg and Santa Rosa, never staying in one place for too long – not on purpose, but simply because that’s the nature of the beast when you rent.

Saying goodbye to Sonoma County

We said goodbye to the house that Rye grew up in (well, grew up in for the first 3 1/2 years of his life). We said goodbye to where our baby took his first steps, said his first sentence (“Bye bye, kitty!”), and learned to sleep in a big boy bed.

And now we are officially residents of the East Bay in Concord, California, just between Clayton and Walnut Creek. During this first month, I’ll be watching Rye full-time until he starts school in September.

Work from home mom life

I still have work to do and magazine writing deadlines to meet, so my husband and I devised a schedule in which I spend the first 45 minutes of every single day writing. Once my time’s up, he takes off for work and I watch Rye.

Because our almost 4-year-old gets up at 5 AM on the dot – no matter what time he goes to sleep – we have become morning people, whether we like it or not.

In terms of productivity, I’ve learned that I am the most resourceful and creative in the morning. Doing work after 7 PM is kind of like pulling teeth for me, especially when my bucket of energy is drained after watching a feisty three-year-old all day.

Kid activities in the East Bay

One thing I wasn’t expecting to get out of the move is the amount of activities for kids here in the East Bay area! There seems to be a park on every corner, plenty of Discovery museums, and lots of splash pads to cool down from the East Bay heat. There’s also a multitude of recreational swim classes, soccer practices, etc., etc., etc. We’re excited to visit them and find out which ones are our favorites!

So far, Rye is loving the splash pad at the Clayton playground and the green rolling hills of the Heather Farm Park in Walnut Creek...not to mention the two mini playgrounds that are within walking distance from our house. Perfect for walking the dogs and the toddler to!

Work life balance

We moved to the East Bay so my husband Jeff could be closer to his work. Commuting 89 miles, one way, 3-4 times a week was just not making either one of us happy in Santa Rosa.

So, now we can have an arrangement that includes him watching Rye for 45 minutes every morning, AND him coming home by 5 PM (or even earlier) for us to enjoy happy hour and one of the exciting new restaurants here in the East Bay.

Let me know if you have any happy hour recommendations in Concord, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, Danville, or Lafayette! I’m excited to try them all!

4 Ways Being a (Working) Mom Has Allowed Me to be More Productive

This year I am celebrating my 10-year anniversary of being a small business owner. 10 years of late nights, long hours, ups, downs, and everything in between. Before my toddler, Ryeson, came along 3 years ago, I didn't care about being productive... I would work all hours of the day with no thought about “work-life balance” – I mean, my job was in wine and food. It was all work and fun. Even when I started dating Jeff (my now husband), striking that balance wasn’t a priority. But after having Rye, we both knew we had to make several changes to how we balanced our work, our baby, and our own lives. Jeff works for an IT company, so he has the typical 8 - 5 job, but my hours have always been less rigid.

Forcing Myself to Put My Phone Down

I now make it a point to put my computer and phone down during family time. It's an ongoing struggle because my iPhone is basically my lifeline. It's how I create content for my clients, my grocery list, my baby monitor (so I can watch to see if Ryeson is wiggling around in his bed or sleeping), and my workout buddy (I love the SEVEN app). I am also a former social media addict, having been under the impression that if I didn’t respond to people RIGHT AWAY that I would somehow miss out on something exciting.

But, you know what? My business (and my life) hasn’t imploded since putting the phone down more. In fact, it's made me more efficient with my time. You know the saying about the goldfish and how they will grow to the size of the container they are in? Our businesses tend to do the same thing – but it takes work to get there.

Tips For Becoming More Productive As a Mom:

1. Set your hours. Especially as a small business owner. And stick to them.

Like I mentioned before, I used to work late into the night on my projects. With no time restraint, I would find myself rewriting a certain line in a press release over and over again, or stressing out about which word to use in a piece of content. Now that I have a finite number of hours based on when Ryeson is in school, I'm able to be OK with only writing something once or twice. I don’t stress about the little details as much because I don’t have the time. This doesn’t mean that I produce poorer quality – what it does mean is that I don’t stress out about it as much!

I like having a routine during the week. I drop Rye off at school. I come home and do a quick workout, then I make a smoothie or have breakfast. And then I get started with work. Before Rye goes to school, I don’t even check my email because I know I can’t get to it until later anyway. Now that I pick up Rye four days a week, I have a set time at which I have to stop working. And Jeff and I are working on not picking up our phones throughout the evening until after Rye has gone to bed.

2. Plan your goals ahead of time, and spend the first half of your day focused on your main priority before any little tasks.

Planning ahead is another way to ensure that your time is spent more efficiently. It’s essential that you spend a few minutes on a Friday or Monday morning and plan out the week ahead so that you know which goals are the most important for your business. Even more essential – making sure to set aside time first thing in the morning to get those goals done, before all the other fires or meetings derail you from your original goal.

3. Taking time off actually makes you a better worker (and parent).

When you're stressed, your work and family life suffer. It’s a simple fact. Taking time off to enjoy your family helps for a few different reasons. It lets you recharge and come back ready to jump headfirst into work. And, if you choose to go on a vacation during your time off, booking your travel gives you something to feel excited about! I just booked a 40th birthday celebration in Mexico for my husband and we are so excited; even though we’re three months out, just the anticipation of going is enough to give me something to look forward to.

4. Have a Plan B in place.

This is such an important one, because as parents we have to have a Plan B for when our kids are sick or there’s a smoke day and school is out. Just having an idea of how things could play out makes it a little easier. Talk out what a scenario would look like, so it’s not just you having to take off work every time.

Making sure I plan ahead definitely increases my efficiency while the toddler is in school. And because of that, I am simply better at my job. I may have less time, but I know how to use it more wisely. Being more productive with your time means finding what makes sense for you.

Creating Habits Leads to Long Term Change

These 4 minor changes have the ability to create habits for being more productive in your work and home lives. And just remember - take some time to reward yourself because becoming more productive as a mom (or any parent) is not an easy task in the beginning. But, it is soooo worth it!

MY Word of the Year 2018 - CREATE

Instagram is currently covered in images of day planners, calendars, and letterboards (call me basic.. My Instagram feed had all of these also). Every blogger is talking productivity, planning, and resolutions for the new year.. And so many people are talking about their 2018 word of the year.

Back in 2015 my word was relationship — husband, my friends, online community and my clients.

Perhaps my "word" for the last two years since having a baby has been coffee, or maybe.... meh.  Because that’s how I felt a lot of the time (lack of sleep and chasing after a small child will do that to you).

I wouldn’t trade being a mom for anything, I am so grateful for the snuggles, coos, excitement, etc but I am finally ready to move forward with my business after working part-time for last two years.

I am finally ready to find "me" again after being "mom" for the last two years. 

I’m excited to *CREATE* in 2018.  have a few Instagram and social media courses coming up, photography workshops, etc. in the near future.

So stay with me on this journey. I can only promise to continue to create and connect!

Easy Tools for a More Productive Work Day - It’s a Short List!

Goal Setting looks different for everyone. In fact, some people may not even think about it. They are just stuck in their email, refreshing their inbox, waiting for the next task to come. Disclaimer: This blog post contains affiliate links (to products I have used before and love).

During my PMG-North Bay lunchtime seminar on Finding Inspiration, panelist and local business owner Nicole Smartt of Star Staffing said something that really hit home. “You're not going to find your inspiration if you are worried about 800 emails.”

Finding time to be inspired is important to moving forward with your goals. Finding time, in GENERAL, is important to moving forward with your goals. Being stuck doing tasks all day never moves anyone forward.

Ever since becoming a mom, I have been focusing on time management. Mostly because I only have a few hours each day that Rye is with a nanny, so I have to be VERY intentional with my time.

The idea of "time management" is thrown around so much in the corporate world, yet so many people choose to ignore it because they are not sure how to get started (or they THINK they don’t have the time).

My own focus on becoming more productive applies to myself as well as my clients in their social media marketing efforts. I want them to find the time to actually do social media marketing: to spend dedicated time creating content and connecting with customers through social networks.

Social Media Marketing seems to be one of the first things to go when people are so busy with other tasks. But if I’m being honest, most of the time they really aren’t that busy. The real issue is that they don't manage their time correctly. #TrueStory

Productivity tool number one - simple to do list

Every time I get an email that requires follow-up action, I create a task in my reminders through my iCloud. I add it to an ongoing list of “To-Dos” with no schedule, then each night or first thing in the morning, I check that list out and add due dates/times. Sometimes I add a note about how long that task should take. This helps me categorize my tasks so I can have a good sense of how my day should look.

When categorizing your tasks, make sure to add the important ones to the beginning of your day. You’re more likely to accomplish them before getting bogged down by other things that may come up throughout the day.

Your To-Do list can be a regular old sheet of paper, a physical planner, a special app that you pay for, or a reminder tool that comes with your iPhone or Mac.

It’s all about what makes sense for you.

Productivity tool number two – 60-minute timer

When people are first starting out with tracking their time, sometimes the simplest tools are the best (mostly because they are easy and don’t take a lot of time to figure out, which can be a barrier to getting started). A plain timer that you can set for 15- to 30-minute increments is one of my favorite ways to keep on-task.

I sometimes use my phone, but for some reason, I find it easier to hit STOP and go back to what I was doing if I use something other than my timer. That is the key: actually stopping your work once the buzzer goes off. Even if you set your timer for 15 minutes in the morning so you can check social media for your brand, stop after the timer is done and start on your next project. This way you don’t go down the rabbit hole that Facebook so often becomes and end up in an argument over politics on a friend-of-a-friend’s page.

No mom's have time for that... 

Add a crazy two-year-old toddler + a household to manage, and you have even less time to focus on goals for work. Now that I pay someone to watch my child, I only have a few hours in the day to work/run errands/take care of myself.

I have to make sure every free hour I have goes toward something meaningful. Not scrolling through Facebook for hours on end (like I used to). 

Try out one or both of my tips for time management and let me know if either of them works for you by messaging me on Twitter or leaving a comment below. @sharayray.

Sunbeam Timer, 60 minutes

Panda Planner Pro - Best Daily Planner for Happiness & Productivity

 Honestly, it doesn’t matter what you use to keep up with your goals - just writing down your overall goals, monthly priorities and daily tasks help make sure you reach your goals.

Every morning I start my workday by looking at bigger picture goals for the month, and projects for the week, and then I break them down into simple bite-size tasks that I can get done each day. When I make it a priority to stick to my routine and write down my tasks, I find that I feel less frantic, and more accomplished at the end of the day.

These two productivity tools have changed the way I tackle my daily tasks, but you do have to figure out what your goals are in the first place. That is where my Goal Planning Strategy Workbook to help marketers or small business owners figure out their personal and career goals.