Are you a mum contemplating starting a home business or working from home? Perhaps you are already working from home and wondering how you can improve your efficiency both as a mum and a business owner? Work at home mums can sometimes face big challenges, however there are many things you can do to be successful at both being a mum and a business owner. For me, the absolute most important thing is to be organised.

I thought I was busy just being a mum to my two young children. Then I added a home business to the equation. This is when I realised what 'being really busy' meant! But I wasn't just busy, I was disorganised, and now I have realised something quite significant to how overwhelmed I felt: I realised that being disorganised really increases your workload! Organised work at home mums already have a reduced workload.

To achieve a better balance between being a mum and a home business owner, and to ensure success in both roles, here is what work at home mums can do:

1. Have a Comprehensive Schedule. This has to be the foundation of organisation for work at home mums! It is not enough to just determine 'working hours'. In my weekly schedule, I have divided my working hours into categories so that I know what type of task I will do in each time slot (e.g. making calls, marketing activities, writing articles, education, checking emails, website updates, etc). This helps me ensure that all my tasks are done by the end of the week. It also means that I don't choose my tasks spontaneously based on what I feel like working on (tasks that I don't particularly enjoy also need doing!). I allocate mentally demanding tasks to the time of the day when I am most alert and not getting disrupted. I also prefer to work harder on earlier days in the week to have smaller working days towards the end of the week when I am more tired. I like to be more spontaneous with the house chores, shopping, activities with the kids and family time, but if you are having trouble juggling it all you may want to incorporate these tasks into your schedule as well. Finally, check that you have accomplished your goals and that the schedule is adequate at the end of every week.

2. When You Work, Work! Work at home mums, just like any workers, need focus. This is harder when you have young children at home and you want to work around them. I find that if I try to wear both my mum and work hats at the same time, I don't do any of my jobs right. I'm not focused on my work when my children need my attention, and I'm not attentive to my children while I work. If you need to do both at once at a particular time, and it will happen sometimes, make sure you choose tasks that are not mentally demanding or that take a long time to complete, and set up your children with special toys, music, a snack or a video. If they are old enough to understand, explain to them how long you need to work for, and maybe even promise a special game or treat for when you are done if they play nicely while you work!

3. Keep It Tidy. It is frustrating to waste time and patience on looking for your things all around the house. No more piling up and scattering! Work at home mums should keep all work-related items in the same area, organised, filed and tidy. Your time is valuable, and you want to access your resources quickly to get the task at hand done efficiently. Take the time to build the filing and tracking systems you need. I include a time slot for tidying my office in my weekly schedule to make sure that it gets done.

4. Make Time For You. You've organised your home, your family and your business. Have you thought about a time slot just for you and your well-being? Being a working mum is hard work, and can easily take up all your time (even sleeping time!). I schedule time for me (I actually write it down in my weekly schedule). Whether it is sport, meditation, going out, having a bath or reading, work at home mums should make sure they make time for themselves every week to relax, re-fuel and do something they enjoy.

5. Get Some Help. If possible, ask your partner or other family members to help you with house tasks or minding the kids. Perhaps your partner can make dinner one or two nights per week so that you can do some work early in the evening? Or grandparents can spend a few hours on a regular basis with your children while you work? Of course, if you can afford some paid help (e.g. cleaning, ironing, etc), go for it! Work at home mums need all the help they can get!

So these are my 5 tips for work at home mums: get yourself a detailed schedule and stick to it as much as possible, be devoted to working during your working hours, keep a tidy and organised office, schedule time for you, and enlist family helpers.