Finding Peace and Balance as a Work-at-Home Mom

I have officially been a work at home mom for about a year and a half.  I feel so grateful for this journey and the opportunities that have come my way in this past year.  However, as my success has grown, my peace has lessened.

I have prayed over recent months that God would show me how to reduce the daily anxiety and stress.  See, one interesting thing about a work at home mom is this…it usually means you are also a stay at home mom.

I have loved being a stay at home mom and all that comes with it.  Yes, it is overwhelming some days, and there is no lunch breaks or sick days like a traditional 9-5. At the same time it is truly the most fulfilling work I have ever done. I know God called me to do that for a season and now the season has changed.

I love this blog and know it is something God provided for my family. It can also be an area of stress.

As my blog grew, my priorities for it became more and more out of balance.  Even though I was able to make a lot of money blogging, I would lay down at night with very little peace.

So, I prayed for help and would talk to other working mom’s and work at home mom’s to get guidance about what to do. Many times, however, I didn’t find anyone who felt they were sharing similar struggles.

One day, I was listening to a podcast and it said that if you aren’t happy with the way your life is going, if you are having daily regrets than CHANGE IT! List your priorities and make your life over.

First, I listed my priorities in order based on the time I spent on each category, When I compared this to my current goals, I was shocked.

The priorities were listed in this order:

1. Blog

2. Kids

3. Marriage

4. Friends

5. God

6. Housework

7. Self Care

This was eye opening, but life changing.  Even if I wanted to say they were different, the way I used time suggested this was my order of priorities.

I then rearranged the priorities to what I wanted them to be:

1. God

2. Marriage

3. Kids

4. Housework

5. Self Care

6. Friends

7. Blog

I use a daily calendar for work. This helps me be as productive as possible. I started to add in my other personal categories and designate time to those things.

See, the problem was the blog had designated time every day and in my head, I felt the other priorities would still get done. Since those other priorities were important, I needed it on the calendar.

The first thing that went on the calendar each day was my time slot with God for devotions.  I also put time in the evening to put my phone/ computer down and connect with my husband and nights off to not work at all.  I added time to be intentional with my children and play or connect with them in some way.

Then, time to straighten-up the house and I would leave whatever couldn’t get done in that block of time.

I have been horrible with self care. I realize that having some time to care for myself changes everything about how I parent, work, and what kind of wife I am.  So, daily I am doing something for me.  Many times this is a small, not very time consuming activity, like watching a show I wanted to catch up on, listening to a pod cast, or taking a short nap.  This has been life changing.

I would add time to reach out to a few friends and be intentional in growing my friendships, this would usually be a few minutes and consisted of texting people to check in.

Lastly, I would add the blog.  Work is the least important aspect of my life, but I also know it’s something God has called me to do and is still a priority.  He has called me to do these other things first and more importantly.

The sense of peace I have experienced from ordering my days this way is mind blowing.  I feel I am in His will and the categories of my life are where He wants them to be and He’s given me peace in exchange.

I still work a good amount each day, but everything else isn’t falling through the cracks anymore.  Now, I feel I am truly living my best life.

We juggle many categories as women and we try to do way to much in a 24 hour period. My life was totally out of balance and I didn’t even realize how messed up my priorities had come.  I’m so grateful when I asked God for help, He showed me how easily it is to change the things about your life you don’t like.

So, if you feel like your priorities are out of wack, or your day runs off without you…take back your day. Re-structure it in a way that will give you more peace and joy while still being productive.  Some days I totally fall off of this, but I’m striving like never before to turn this life to one that pleases GOD more than myself and I hope you’ll do the same.  We are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus! (Romans 8:37) You’ve got this!

Go get your peace, it’s right around the corner.

* If you enjoyed this post, I would greatly appreciate it if you could share it on Facebook or Pinterest.  Thank You!!

For more on blogging and having success as a work at home mom, check out: “How I had success in my first year of blogging.”