• 3 things I am grateful for
• 3 things that would make my day great
• My top 1-3 business goals for the day. (Along with estimated times to complete them.)
• An affirmation: I am …
• Note any family activities/appointments for the day.
• Dinner plan

• What are 3 things that made today amazing?
• How I could have made today better?

What is it that moms really want to know about starting a business? Can you really start a successful business, while being an amazing mom?

Do you want the real answer, not just a yes like most people share? You want me to be honest, right?

Of course you can, but it is not going to be easy.

You can do anything you set you mind to. I am not going to sit here and tell you every mom can create a 100K business working 10 hours a week because lets be honest everyone is different, every business is different. Even more, not everyone has that same goal. You can make whatever you goal is a year, run a successful business and be an awesome mom, however you have to realistic and honest with yourself.

It is all about designing a business that fits into the life you want to live.

Here are some questions to get you started:

• How many hours are you willing to work a week?
• How much money do you want to make?
• What are your families goals for the next 5 years?
• What is your ideal business? What is your business model?
• What do you truly want out of your business and life?
• What are you willing to do to make it happen?

So how do the answers actual help you?

Let me give you an example. I am willing to work up to 30 hours a week on my business with the current goal to make 100K a year. My family wants to be able to travel 3 months of the year, move to the mountains and build our dream house, both work from home or have flexible schedules and work hard now to play more later. My ideal business is working from a laptop, doing group or membership offerings with a few one on one’s. I want to also have several passive income streams. I want to create a business and life that I love and make me and my family happy. My husband is willing to work a job he does not love right now to support us as I grow my business. I am willing to put my son in “School” a few mornings a week. I am willing to work naps and after my son goes to bed to make it happen. Knowing all of this really gives me a realistic look of how I can take my business to the place I want it to go and create the life I want.

It is still going to be scary, there will be tough, tired days and others where your kids take priority (which they should.) It is normal and it is ok. That is why I created the Mama’s Biz Cafe Facebook group. It is a place of people that get it. They are all doing what you are. Going after there dreams while being that amazing mom too. Build your support system. Find other moms that get it, they are invaluable.

You can be a fantastic mom and run a successful business, you just need to be realistic, figure out what you want and what you are willing to do to get it. I am your biggest cheerleader and support, you are not only.

It is your turn, in the comments tell me what you are willing to do to make the business YOU want happen?

How often do you have a task or activity in business or life that you know you need to do, but keep putting it off? It may be something that will take you literally 5 minutes, but you keep putting it on a list or ignoring it for whatever reason. Whether you are not sure how to do it, it is our of your comfort zone or even it is just a boring task you need to get it done.

Today I challenge you  to do one of those tasks you are putting off.

Grab your computer, paper, broom, scrub brush and get it done.

Take the 5 minutes to learn how to do it or just ask someone, then do it.

Get your family involved, if you can.

If you have a task or activity you need to do that will take 10 minutes or less, don’t write it on your list, don’t wait until later, just do it.

My hubby used to always bug me to do this, but it was not until the last 6 months I have started following his advice. It has changed my life. It is so much better to just suck it up and complete the task then keep waiting. Not only is it done, but there is such an accomplishment that comes with completing it, no matter how small.

So stop reading this and get to it!

*Long Post Alert*

For years now I’ve been trying to create a morning routine that I will actually stick to.

Over the past year I’ve experimented with a variety of morning routines to see what will work best for me and my family.

The thing is life with kids means things are always changing.

I now have a two-year-old son. I went from breast-feeding every morning first thing to being able to take him on my walks to him not wanting to sit still that long. My husband worked out of the house for six months and I was able to get up and work out well he looked after him before he got to work.

So I’m saying that things change, they’re always changing, and we need to create an morning routine that works for us and whatever is currently going on in our lives.

Here are some suggestions.

• Write out your dream morning. In as much detail as you can. I found as a mom that I need to do two, one assuming my son is home, another as if he was not. (Helped me get clear on what I truly wanted and realistic on when I would need to get up).
• Create a list of must haves for your morning. This is things that you need, want or must do every morning.
• Then experiment and try out a variety things to see what fits and works for you.

I recently read The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod. I love his concept of the six steps you should do each morning to set yourself up for your best day and life.

Here is my current morning routine.

• Night before - I set my phone across the room so I have to get out of bed turn the alarm off.
• Wake up at 5;30am - so early!
• I make myself brush my teeth and drink water to help me wake up.
• I read several affirmations I wrote for myself.
• I spend five minutes stepping into my higher self and visualizing the future I want.
• I get a workout.
• I spend 10 minutes meditating. (I use the Headspace app). It is suggested to meditate first, however I found that if I did that I would just fall asleep, ha.
• Spend 10 minutes reading
• Write down 3 things I am grateful for and 3 things I want to accomplish that day.
• Then if I’m lucky I will have a cup of tea and watch some morning news before my son wakes up.
• At some point during the morning I like to put on a morning playlist, with some theme songs and dance around with my son.
• We usually do breakfast within 30 minutes of him waking up.
• Every other morning I take my dog for a walk.

My musts are working out, tea, and music/dancing with my son.

As I continue to do this morning routine I hope to find and add more must haves to my list.

I will be honest not every morning goes smoothly. Some days my son wakes up early, and occasionally I let myself go back to bed (trying to stop doing that though). However every morning I get in my must haves, even if it does not happen until 11am. Do what you need for yourself to create the best day and attitude to build the life you want and deserve.

What is your morning routine?

Becoming more productive and improving my time management, is an everyday challenge and experiment.

I’ll admit right off the bat I’m not fantastic at this, but I’ve learned a lot of great ways to improve the way I work because I’m constantly trying to improve. I’ve tried things that I hated doing or did not work for me, but I’ve also found things that have worked so well I can’t believe it took me so long to try it. I would suggest as you learn new productivity tips and time management skills test them out and see what works for you your life. Implement the ones you like and discard the rest.

Here is what currently works best for me

1. Create a short to do list. Put down only 1 to 3 items you want to complete each day. This allows you to feel accomplishment when you complete them. I do have a master list I can look at if I finish all three and have more time.  However, as a stay-at-home mom, I have maybe four hours a day to get things done so I have to be very focused and specific about the tasks I need to complete.
2. Set a timer for when you work. There are variety of ways to do this, online, phone apps or your phone timer. I work for 25 minutes and take a five-minute break, then work for 25 more minutes and take a five-minute break, repeat this four times and then take a longer break. This helps you to stay very focus when you are working and it gives you the ability to have time to do the things that normally distract you. I do find that I often work much longer than 25 minutes, but always set the timer for 5 minutes when I do need a break.
3. Declutter your work space.  I’m talking desk, files, paperwork, computer folders and email. By getting extremely organized it is easier to cut down 20 minutes of looking for something you need to complete a task. This may seem odd or like a no brainer, but it really made a huge difference, not only in the way you work, but  how productive you are and gives you a positive attitude.
4. Prepare your desk in advance. In other words, make sure that your computer is up and running, grab your water and snack, if needed, along with what you will be working on. This way when you have time to work or your kid goes down for a nap you are ready to go. This also keeps you from getting distracted by cleaning, laundry or other random activities that you want to get done too.
5. Close all your extra tabs. When working and online it is very easy to have a lot of windows open. This is something I still struggle with, but I’ve been trying to improve on. I find the more I have open, the more distracted I am, and the more likely I will get off task. By only opening the tabs you currently need for your task you will be more likely to stay focused.
6. Create a special activity box for your children. Depending on their age it is great to have a special box of toys or activities for you kids to play with only when you are working. There are times that you need to get something done and your kids may not want you to, so by having a fun activity can give you the time you need to finish up what you are working on. I have used TV during these times, I just tried to limit it. I find I can easily be so focused that I continue to work while he gets show after show after show.
7. Learn on the go. Listen to webinars, podcasts, trainings, video blogs while walking, driving or running errands. I find times that my son is strapped in an awesome time to continue to learn.  I do make sure I don’t do this every time I get the car or go for a walk because my son does like to chat too.
8. Get a planner. Whether on the computer or a paper calendar choose something that you will stick to in order to stay organized. Create yearly, monthly, weekly and daily goals and plan out how you are going to get them done. Then schedule in family time, personal time, workouts, date nights, activities with your kids and anything else you need. Get clear on what you need to do and when to help you actually stick to it.

These tips are what I’m currently using and work for me. I am slowly, but surely becoming more productive and organized in my everyday work and life.

What is one thing you do to be more productive?