Shailynn Krow

Working from home full-time is just about every mom’s dream. No daycare costs, you make your schedule, and you still contribute to the household. The only issue is that you don’t have an office to escape to each day or your office looks like mine (i.e. full of toys, Mickey Mouse playing in the background, and kids tugging at your shirt for their fifth snack of the day). As an online copywriter working at home full-time, I understand what you’re going through. Three kids, two in full-time sports, one under a year old, and a full-time job at home; I am right there with you. So, how on earth are you supposed to juggle all of those assignments, kids, and still be creative enough to churn out killer copy when you’ve got everything else going on? I’m not going to claim I have perfected the art of working from home with kids, but over the past 10 years, I’ve developed a few skills that help me boost my productivity while managing the chaos of kids, family and household chores. Not all of these productivity hacks will apply specifically to you, but the good news is that you can customize them to suit your lifestyle. The goal here is to show you how to squeeze minutes out of what feels like seconds, and hopefully help you fit more assignments in each day; all without sacrificing your copy’s quality. [bctt tweet=”Learn 5 tips for staying productive as a WAHM, from one of our full-time writers #productivity #writers ” username=”ExpWriters”] What 5 Things Do I Do Each Day To Stay Productive As A WAHM Copywriter? Working from home is an art. Think of yourself as a juggling act tossing balls up into the air, whirling them around, and never breaking a sweat. Your mind is constantly on your assignments, even though you’re ironing a pair of pants, doing some dishes, or whipping up mac and cheese. Okay, well that is what is going through my head during the day; but, you get the point. Regardless of how you picture yourself, here’s what I suggest for getting more out of each day: 1. Shower & Get Dressed I cannot emphasize this one enough. Getting into the “Work At Home” syndrome is easy. You wake up, start working, and somehow it’s noon and you haven’t showered. I’m guilty of this too, so don’t worry. But, showering and getting dressed every morning psyches your brain into getting ready to work. Sure, your office is at home and the attire is more than casual, but that doesn’t mean you need to sport flannel pajamas. To be a great copywriter, you need to be awake. All of your senses should be in full swing — smell, taste, etc. You should be a virtual hamster running crazy on the wheel while working. You can’t do that when you’re still in “relax” mode. Entrepreneur’s Phil Dumontet suggests turning the water to cold for the last 30 seconds of your morning shower to help wake you up. You know what? It totally works. Surprisingly, I’m refreshed, less stressed about starting my day (even if I have a heap of assignments), and for some odd reason I feel cleaner. 2. Create An Online Copywriting Routine I have a method to my madness, and I’m going to share it with you. Even if I’m handling 10,000 words of assignments in a single day (a comfort area for me by now), I tackle it using the same approach. Now, you will need to develop a routine that works for your creative process; because we are all different in how we write. Here’s How My WAHM Copywriting Routine Breaks Down Research: I do research for my future assignments a few days before they’re Nothing kills my creative process more than having to stop and find resources. So, I find them all first. This also helps me tailor my content better when I start typing. Headline: I craft my headline long before I write. I know, I know. This goes against every online copywriting rule you’ve ever read. Most will tell you not to touch the headline until you’re done and here I am saying I do the opposite. However, having the headline written helps guide the rest of my content. I know my purpose ahead of time. If writing your headline after works better for you, keep doing it. Write, Write, Write: I don’t outline. I find outlines kill my creative process. If I’m pigeonholed into subheaders and bulleted lists, I feel stuck and robotic. Instead, I just sit down and start typing. Let it all flow and don’t stop. Don’t fix typos, don’t worry about grammar, and don’t care if you ramble away; that’s my motto. Walk Away: Depending on how my week is working out, I may work on something and not look at it again for a day or two, or it may be later that day. Regardless, I always walk away and let the piece rest. Edit: Once I’ve had a break from my work, I come back for editing. Smartblogger’s Shane Arthur shares his wisdom on how to edit your work, and I follow these tips daily. 3. Put The Rest Of The Family On A Schedule If you want to carve out work time in between the soccer games, dance classes, homework, and baby’s naps, you’re going to need everyone else consistent. I’m not saying create a rigid schedule that plans out every minute of everyone’s life. However, everyone needs to be consistent to an extent. That means nap times are around the same time of day, homework hour is the same time, kids have a bedtime routine, and the day flows smoothly regardless of what is going on. One of my biggest struggles as an online copywriter is constantly having to take a break right in the middle of my creative flow to do something non-work related. So, by having set work times, I’m less at risk for dealing … Read more