Have you ever seen the movie with Sarah Jessica Parker, I Don’t Know How She Does It?  It’s about a working mom who is trying to balance work with being a wife and mother.

In the movie, Sarah Jessica Parker’s character rushes around and is constantly being pulled between her work life and her home life.  Can you relate?  I know I can.

As a mother and owner of two businesses that I run from my home, it is hard to balance it all.  Some days I feel I have a handle on it and other days I feel like pulling my hair out.  But over the years I have figured out the best way that I can handle it all and wanted to share it with you.

1. Have a set routine – I am definitely someone that does better with a routine and my kids do better with a routine.  During the summer, I definitely change this routine to be a little more relaxed but during the year, I stick to it.   My routine during the school year is wake up and be a mom first!  I get the kids ready for school, make breakfast and take them to school.  Luckily school is only a mile from my home so I am back home and ready to start my day.  I try to workout first because if I sit down at the computer then there is no chance of me getting up for a while.  After I work out, I work.  I generally work from around 8:30 or 9:00 to 3:00 p.m.  This allows me a big chunk of time to get things done while my kids are at school.  No mommy guilt because they are not home!
2. Take a Lunch Break – I do this Every. Single. Day.  I know it is easy to just work, work, work and forget about eating.  But for me, I am a better worker when I have taken a break.  So I literally step away from my computer and sit down for lunch.  Now don’t judge on this next part but I watch my favorite show (which happens to be a soap that I have watched since I was too young to watch it thanks to my mom) while I have my lunch.  This allows me to escape for about 45 minutes and when I am done, I am ready to tackle the rest of my to-do’s.
3. Set Certain Days to Shoot – Setting certain days that you will do sessions is key to being organized and keeping it all together.  Instead of a client calling, asking when you are available and you just look at the next day you are open, have a certain amount of days a week that you shoot.  So if you want to shoot on Mondays, Wednesdays and Sundays then set those as your shoot days.  When clients call, give them only those days of the week that you are available.  By doing this, you will be able to schedule your family life better as well.  Your husband and kids will know that mommy will only be on a shoot Monday, Wednesday or Sunday.  This will allow you to fill up your month easier and schedule photo shoots out.  Instead of just picking the random dates that are open, you have a more organized approach to your shooting schedule and everyone (you, your clients and family) will benefit.
4. Streamline Your Editing – When I first started, I spent tons of time editing each and every photo.  I actually learned Photoshop before I learned to take photos so I felt like I had to keep doing things in Photoshop to improve the image.  Over the years, I have adjusted my editing workflow to be as streamlined as possible but still give my images my editing style.  I think we have all gone through that fixing-my-image-in-photoshop-stage and spent tons of time on editing.  But getting your images right in camera first and then streamlining your editing to enhance the image and add your style to it is key to cutting down time spent in front of the computer.
5. Set a Quitting Time – If you had a job outside the home, you would leave at 5:00 p.m. or as close to that as possible.  Your work would be at the office and you wouldn’t worry about it until the next day.  But working at home makes it a little hard to leave the work.  But it is super important that you do.  Pick a time that you will end your day and stick to it.  Try not to check emails or worry about the images you need to edit until the next day.  Your quitting time could be when your kids get home from school or you could do like I do.  I quit work at 3 p.m. when my kids get home from school.  At that time, I become mom.  I help with homework, make dinner and hang out with the kids.  Then I usually have a little more work to do when the kids go to bed.  But I quit work around 9 p.m.  I like to unwind with a book or a tv show and then go to bed at a reasonable time because I like to sleep! J  By having set times that I work and a set time that I quit, I am able to try and emulate a regular work-day at home.

There are so many little things you can do to help improve your work and home life.  By doing the things mentioned above or by creating your own routine, you can become the mom or dad that all your friends talk about and ask, “How does he/she do it?”  If you do any of these things already, share with us how it works for you.  And if you have other things you do that help, please share in the comments below!