Etsy's Handmade Blog
Cracker Crumbs and Packing Peanuts: Insights from Work-At-Home Moms to Boost Your Productivity
Story by FormAndFunction
Published on January 4, 2008 in How-To 		Photo by

Inferis


Do you ever wonder how the other gal does it? Don't we all. As if being a working mom and raising a family isn't enough, some woman are choosing to bring their work home with them — permanently. The pursuit of a more creative lifestyle and the flexibility that it offers has motivated more and more women to trade in their Blackberries for Berninas. With the help of Etsy many of these WAHMs (Work-At-Home-Moms) are supplementing a spouse's income, building college funds or replacing full time incomes. I asked six of them to share insights to help anyone who's wearing too many hats: tips on how to manage their day-to-day tasks, get organized and boost productivity in the New Year.

Insight #1: Plan realistic and attainable "mini goals."

This simple but tried and true advice comes from a crafter who gets through her day one stitch at a time. Diane Hoffman, an ex freelance web designer and owner of Bee Square Quilts, outlined the way she set goals for her week: "When assembling quilts, for example, I will set a goal of making five blankets in a week.  So I'll spend one day designing, one day cutting all the pieces, one day sewing the quilt tops and then a day completing all the quilts."  She emphasized that "this method gives me a sense of accomplishment because it creates mini-sized goals [for] each day that are attainable."


Insight #2: Embrace inexpensive, low-tech organization.

Almost every woman interviewed mentioned her utilization of small plastic shoeboxes. A bargain store staple that won't cut into profits, plastic shoeboxes can be used in a variety of ways to suit different needs. Talcott Broadhead — owner of Talcott, an Etsy shop specializing in appliquéd children's clothing — pointed out that one benefit of the shoeboxes are that "they are the perfect size for remnants, thread, buttons, etc., but are not large enough to become junk-receptacles." Christina Fast from Gorgeous Baby, a shop featuring hip baby necessities, uses her shoeboxes to store slings by size. Clutter control and organization — what more can you ask for at roughly a dollar a piece?

Insight #3: Strategize when and how you will best get things done.

The morning means work time for Lissa Juedemann of Lissa, an Etsy shop specializing in children's play items. She knows that her "…daughter tends to be really great at entertaining herself in the morning, so that's when I get the most sewing done."  In contrast, she says, "My daughter is usually less interested in playing on her own in the afternoon, so I gather up my hand sewing and…fill a backpack with balls to be sewn shut, or animals who need faces embroidered on, and wander around the yard behind my daughter sewing" and muses, "I am sure this confuses the neighbors."

While planning around your family's needs and habits are important, knowing your limitations is also a must. Kiersten Hatchcock, an ex-TV executive and owner of Mod Mom Furniture, jokes that "I don't want to use the table saw or any tool that can kill me when I'm tired."


Insight #4: Allow yourself down time, but don't let it get away from you.

While technology can be a great tool for the WAHM and her business, sometimes it can be more of a distraction than anything. Aline Yamada, the digital illustrator behind Yumi Yumi, explains that, "The internet is so great in so many amazing ways, but it sometimes detracts me from being fully productive, and I get lost checking out other Etsy shops, blogs and social networking sites." Her rule is "…to limit my time surfing online to an hour a day."

This down time can help creative types return to their tasks with renewed energy: yet if gone unchecked, it can actually hurt productivity. Lissa puts limits on her down time: "I only allow myself 20 minutes of goofing off after she [her daughter] is in bed.  If I didn't have that time limit it would easily turn into an hour before I get working." Set a limit for yourself in whatever you spend your down time on and stick to it to get the most benefit from it.

Two other essentials our six work-at-home moms mentioned? Coffee, coffee, coffee, and a supportive partner!



Even if you haven't made the decision to work at home, the insights from these women are sure to increase your organization and productivity in the New Year.

For more tips and articles specifically related to the work-at-home lifestyle, log onto the following sites:
Tips for Working at Home
Nine Tips for Work at Home Parents
Tips for Working at Home With Kids

Tags baby, children, Handmade Kids, HOW-TO, moms, organization, parenting, productivity, Seller Handbook, selling, WAHMs, work at home mom, working from home
All articles in How-To
Related Items
This article was reported by:
FormAndFunction
shop . profile . contact

31 comments     Login to add your own!

Jan. 4, 2008 at 6:07 p.m. katwhitt

Wonderful article! It is quite a balancing act when you are a work at home mom. If there were only 3 extra hours in the day....

Jan. 4, 2008 at 8:11 p.m. OpulentOddities

Great article. I don't know how they manage at all!

Jan. 4, 2008 at 8:13 p.m. ziazia

This is a great article, i myself am a work at home mom/ fulltime artist/student and what has helped me a lot is the mini goal list, i do a few goals for everyday which works for me better then the weekly goals.

Jan. 4, 2008 at 8:26 p.m. kibblesnknits

Great article! Another thing that's really helped me is to only photograph my items if I have at least 5 things to photograph. It really maximizes my time being creative if I only make one trek to the lightbox and do all my photo editing in one big chunk.

Jan. 4, 2008 at 9:25 p.m. JesPlayin

This is a battle I fight everyday, and it's wonderful to see how others are doing it. Great article!

Jan. 4, 2008 at 10:53 p.m. nouveaumotley

I hate to be redundant but GREAT ARTICLE!!! (woot!)

Jan. 5, 2008 at 1:04 a.m. BeadsInTheBelfry

This is an absolutely wonderful article. I found great tips in here that I can implement right away! thank you!

Jan. 5, 2008 at 5:28 a.m. Feltathome

great article....mini goal list is a great idea & definitely limiting time to surfing is essential! thanks :)

Jan. 5, 2008 at 7:10 a.m. countyclothcreations

A great article! Lists are a fantiastic idea, especially for those who feel like they didn't get enough done in a day. Your list can remind you that you accomplished quite a bit.

thanks again from another WAHM :)

Jan. 5, 2008 at 9:59 a.m. meeabee

I really like the organization tips, goals for the week, tackling large goals by breaking them down into daily tasks.

The internet is a time-waster for sure, limiting that time is a good idea - if only I could stick to it!

My huge tip is meal planning. When I've spent the day sewing it would be so easy to give my children junk food or fast food. That's why I love my crockpot. It's a cliche but it really works.

Thanks, great article and food for thought.

Jan. 5, 2008 at 10:23 a.m. mamaziel

This has been a struggle for me and I run such a tiny shop!

I'm spending all day putting up shelveing, organizing fabric and working on ways to stream line packaging and shipping process.

Great article.

Jan. 5, 2008 at 6:13 p.m. PinkPosieDesigns

Great article and timing, too! One of my "resolutions" was to do a better job of working at home - productivity, focus, organization, motivation, etc. This article has really helped with some good ideas.

Jan. 5, 2008 at 8:18 p.m. vaivanat

heheeeee that's an artical about my life ;) I have everything planned in my children shedule. I have two kids (1 and 6 years) and a part time graphic designer job (from home)
Wake up, porrige, march to school, playing with doughter and getting photo's of items (getting dark from 3 p.m), walk to grocery with buggy, dougters day nap, free 1 to 3 hours - graphic design, chating with my bosses in skype, then doughter awoke, school, preparing dinner, playing with kids with sewing at the same time, supper, reading books with kids,'free' time - making felt, sewing, waching tv... getting to bed at 1-2 am.... maaaad....

Jan. 6, 2008 at 9:21 a.m. pogibabies

so great! i made the leap and quit my full time job to pursue my little sewing business last June...which is actually a full time gig too with my 3 year old in towe. There are some great tips in this article for time management and storage - two of my biggest challenges. Great article!

Jan. 6, 2008 at 12:45 p.m. Kikiknits

Great article with great tips. How true, to limit time behind the computer, especially when you have a little one. Time is precious, nap time is even more precious! So I better go and start creating ;-)

Jan. 6, 2008 at 1:51 p.m. resinated

i second all the above, especially the computer being a time waster, whether it's surfing or editing photos and posting and work... argh!
i also have a baby/mama shop at ammasmama.etsy, and a 11 month old, so i totally related to lissa talking about wandering around the yard hand sewing while following her daughter! that cracked me up!! :)

Jan. 6, 2008 at 5:38 p.m. audelaine

excellent tips. We needed this article! kudos to all those who participated and all of us who struggle to balance kids, creativity and making progress every day.

Jan. 6, 2008 at 6:25 p.m. LASdesigns

great article. my 15m old boy is great but if it wasn't for a super supportive partner i wouldn't even be able to type this message!

Jan. 6, 2008 at 8:11 p.m. bellamiababy

Wonderful! I dropped being a VP at a financial institution and now am a WAHM, staying home with my 2 little girls and loving every minute of it! I found what I love to do finally!! :D Great article!

Jan. 7, 2008 at 2:54 a.m. modmomfurniture

Thanks for the great article! And I was only HALF joking when I said I have to steer clear of the table saw when I'm tired. :) This coming from a tired mom who sliced off part of her finger earlier this year. Time management really is key, isn't it!

Jan. 7, 2008 at 1:54 p.m. GracefulBabies

wow this was very insightful! I also have the time management problem. I have a head full of ideas and just need to organize them to get things done. I find I get lost in forums and blogs when I should be sewing! Very interesting article thought! Thanks!

Jan. 7, 2008 at 2:32 p.m. Talcott

Thank you to 'Form and Function' for a wonderful article. And thank you to all of the WAHMs on Etsy, many of you who have commented above, for continuing to inspire me!

Jan. 7, 2008 at 9:46 p.m. binkiebaskets

Great article! It is definitely hard to find enough time in the day for everything, but doing a little each day is a great idea. I need to start limiting my time online also. Thanks!

Jan. 8, 2008 at 10:40 a.m. beesquarequilts

Much thanks to 'Form and Function' for this wonderful article. I like the added advice in the comments here too! Esp the one about photographing things in groups - taking nice pictures takes sooo much time. You are right, it is best to take a bunch to minimize set up time.

Best of luck to all the WAHM's out there. Let's keep having our cake and eating it too!

Jan. 8, 2008 at 1:54 p.m. alkemystic88

I came back here after the latest wednesday online makeover post in the storque " this is not for moms only" I am so glad that I did

Jan. 10, 2008 at 12:38 a.m. AtomicGoose

What an inspiring article! I have become a WAHM and I would like to stay one. This article gave me some good tips on how to maximize my space and my time. Thanks!

Jan. 10, 2008 at 1:47 a.m. MayaBella

This article was really really helpful! Every tip is something I needed. Thank you sooo much. :)

Dec. 29, 2008 at 11:34 p.m. decoygarden

Work at home moms amaze me. It's great to see that there are folks out there living this and making it real.

June 11, 2009 at 7:40 p.m. Leatherwerks

This article was just what I needed! Thanks 4 the Blessing!!!

Sept. 11, 2009 at 10:26 p.m. obellanaturals

Just read this article and it was very helpful! Thanks for all the encouraging tips!

Oct. 21, 2009 at 12:29 p.m. LondonParticulars

Being organized is always key! Thanks for the tips!

Previous Page | Next Page