Those with children, seriously, how do you get time??

As a single parent, I have to make time and aside from the full-time day job, I use any free time in the evenings. If you want to succeed, you figure out a way, because in the end, he is my "WHY"!

Cheers!
Terri

Scott,

I have six kids. This is how I did it...

Every spare moment I could find, I used it to do what needed doing. When my toddlers napped, I researched and wrote. When they became "too old for naps" (which really meant they were interested in learning and doing new things more than they needed sleep) I found ways to occupy them for 20-30 minutes and worked while they were.

Later, when the older kids were able to tend to the younger, I let them - for an hour or so at a time.

The short answer is simply to use every spare minute you come across. But don't neglect your kid to get in "work time." Your kids are waaaay more important, because they are the future. :-)

Hope that helps a bit.

Simple, work late at night, go sleep near dawn. Been doing that for the past month and will do so for the next year...(sighs)

aahh, now your bringing back memories!

mine are adults now but I did my first uni study when my kids were little and I worked, the only way I could do it was to get up at 4.30 each morning and that way I could usually get 2 hours quiet, uninterrrupted time to work.

I think it makes you focus more when you know you have less time.

Duct Tape!



Scot

A couple stiff shots of Nyquil works wonders too

Scot

I have my grandkids quite a lot and to be honest it can get a bit frazzling. I try and spend my time with them as well, but I have been known to use my two best friends. Tom & Jerry. (They love that cat and mouse twosome)

Kim

I hang my daughter upside down in a plastic bag and swing her around while I'm working or lock her in a box. hahahahahahahaa jk! No I understand it can be hard. She is 5 though so she can play while I am working. Maybe you should just block your time to do your business when your wife is home and you guys should come up with some kind of schedule...like she watches him at whatever hour for however long. Is she willing to do that?

Its hard. Sometimes I find myself getting angry with the my kids (4yr/7yr olds) because I want to get something done but they want/need my attention.

I realize they are the reason I'm doing this in the first place and that helps put it in perspective.
Matt

If your kid is the self entertaining type like mine are, a laptop & wifi can help a bunch! When the kids are playing on the living room floor, you can be there pounding away on the laptop...

like the others have said though, remember the kids are the reason you're doing what you do.

Todd

I usually stay up way too late just to get any work done. As in, starting at around 10:00 or so. It stinks, but like someone said above, I do it for them as they are my reason why too.

It can be frustrating, and I also sometimes get impatient and angry, but it's not worth it. Not at all. My little lady will only be 13 months once. And I don't want to wake up rich in things, but poor in family, not knowing when in the world she grew up because I missed it.

Of course, I'd rather be rich in both , but if one has to go, my family brings me more joy than the things extra money can give.

Scott,
Two becomes 20 way too fast. Enjoy your kid(s) now!

You will catch on

Chuck

Thankfully my actual 9-5 isn't too demanding (since I work graveyard shift) so I can do most of what needs to get done on my laptop with the local wifi. Luckily it's my girlfriends child so he isn't 100% my responsibility when his mother is around.

"Go ask your mom"

"....your mom has candy, go ask her for some."

Thank God for laptops! I ended up getting a wireless internet account and I get a LOT done sitting around waiting for the kids at baseball practice, dance practice, voice practice, waiting in line at the school drive thru, etc...

If you have family in the area, that will help a lot too - just ask, they won't mind.

Late nights and long weekends too.

But what you have to really try to do is to work to get your business on as much of an autopilot as possible without sacrificing its integrity or quality.

Here's a blog post parents will like...

http://www.warriorforum.com/blogs/al...eRm39gEtB2L4bo

Respectfuly,
Allen

I'm a stay at home dad with a part time job plus my Marketing efforts, It can be very frustrating trying to get it all done. What I have found to be helpful is to get up earlier (around 6 sometimes earlier) and getting as much done as I can while my son is still sleeping.

If I really need to get something done during the day I'll get him going on a leapster game or put in a movie for him. We'll sit together on the couch for an hour or 2 and while I'm typing away on the laptop we'll just hang out on the couch.

Oh and outsourcing :-)

I was just dealing with this same issue today. I have a 1 and 9 year old. I work fulltime. The only time I have is late at night or on the weekend. This is in betweeen washing dishes and clothes.

Well I am personally up all nite doing IM and working on my BIZ they are normally asleep and I can get a few good hours to work!

I found years ago, that when dealing with a problem, maybe using the problem to write about in a blog was great, because others went through the same problem.
People find comfort in talking about thier troubles........if you do it right, using this can make you big money online, with other moms and fathers facing the same troubles of working and not getting much done.
Before you know it, you'll be looking to the child as a source of wisdom to write about.
Trust me.....things maybe better than you think......just rethink what you're going through and be honest, give others hope, and peace....make your life and writing your hobby and source of money for now.
Maybe the answer is right in front of you....by your blessed child !!

I don't have any kids yet but I have 10 animals to look after which is time consuming - hate to think how I'll find time to work when i have human kids

By then I plan to have my income be passive enough that i only have to work a few hours per week

Scheduling. Get up way, way early or stay up way, way late.

The raw fact is that as a parent, the other parent feels that you can be called on to watch the children at any time - and it is, indeed, only fair. So if you really need not to be bothered while doing something, you have to do it during a time you can't be called on to watch children... and you either get your partner's buy-in to that idea ("from noon to four, I do not watch children" - be aware that this implies you DO watch children every other time of the day) or you leverage circumstances by working when the kids are in bed or out of the house.

I have a 21 year old son in college a 16 y/o daughter (junior in high school) , a five year old son (just started kinder g)

My brother and sister inlaw decided they would rather party what time they are not in jail instead of being momma and daddy .

I have full custody of one nephew 4 yo ( just starting pre k) and a two year old (very well versed in knowing how to push my buttons )

The older boy is in college so he is only home when he can no longer find clean underwear to put on .

The 16 yo is very active in after school functions but is a big help when she is here .

The five y/o understands that when daddy types on the puter he gets to see Mickey Mouse in the summer .

The two younger ones require more attention but my wife is great and I think she has a thing for Micky Mouse too.

I still make time for them all as a group and individually .

I coach a travel fastpitch team my daughter is on. Me and the boys have at least one good wrestling match a day ( side note ... never let young boys watch that mma stuff, It could be you that is tapping out)

Write articles from 10pm until ... well when ever .

Drive traffic from 4 am to 6 am . answer emails from 7 to 8 . Take a nap when they do because you are doing nothing but going backwards if you let your health go completely .

Hey Scott

I love this thread, something I can relate to very well. I have three children and my son is a baby so as you can tell very demanding and distracting.

My office is also in the corner of my front room.

I am trying to build my business I just have to work it around my family and my job, its hard but I will get there. I'm doing it for them at the end of the day they are my motivation, and I have to make it work.

Most of the time my plans go out of the window, but as they get older I am sure it will be easier for me.

Cheers

Marcus

PS Good luck Scott.

I don't know if this will work for you but I try to do most of my work at night or early morning when the kids are still sleep. It can take some getting use to and you have to have your goals for that day laided out or you could find your self worn out. I tried giving them things to do to keep them busy before but they always want my attention so doing my work when they are sleep works for me.

Hi there--

A few other tips that might help.

You have to really plan to make the most of the time that you do have. That way, when he goes down for a nap, you can become hyper-focused and bang out what needs to be done.

2 year olds also really like imitating their parents, so you may want to try getting him a mini-desk that goes right next to yours. He can do coloring or you can get one of those toy laptops or something. Make a big deal out of how when daddy works, he gets to work too. That makes him excited about it.

However, the best tip is that you should be ready to just throw it all out the window if ya gotta. My son likes to walk up to my computer and close the laptop screen so that I'm looking at him. He smiles so sweet that it's hard to say no...

Love,
Shannon

Legos + laptop + playstation + fueltv.

Works in here!!! There's always the duct tape option thought!!

My little one is already 2,5 years old.
And i am trying to work mostly at night when she is sleeping. That's why my advice - stay focused! Try to plan in details what you have to do.

I feel you there! I have 2 year old twins and I feel paralyzed trying to work when they are awake. It feels impossible during the day. I'm the type that needs to know that I'll have a set amount of time when I sit down to work so for the last 2 years the only time I can really get anything done is early in the morning and late at night. It is worse because I'm an insomniac as well so getting up super early every day after only 3-4 hrs of sleep is rough. They are getting a little easier though in some aspects.

I have a 4 months old, and I must admit, it has completely flipped my life!
Sleep has become a distant cousin!

I have 4 children between the ages of 10 months and 4 years.

The only time is late at night when everybody has gone to sleep.
This is when I do the bulk of my thinking, improvements, updates, research.

At work during the day, instead of taking a lunch break like everybody else, I continue working on my dreams.

Yes, there are days where I am extremely tired, however I am a firm believer in smart/hard work.

By the time sleep time for the kids comes along, you should have a plan of what you are going to achieve. It's amazing how quickly the hours go by when you are actually working.

All the best.

Lol thats why I am posting via blackberry while my wife gets ready for church and my 4 kids are running around crazy.

Well, I'd start by having a private heart-to-heart with your spouse about the importance of the income your online business provides for the family, especially if you are the primary bread earner.

I've been fortunate that my wife was on the same page with me about my work schedule, even before our kids were born. There are plenty of times where she steps up to help because she sees what I'm able to do with my copywriting and info-product businesses if given the time I need.

My kids are 1 1/4 and 3 1/4. When I'm watching them, that's 95% of my attention. I might check email on my laptop or proofread something I printed out but that's about it when I'm on parent duty. I don't let myself get engrossed in work when I'm supposed to be watching my kids.

Several years ago, I hired a part-time babysitter who has set daytime hours each week. I started with just a few hours each week and as my businesses grew, I increased the babysitter's hours.

That's definite work time for me and that's my entire focus for those time spots. I've trained my friends and family not to call me during those hours unless it's absolutely necessary.

I also get work done during the kids naptimes and after everyone goes to bed. A typical day for me starts at 6 a.m. and ends at 1ish. If I'm really tired, I take a nap when the kids do. Been doing it for 3+ years now... it's not always easy but I do it because it's providing a better quality of life for my family and me.

I also outsource a lot of tasks to free up time. Just put on your thinking cap and come up with ways to work smarter, not harder. You'll be surprised what types of ideas you'll come up with.

Best of luck,

Mike

I have 3 children between the ages of 3 and 12. I also work a full time job, 8am - 5pm. I usually come home on my lunch break when the two oldest ones are in school and I do a little work during what amounts to about 30 minutes of work. The rest is done late night, usually from 8pm to midnight once the kids are in bed.
I also have a wife so I have to fit her into my schedule at some point..lol...I always make time for her regardless of what I'm doing.
It makes for a very delicate balancing act, trying to get things accomplished without neglecting my other responsibilities but so far it has worked out.

Again, I simply "block" off time either the night before (in my head) or the morning of. And at this point, I have to remember to go "either/or".

Because if I plan on doing my work during the blocked off time and something comes up, (baby wakes up early from nap because big brother was too loud when he came home for instance) I need to mentally switch gears.

You can't ever do both, I just don't care for "multi-tasking" in the conventional sense. If you have 100% of attention, and you divide it, something has to give in someway, and I don't want my kids or work getting less than 100%.

While that may be obvious, it has taken me quite some time to learn to "let go" and switch gears as needed to be there for either work or play.

And finding the time? Block, block, block time out for work - but realistically do so. Which for me is still never enough!

(It got better years ago when I turned off "Frasier" in the background. Not 100% there if I kept listening )

I find that a latchable, fairly empty, child-proof room is a good place to work. I can be in the middle of the kid action and still give much of my attention to my work without them sneaking out.

Multitasking is a must. If you don't have ADHD, study your friends who do have it - you need your attention to be in several places at once.

A low standard is a must. A box of tissues will entertain the gang for as many as 10 whole minutes if you don't mind what they do with them.

It helps to be unpredictable. Scream and jump up and down every so often. The kids should be a little afraid of you. It helps.

In a pinch, benedryl can sometimes be a good sleep inducer in children. It stops working if you use it too much.

Get used to the noise. The only thing worse than noisy kids when they suddenly become quiet.

Honestly, alot of the time I can't tell you how I do it, or how I have ever done it. With 5 kids I find myself using the laptop beside the stove as dinner cooks, learning to manage life on way too little sleep, doing the imitation thing one of the other moms mentioned, they do love to immitate, get em one of those little kid laptops and let them play puter too. And just find time. If you need to make it work, it will. But as others have said, they grow up fast, sometimes you just turn it off and realize they are why you are doing it, but it doesn't matter if they never see you or get to spend time with you.

Sylvia

Really inspired knowing so many others have succeeded with many more kiddies than me.

I work full time and my other half works part time, so the only time i'm getting to get the business going is a few hours after our little 3 year old goes to bed.

It is hard to spend time with your partner so they don't feel neglected, your child, your job and start a business.

I used to be able to stay up till 2am n later and still get up for work but if I try that now, I'm useless for most of the next day!!!

Just gotta keep fighting! The way I see it is hopefully if i work like a dog for the next few years, then I will be able to reap the rewards and not have to work full time in the years following!!!

I always take time to appriciate what I have, the family that love me and drive me to succeed.

That's the most important thing for me/

I've worked from home since before my kids started school, they are now in the 9th and 10 grades.

The smaller they are, the more they need from you. As they get older, they get more and more independent and you will have more and more time.

It is easy to become aggravated when you have so much work to do and they seem to want all of your time and attention when small. What helped me is thinking that they aren't there to "interrupt" or "bother" you. They are there because they love you.

The day will come when you will look back and miss the days when your little one(s) wanted to crawl on your lap and be the center of your attention.

So far as getting work done. At two, it's hard. They are everywhere and you really need to keep an eye on them. Child proof your work area and turn it into an office/playroom.

If they get quiet, check on them quickly. They are getting into something they shouldn't be! lol

They'll start school before you know it and then the house will be too quiet but you'll have plenty of time to get your work done.

Then they turn into teenagers and... well... like I said. Enjoy them now. haha

One word, "bedtime"

I discovered against popular belief that I don't have to sleep 8 hours per night. It took about 3 weeks to to get used to the new sleep regime.

I cut down to 3 hours per night from monday to friday and catch up on weekends. Every now and then I allow more sleep depending on how much I have done, a sort of a reward for my efforts. I know I sound masochistic but it really keeps me motivated.

I started decreasing my sleep about 1 hour every 2 days for a week, and used a lot of coffee in the process especially during the day. With time I did not need the coffee to stay awake at night. A glass of pure green tee is enough for a good few hours.

Nighttime is the only time when absolutely nobody bothers me, no phones, no people only real focus. It's hard to believe you can do it until you actually do it.

Agreed Steve,

I do from time to time work an all nighter. But I make sure I catch up with sleep.

The last few months have been a bit tough as we have had yet another new addition to the flock.

I do notice that if I don't get at least 6 hours sleep then the old creative juices don't flow very well.

Plus I don't want to be walking round like a zombie all the time.

So I work as hard as I can but I make sure I am enjoying the kids when they are young.

I refuse to look back one year and regret not spending more time with my kids.

Do what you can but never forget your REAL priorities in life.

Take away my business and my websites and everything else I have learned about the internet and I will be pissed off.

Take my kids out of my life (and my wife) and life would be empty and so, so unfulfilling.

So do the best you can, use your time wisely, but don't get frustrated or angry with your kids because one of your sites needs tweaking!

Sam

Work late at night.

Enjoy the kids while they're kids. Spend all day with them.

Work will always be there, them being 2, 4, 6 won't.

I've got 4 little girls and I spend as much time with them as I can. I get a bit done during the day when they're at school or napping, but I don't care. If I've got a big project, I'll stay up late to work on it.

My kids are priority number one.

We have two kids...Declan is 4.5 and extremely intuitive, and autistic, and Fiona, who is 2 going on 18, and is considered "spirited" in today's politically correct terms.

My husband is a stay-at-home dad, to deal with Declan's disabilities. Dec has some physical, muscular, and sensory challenges also, and requires a level of care you wouldn't be able to find in a daycare or preschool.

I work outside the home (for now) full-time. I also do all this IM stuff, as well as having a seasonal Etsy shop from October through January, where I make fingerless gloves from upcycled wool sweaters.

Since my husband has the kids during the week, it's my responsibility to keep them occupied during the weekend. That's also the time I have to do all the other stuff...IM and Etsy. So what I do is involve them in whatever I'm working on at the moment.

If I'm working on sewing gloves, I'll have them separate buttons, find matches, separate out colors, shapes, etc. This way, they're both learning while having some time with me. We also have "craft time" where I bring out a big blanket, put it in the middle of the family room, and bring out the glue, foam shapes, crayons, paper, etc. and I'll sit down on the floor with them while they make art and I'll oooo and ahhhh over how pretty everything is while working on my netbook which sits on a little stool in front of me. They don't feel neglected, and I still get things done, and feel part of their lives as well.

It's difficult...I'm also (very unfortunately) one of those people who needs at least 8 hours of sleep (10 optimum) to be able to even function, so my time is really limited. If I don't get it, my brain simply refuses to work. I put the milk in the cabinet, the cereal in the fridge, you know... So, I've learned to have every action that I do on the weekend or at night serve more than one purpose.

I have a super active 1 year old. A lot of days she does not take naps. I am full time online running several businesses, but that means I have to find time throughout my day to get work done.

A few things that work for me:

* Have a basket of stuff she/he is not normally allowed to play with. In my case it is a stack of catalogs, magazines and unfiled stuff that I let her unload. Usually buys me 20 minutes. Takes a couple of minutes to clean up when she is done, but it gives me a few minutes of peace.

* Take the laptop to the living room/play room. Sit on the floor with her and start playing with a toy. When she wanders off in search of another toy, I read emails and respond to customers.

* After she is in bed, I work. Drives my husband #$#!# crazy, but I keep reminding him that if we ever expect to have the lifestyle we want, I have to have time to work and 4 hours of quiet time at night is my most productive time. You could do this in the morning, but for me I can not function in the morning so nights are better.

* Break projects down into tiny pieces and learn to multitask. Do keyword research while playing with kid on floor for 30 minutes. Easy to do while being distracted. Put dinner in the oven, then use laptop on counter to look for a domain name while cooking. Then, set up blog in CPanel while kid is unloading basket of paper. After they are in bed for the night, spend a couple of hours writing and scheduling blog posts. Voila, new blog is finished and ready to go.

* Also helpful, learn what works and don't get too creative. Keep a folder of stuff you use a lot - for me it is Wordpress plugins, themes and a checklist. Start a new blog, copy and paste the plugins in File Manager, activate plugins, adjust settings, upload theme. Since it is a system, I can keep plugging away even if I am interrupted or miss a night of working on it. I also find it helpful to keep an ongoing idea list in notepad, so I can keep track of the stuff that comes to me while working on other stuff. I have the attentions span of a puppy right now, so typing it in while it is fresh in my mind helps.

* If you are not good at multitasking, try scheduling one day for keyword research, one for setting up technical stuff, two days for writing, two days for traffic, etc. That way you are not changing gears all the time. When I work like this, I usually do all the research for 2-5 topics, then work my system through. It feels inefficient at first, cause you will end the first few days with nothing DONE. But, if you stick with it, in 2 weeks you'll have a handful of new blogs or whatever it is you do for marketing.

I was a workaholic when my kids were small, I would give anything to go back in time and spend more time with them.
The internet will still be there when they are sleeping.

My kids are in bed at about 8PM, then it's my time to work online; usually until about 11PM or so. Otherwise weekends when I'm not busy with them I'll get some hours in.

When your time is limited, it really emphasizes the need to make the most of your time and stay off of youtube, facebook, WF (lol).

While going through uni, one of my friends had two young children. She would often put them to bed about 8:30 and then work for an hour on her reports.

She always had better reports than me because she was forced to do her work at a certian time, where I, had all day to bludge off and do nothing.

You may have to change your time when you work. It may have to be after your children have gone to bed.
I personally get up at 6 every morning to do my work. That gives me an hour and half before I have to get ready for work. Mind you George P. Cat wants in at that time and he want attention.

But working in the morning frees me up in the arvo to be with my girlfriend, and my animals. If I get a bit if spare time in the evening I will do a bit more.

Plus I spend my lunch break writting articles. I just look for time that I know I can use on the business.

You can find the time, just think outside of the box. I know it can be hard and frustrating, but if you cant change whats going on around you, then the only thing you can change is you. What can you do differently?

Remember that this business, while important, has to come after the time with your kids. Dont spend time on the computer and not with the kids. They grow up to soon and you dont want to miss it.

Take some time to plan your day. Keep a to-do list and dont get upset or annoyed, just move it to the next day and do it then.

I like to think that I am superman sometime and thats when I come unstuck. Don't try to do to much as once and take time to relax.

Use the litle time that you have with your children before they want nothing to do with you.

Jebb, that time will come when they rather want to spend time with their friends than their family.

Use the time when they are at school or just sleeping to do your work.

After all most of us are doing this to secure our financial freedom to have more time with our family and I´m guessing that´s your motivation also.

I allways write down each evening what I need to do the follwing day. So when I sit in front of the computer I know excacly what I need to do. That makes me more effective and I get a lot more done in the short time I have. When I have some extra minutes I come here to WF and see whats happening.

Hope this helps.

Just wanted to ad that when you are with your kids then focus on being with them not on your computer and when you are on your computer stay focused on that.

That time with your kids wont come again.

That´s what I do anyway.

I have two children who can be very distracting at certain times of the day. I tend to work late, but am currently building a "summerhouse" in the garden to "escape".

I used to have an office outside the house and that worked pretty well because daddy was at work :-)

Then when number two started walking we got the place we are in now which has my office/studio attached to the home.

Then number 3 came... it was good that I was nearby to help out more...

Now number 3 is walking and number 4 has just arrived...

Its hard... yesterday I could not get into the office until noon and the commute is just a few steps.

But that is mostly because my oldest has the flu (who knows which one), number 2 is suffering from a 2 year long case of the terrible somethings, number 3 is daddy's boy, and number 4 is breast feeding which leaves me to be Mr. Mom in the mornings.

My wife works full time... taking care of the kids that is ;-)

And sometimes there is just no choice... "Daddy is working."

The hardest part was helping my wife and kids understand that though I am close when the office doors are closed and locked I am not available.

The key is to have a dedicated office space with a door and a lock... if you don't have that you might as well get used to working with a little one on your lap or do the smart thing and rent a cheap office space :-)

I've found my most productive time is from 8-midnight after the kids have gone to bed...only problem is that my 'alone' time with my wife sometimes suffers too!