OMG you guys, I am so happy to have found productive things to do at home while working with this one easy and simple mom hack!
These past few weeks have honestly been quite stressful with having to work from home for my day job while helping my son with his digital homeschooling. Man, I am exhausted! How about you?
Well, that could possibly change. I mean everyone knows that us moms are pro multi-taskers. ?? And guess what? There are actually productive things to do at home that you can do while working with this one mom hack.
Keep reading to find out which tasks you can do to be more productive at home when you are working remote.
[Disclaimer: Please note this post may contain affiliate links. This means I may receive a commission if clicked at no extra cost to you. Though the opinions remain my own.]
Table of Contents
Secret Productive Tip for Working From Home Moms
Before I share the secret tip with you, let me ask – do you forget to get up from your desk sometimes? Or is that just me? ?
I swear I could go hours sitting at my desk and forget I need to get up and move around. But thankfully, my son helps remind me or forces me to get up to check his digital schoolwork.
So what is this super secret productive tip for working from home moms?
When you hear it, you’re going to be so mad at yourself for not doing this sooner because of how simple it is! Are you ready?
Set a timer on your FitBit for every 45-50 minutes. Then take a 10-15 minute break to do a productive thing at home.
That’s it. Seriously – this one productive hack has helped me stay on top of things and find productive things to do at home while I’m working!
Below are some of the productive things to do at home that you can tackle during your 10-15 minute breaks.
Productive Things To Do At Home While Working
As you’re going through the list below, keep in mind that you will only have 10-15 minutes to complete each of the below. You can rotate them out throughout the day on your mini breaks or pick one to work on during your breaks each day.
To help you with this working mom schedule, check out this super cute and cheap planner to help plan out your week. This one specifically is actually a self-care planner which is perfect for working moms. In addition to helping you plan out your productive daily tasks, it’ll also ensure you take care of yourself (something us moms forget to do a lot)!
Take a peak at this ultra cute self-care planner here.
And now, time to move on to find out which productive things to do at home can be done while working (and digital homeschooling like me).
Clean the house
Raise your hand if your house been a lot messier than usual.. ??♀️. If you raised your hand like me, it’s probably because of two reasons: you’re home more than usual and you have less visitors than normal. Don’t lie, you know it’s true LOL!
So of course, the most logical productive thing to do would be to get up and clean your house. But ughhh, I HATE cleaning! So why is this first on my list? Well, because it won’t feel like cleaning if you’re only doing it for 15 minutes at a time.
Here’s a quick glance at a part of my working mom daily cleaning schedule (given I have no conference meetings scheduled for the day):
- 8AM – 8:45AM: Work
- 8:45AM – 9AM: Wash dishes and clean sink
- 9AM – 9:45AM: Work
- 9:45AM – 10AM: Sweep downstairs
Get the idea? So jot down a few cleaning tasks you would like to get done this week, write them down in your planner and knock them out in rotational steps.
Bonus Tip: Want to know another way we’ve tackled our cleaning tasks? By having my son help me do chores during his homeschooling breaks. Sometimes he gets paid $0.25 for cleaning and sometimes he gets nothing (because you know, we all do our part). Once he’s done with a few, then he gets to enjoy in free time as usual.
Grab your free printable chores checklist for kids here.
Related Post: Healthy Meals for Picky Eaters Without Cooking
Research side hustles
LOL I know… this is a bit weird since I’m suggesting you look for other work in the middle of your work day. But hear me out.
In today’s economy, one can never be too sure of what’s going to happen. So having additional streams of income helps alleviate the stress each time the economy shoots downward. So no, I’m not saying to research a side hustle to replace your day job (unless of course, you want to). But get a side business going, and preferably an online side hustle since that’s the new world we live in.
Unsure of where to start? Here’s a list of the best side hustles for moms to make extra money online or offline.
One great side hustle you can start with little resources is an Etsy shop selling printables. I recently started my own, CheerfulPrintableCo selling printables for moms and kids.
So during those 10-15 minute breaks, do some research to see which side hustles would interest you. It doesn’t hurt to make some more money right?
Take a look at the full Work at Home bundle details and review here.
Related Post: Work at Home Bundle Favorites for Moms
Spend time with your kids
This one is perfect for stay at home moms working from home. And trust me, this one will be your kid’s favorite mommy hack!
I know you might be thinking ‘how in the world can you spend time with your kids if you’re working?’ The answer is simple. Use one or two of those 10-15 minute breaks to spend time with them.
And look, all your kids want is your attention. You could spend time with them by doing something as simple as laying in bed with them, reading a short book together or even playing a few rounds of UNO! << we do this one everyday.
In fact, this post is where I list one of my best working from home with kids tips. And you know what? I promise you will both feel better after this mini break of just enjoying some mommy and me time together.
Related Post: Insanely Helpful Tips if You Have to Work From Home With Kids
Start a blog
Have you ever considered starting a blog? I mean think about it. You could literally write about anything you’re good at or know a lot about. So to begin, all you have to do is find something you are knowledgeable and passionate about.
Perhaps you love being a mom and have a few mommy hacks up your sleeve. Or maybe you love helping people save money or do better budgeting. Or perhaps you’re the mom that’s been homeschooling your children for years and now all your friends are coming to you for advice LOL!
Well guess what? These are all hot topics that people are searching for, especially right now. And by the way, did you know you could actually make money blogging? It’s true! So many bloggers have been able to leave their day jobs just by blogging about their passions. Wouldn’t that be awesome??
And no, there isn’t too many bloggers out there. People are searching the internet all.the.time to find solutions to their problems. How cool would it be to be the person that helped someone out through your writing? (Hopefully in the same way I’m trying to help you right now!)
So whenever you have a few minutes, take some time to think about your interests, your knowledge and your passions. I’m sure there is something you could find to blog about!
Click here to see the step-by-step tutorial on how to start a blog.
Spend some time outdoors
When you’re stuck indoors for a long time, one of the best productive things to do at home for yourself is to go outside and catch some fresh air.
You can do this alone or with your kids (though I’m sure your kids may not leave you alone if you go to the backyard without them LOL). And don’t worry, there are plenty of backyard activities to do with your kids for 10 minutes.
Or something else you could do outdoors is go for a quick short walk along your street. Though this may go slightly over your typical 15 minute break you’re allocating but hey, it’ll definitely be worth it!
Related Post: Crazy Fun Things To Do at Home With Kids
Learn how to take better pictures
No, I’m not saying you don’t know how to take good pictures but we could all get better, don’t you think? I mean, before I started blogging, I thought I was an awesome photographer… until I saw what other bloggers were posting. ?
So another one of the productive things to do at home is to learn how to take better pictures (especially of your kids). This new skill is one that will always come in handy. I mean honestly, how many times do you take pictures of your kids? For me – it’s almost everyday LOL. For sure, at least once a week.
And no, you don’t need to have a fancy camera to capture those beautiful moments of or with your kids. You can easily capture amazing pictures of your kiddos with your phone! Just spend some time playing with your camera, snapping some shots and you’ll be good to go!
So add learning a new photography skill to your working mom schedule and capture those awesome memories of your kiddos!
Click here to view the full details on the Photography Super Bundle.
30-min quick workout
C’mon, you knew this one was coming right? Of course one of the most productive things to do at home is to squeeze in a quick workout. In fact, the image above is a very good illustration of how me and my 7-year-old son spend our late morning.
Once my FitBit timer goes off at 11:30AM, we grab our primary workout gear and begin our stretches which then turns into either a full body workout or some ab and butt routines.
Although we have a variety of workout equipment at home, these four workout tools are the main ones I use when working out at home:
- Extra thick yoga mat (to keep my knees and back from hurting)
- 55 CM exercise ball (for my ab workouts)
- 12-lb dumbbell hand weights (for my arm and back workouts)
- Waist trimmer belt (because I need to get the most out of a 30-minute workout LOL)
So yes, get out of your seat and start a quick workout routine. YOU need to ensure that you take care of yourself and stay healthy for your family so do yourself a favor and add this one to the list. And don’t forget to add it to your self-care planner as well! ?
Now Get Productive Mama!
Man, I wish I would have thought about this one productive tip way sooner. But oh well, better late than never right? I mean, who knew you could get sooo much done at home even while you’re having to work remote and help out with digital homeschooling? Well now you know and there’s no excuses to not be productive at home LOL!
Have you tried this productive tip for busy moms? What are some other productive things you can do at home (in 15 minute increments)? Which of these are you most definitely going to try? Please share your thoughts below as I would love to hear from you!
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WOW!! LOVE this information!! Such great ideas and good content!! Thanks for sharing!! I subscribed!
Thank you! I hope you enjoy all the future content to come ♥
Really great ideas about the fitbit timer and 15 minutes of “real” housework. I am challenging myself to set up a daily routine by this next week! Wish me luck….
Best of luck! I’m realizing I forgot to add responding to comments to my planner this time so I’m a bit late here ? but how did it go?
All these tips are awesome! I like the idea of doing quick spurts of house chores for a break. In all my years working from home (about 6 or 7 now) this is something I haven’t tried! I set my timer to take a break because I know how important it is. My problem is actually following through when the timer goes off! I really need to work on that!
Hahaha I totally understand that part. There are many times where I am so focused and it’s time to get up but don’t want to ? but for sure, it’s something we have to force ourselves to do lol
I think that alternating chores and work is a great idea! I think it helps you stay on top of things and not get overwhelmed and allows you to still work. A planner is also a must! I love mine and it helps remember the things I would otherwise forget!
Yes it really does! My planner and brain dump journal helps me through so much! lOL
I love these 7 tips! I like how you have a cleaning schedule! I have cleaning ‘days’, but I’m thinking starting a time schedule and doing little things each day may help my routine!
Yes I hate “cleaning days” lol so decided it was time to break them down into smaller chunks and now it doesn’t feel super heavy and is great! Glad I could help give you this idea 🙂
Hi Lucy!
I love these suggestions. I have a Fitbit, and it always reminds me to get up and move each hour. It’s incredibly useful! Thanks for sharing!
Yes for sure my FitBit has been my lifesaver in all this as well!
I love these tips. Working at home with kids can be a struggle trying to balance it all and stay productive. These are very helpful tips and I wish I knew about blogs when my kids were little. I just love blogging. Thank you for sharing.
LOL me too so it can definitely be hard to get up from the desk when you feel so productive at your desk haha, but our homes need love too lol ♥
Oh, goodness. I definitely forget to get up every once in a while. Since my fiance is home, he watches our son so I can work. I know, that’s a poor excuse, lol. Thanks for this post!
LOL not a poor excuse at all! When my fiance is home, it totally throws off my schedule and feel like I get less done also… gotta change that ?
Love your suggestions ! I enjoyed reading this post !
Thank you! ♥
This is a great post! I am like you, and I can sit at my desk for hours! Actually, right now I need to put my towels in the dryer & I can’t stop working!! I need to be more productive with things other than my blog!
HAHA you literally just reminded me that I also had clothes in the washer LOL!! ? My fiance got home early and threw off my schedule lol so thank you so much!
Yes! These are great! I tend to forget about breaking things up because I want to GET IT ALL DONE and my kids feel that! But breaking the day up would be amazing for everyone!
haha OMG I knowww! I’m the exact same way, I wish there were more hours in the day because I tend to try to do it all at once. So splitting tasks up in this way has definitely helped improve things around my household haha
Great tips and post!! Well written!!
Thank you! ♥
This was much needed and very helpful tips. Thank you for writing this topic in detail. This will really be fruitful for mommies at home!
Thank you so much, glad you found it helpful! 🙂
Sadly, we live in an apartment that does not have a yard and too far up from the street, so our only outdoors is our very narrow balcony in front. But still thankful we can see the skies, others don’t even have that.
And yes, I’ve been working out, too!
Yes, you have to find the positives in what you do have so I love that you’re doing just that. And awesome job on working out, it’s a great way to stay healthy!
I love the idea of every 45 minutes doing something productive cleaning wise. That’s an awesome tip. I’ve also been trying to get 20 minutes of physical activity most days.
Thank you! And yes, anything is better than nothing so that’s awesome! ??
Breaking up tasks is definitely a great way to be productive. I like taking longer chunks of time (2hrs) to do a sedentary task and then taking 15-20 minutes with either some clean up , laundry or just moving around.
Hey, whatever works for you! As long as you have a schedule and can stay productive, that’s all that matters 🙂
I like the idea of working and then taking a quick break to sweep the floor, or wash the dishes. This gets you up and moving, plus gets your house clean at the same time.
LOL exactly! And it doesn’t feel like you’re overwhelmed with cleaning since you’re doing small tasks at a time so i love it!
The schedule is great. I really need a routine and visual schedule to help me be productive while working from home. I am so forgetful. It keeps me accountable with my full time job, my son’s needs, my blog, and cleaning!
Yes, having a schedule can definitely help with keeping that accountability. That’s why writing it down is always best and even going through a checklist and crossing things off the list keeps you motivated!
I totally take advantage of the 10-minutes-to-the-hour gotta-get-your-steps-in reminders from my Fitbit. It’s how I get laundry loads swapped, the dishwasher emptied, and short walks in. Perfect to get up for a few minutes, move around, and get the blood flowing again before getting back to work.
Haha oh yeah, I have those 10 min step reminders as well – it’s motivating to try to reach your daily step goal lol And so awesome that you already implement many of these, great for you!
These are awesome tips! Setting a timer works so well for me to get motivated on small cleaning tasks and to use my time efficiently for blogging.
Yes, who knew a timer would come in handy for than just cooking? ?
I love your daily schedule tip. Not only is it productive, but it’s healthy too. It’s not good to sit for long periods. I am going to implement this into my day. Thank you.
No it’s definitely not good to sit for long periods but before this routine, that’s what I would do. But you’re right, it’s a healthy habit to find ways to stay productive. Happy to know you will be implementing these yourself!
Great tips! I don’t use a timer but I do regulate my time and take breaks. After working from home for so many years what’s most helpful for me is having a routine. Without one I would get nothing done.
Yeah having a set routine helps for sure but I definitely need a timer, otherwise my butt stays in the chair! ? Awesome for you that you’ve been able to cope without one ??
I love the idea of 45-15! It makes focusing on work easier, and you don’t feel overwhelmed at the end of the day because you have so much cleaning to do!
Exactly! This way, you are not counting down the time until the end of the work day – plus it also does make the day go by so much quicker ??
These are great ideas for how to be more productive at home.
Thank you Audrey!
These are some great ideas. A lot do not take very long either so they would be great for me on the little quick breaks. I am loving spending all this time at home with my family but I have been feeling very unproductive. I am going to try out some of these things this week.
LOL sameee!! That’s why I needed to figure out something haha because the unproductive days were real!! ? let me know how they go for you!
Great suggestions! This is a great opportunity for moms everywhere to make the most of their time. As you shared, this ranges from finding a way to make a little extra cash through to genuinely enjoying the time with the family. I know that I would love to tackle some deep cleaning style spring cleaning in the coming weeks and this has inspired me to carve out some time to make it happen!
Oh that’s awesome! I’m so glad to have been able to help motivate you to get things done around the house! ? best of luck!
Great article! We truly have to balance work, our house, our family, and ourselves. Self-care is important, and setting a timer is a great idea for motivation!
Yes, us moms have so muchhhhh lol! But that’s why it’s so easy to forget to take care of ourselves although like you said, it’s super important!
Getting up to move around or stretch every 1-2 hours is very important for circulation. It also relieves pressure on your back and gives you a mental and visual break from staring at computer screens. I also break my workout into 5-minute sessions throughout the day. It helps me to feel better and I’m sure it increases my productivity as well.
Yes I’ve heard that’s another great way to do things while working from home! Thanks so much for sharing – definitely have been incorporating stretches throughout my day – especially hand and arm ones ??