By Beverly Smith

1. Commit every day to prayer. Psalm 37:5 tells us: “Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.” How true this is! When I commit every task of the day to my Heavenly Father, I feel calmer and more prepared to start my day. I know that everything that happens is a part of his perfect plan.

2. Know your priorities. Why are those three words so difficult to put into practice? Here is a great article on prioritizing.

3. It does work. I have two princesses at home and one more blessing on the way. I am astonished at how well my working at home endeavors fit into my daily life. Kids are so much more adaptable then we imagine, and they love to be included in even our mundane tasks. Because my family comes first, I am so blessed to have a work at home job that is so mom friendly.

4. Ask for help. Working at home is not just about you. Let your husband help you. Need to go to a networking meeting? Ask him to get the kids in bed so you can go make some contacts. Need to have coffee with a potential client? Find out if you can get a mother’s helper to come in and play with your children once  a week. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness.

5. Block out time for phone calls. Phone calls are so essential, but can easily be pushed aside when they don’t have their own time block. I try to make all my calls at a certain time of the day when I know my children are occupied and won’t be disruptive.

6. Play dress up. Know your children’s hearts. There are mornings when I am on the phone a lot, or glued to my computer screen. When I look over my laptop at those precious brown eyes filled with mommy longing, I feel compelled to stop everything and sit down with my girls. Fifteen minutes of dressing up in feather boas, silly hats, and absurd looking clothes goes a long way.

7. Don’t be a hero. Isn’t it wonderful to be known as the supermom who can do just about everything? What an ego boost! But being a hero sometimes means that nothing is done well, frustration starts to build, and you are destined to be completely overwhelmed most of the time.

8. Scheduling is a must.  If I don’t know what needs to be done in a week, there is no way I will be able to effectively manage my time. When I need help, and my husband wants to know what he can do, I often don’t know what to say unless I can look at my schedule and to-do list. Schedules are great, but also be prepared for disruptions. When you have a comprehensive working schedule, it is easy to swap tasks and figure out what can be put aside until later.

9. You’re a mom. I had to tell myself this over and over when one of my clients unexpectedly showed up at my door. My hair was a mess, and my house was even more of a disaster. I felt frazzled and frumpy as I tried to “talk business” with my client. As I heaped disgrace on my head, I had to remind myself that these things will happen at times, and I just need to learn to lighten up. I’m a mom, and I wouldn’t change anything at all about that.

10. Get out of your comfort zone. If I stayed within the confines of what is easy for me, I would never be successful. Pushing myself to do new things has been so rewarding. Learn to grow, and to add areas of expertise to your arsenal.

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Beverly Smith is the Eastern U.S. Human Resources Advisor and Philly Metro Coordinator for Mommy Bag Marketing, Inc.