wahms Archives

3 Ways to Motivate Yourself When You Work at Home

May 8, 2018 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Whenever I tell someone I work from home, their response is usually “Wow! I wish I could work at home!”

Well….they’re right and wrong about that.

Working from home definitely has its perks. I can set my own schedule, I take breaks when I feel like it (for the most part), and I have instant access to my house and family.

But there are also drawbacks to working from home and one of the biggest is needing to motivate myself to get stuff done. I have no boss standing over my shoulder and no workmates to inspire me to be productive. It’s all on me.

Which is exhausting.

Image c/o: photographee.eu / depositphotos

3 Ways to Motivate Yourself When You Work from Home

To be fair, I’ve had a lot of practice at working on my time. I was homeschooled from seventh grade onward and the responsibility for getting my schoolwork done was completely on me. That was my first experience at setting my own work schedule.

In addition, both of my parents were entrepreneurs, so I got to witness firsthand why self-discipline is so essential to making a self-employed business work.

Personally, I’ve worked from home since 2009. Over the years, I found a few work at home productivity tips that are simple, effective, and easy to adapt. I use them regularly and they do not fail to get me moving, no matter how much I’m dragging in the morning.

Take a look at the three work at home productivity tips I use to get my day started over at With the Huddlestons!

3 Work at Home Productivity Tips – With the Huddlestons

Do you work at home? How do you get your butt in gear when it’s time to work? Share your tried-and-tested work at home productivity tips in the comments!

Thinking of a second career after having kids? Don’t miss this post!

Do you homeschool and work? Take a look at how I make that work for me!

Plus, get ideas for starting your own blog on my Blogging Smart Pinterest board!

What to Take to Your First Blogging Conference

August 3, 2017 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Blogging is a pretty solitary occupation, isn’t it? We spend a lot of our time sitting at the computer by ourselves. Then we spend a lot of our time taking pictures and editing them – by ourselves. Then we spend a lot of time promoting this content across social media – also by ourselves.

Bloggers do get a lot of social interaction from fellow creators and partners online, but this profession is not at all like a traditional one, which means you can end up basically working on your own.

For a lot of bloggers, a blogging conference is the first time they can experience the synergy of interacting with like-minded entrepreneurs who just get it. They understand the work, the struggles, and the tips that can help push a website to the next level.

And that’s why I’m so thrilled to be attending my very first blogging conference ever this fall! I’ll be going to FL Blog Con in Winter Park, Florida and to get ready I’m taking along some wonderfully cute business cards from Basic Invite!

But that’s not all I’m taking and I’m so glad that I have plenty of time to pack so that I won’t forget any blogging conference must-haves. If you’re new to blogging meet-ups (like me), here’s what to take along to your first blogging conference!

Disclosure: I received this product in exchange for this post and I was compensated for my time. All opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review.

What to Take to Your First Blogging Conference

Think about all of the things you use for blogging. What comes to mind? You probably use your laptop, your phone, your camera, and, of course, your chargers.

Guess what?

You should probably bring them ALL with you. Which means you’re going to need a fairly good-sized bag.

Like this one! I got this rolling mobile office bag about a year ago and it is a perfect size. It has space for a small laptop (like my Lenovo Yoga), my camera, and my other supplies. Plus, it rolls, which means no aching back!

But there’s one other thing you absolutely MUST bring with you to a blogging conference…

Business cards!

Why You Need Business Cards for Your First Blogging Conference

Bloggers work online so much that we can forget how to do good old-fashioned networking. And you can’t do that without a business card.

Using a business card gives you a great way to let content partners and brands know exactly who you are, what you do, and how to find your site.

Plus, business cards add a layer of professionalism to your occupation. They show you’re taking your job seriously.

I received a set of customized business cards from Basic Invite and they are so, so gorgeous! I can’t wait to hand them out at the conference!

When it was time to order my blogging business cards, my initial thought was “There’ll probably only be, like, five different designs I can choose from. Ho-hum.”

I was wrong. Basic Invite features a wide range of customizable business cards for all kinds of industries. The Vertical Color Block Business Cards are the ones that caught my eye. If you’re looking for an eye-grabbing business card, this is a great one. It’s a little unusual, but still very professional-looking.

With Basic Invite, you can change almost everything about the card. Users can select:

The colors
The fonts
The amount of text
The placement of text

For example, I wanted my business card colors to mimic my blog colors (teal and gray), so I found bold colors in those same shades. Since Basic Invite is one of the few websites that features a nearly unlimited color selection, you can have a blast “trying on” the different colors and seeing how they look on your cards – right in the preview pane!

I also wanted the text on my cards to reflect the grade levels addressed on my blog: Preschool through Grade 6. So a little playful, but also a little serious. And I think these fit that theme well!

And don’t worry, I’ve already put my business cards and my card holder in my bag. There’s no way I can forget them now!

If you’re heading out to your first blogging conference, check out the stationery options at Basic Invite. Besides the gorgeous business cards, they also have gobs of options for other occasions such as baby shower thank you cards and inexpensive birth announcements. Stop by today and start designing your own!

Learn more about Basic Invite by following them on social media!

And for more ideas to boost your blog, don’t miss the tips on my Blogging Smart Pinterest board!

The Secret to Homeschooling and Working Full Time

March 14, 2016 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

I’ve been a homeschooling parent – except for a brief flirtation with public school – for the past several years. For six of those years, I’ve also been a work-at-home mom.

Recently, though, something has changed – I’ve become a homeschooling mom who works full-time.

If you’d told me years ago when I left the workforce that I’d end up returning along WITH my four children, I’d have thought you were insane. But eleven years later, here we are.

I’m not going to sugarcoat it: It’s been challenging to adjust to this new lifestyle. But I really think I’ve found the secret to homeschooling and working full time and I’m sharing it today!

Image: c/o Tinatin1 / depositphotos

Why Homeschooling and Working Full Time is So Hard

This is a no-brainer, right? It’s hard because there’s only one you and there are kids, lesson plans, work deadlines, clients, assignments, grades, exams, and state reports to deal with – and that’s not all!

In the past when I’ve worked from home, I’ve had to pull full-time shifts for a short amount of time. But in those situations, I had the freedom to move my schedule around and get my work done when the kids were sleeping.

Now, though, I’m working both inside and outside the home. So I have less flexibility than I did before. Plus, my children accompany me to work. (I have a very understanding supervisor.) But that means keeping them still and quiet while I try to do my job. And that’s not easy.

The Secret to Homeschooling and Working Full Time

It’s really taken a few months to get the hang of this and I still can’t say that I’ve totally “got it”. But I have uncovered a huge secret that makes homeschooling and working full time easier. Are you ready to learn what it is?

It’s…outsourcing.

I outsource every single task I can to my children. And that includes choosing school assignments, doing housework, making meals, and completing lessons. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I only spend about five hours a week actually “teaching”. And that has greatly freed up my time to get my other responsibilities done.

After I started working outside the home, I explained to the kids that I would be contributing to the household in a new way: by earning additional money we could use to take a vacation, go to the aquarium, buy clothes, and so on. And that it was time for them to contribute to the household a bit more as well. 😉

For example, when it comes to housework, there are three chores that have to be done every single day and were taking up way too much of my time: laundry, cooking, and dishes. I rotate these tasks among my three oldest kids each week.

So one week, Tigger will prepare breakfast and lunch during the day, Roo will do the laundry, and Pooh will wash the dishes. Then the next week, they rotate.

Of course, they’re not skilled enough to be left to do all of these things without supervision, so I’m always nearby to keep an eye on them. But their daily chores are part of their school day, which is a win-win for everyone!

For more tips on planning and scheduling your homeschool, check out some of our other posts!

How I Homeschool Four Kids for $250 a Year!

Our Year-Round Homeschool Schedule

Get even more encouragement for planning your homeschool year from my Homeschool Planning board on Pinterest!

Are you homeschooling and working full time? Let us know how you do it!

This linkup is part of the Balancing Your Life & Homeschooling linkup from iHomeschool Network! Click over to read how my fellow bloggers keep everything together!