Ways to Relieve Holiday Stress for Work-At-Home Moms

Giving gifts to our family and friends is the core of the holiday season but is one of the biggest stressors for work at home moms. We are already stretched for precious time and we know the difficulty of balancing clients with family. It’s a constant juggling game between the two and when we add all the holiday preparations to our overflowing lists, all the fun is often sucked right out of the holiday season.

Now is the time to make a plan of action and get organized with all that needs to happen before the holidays are upon us. Here are some practical tips for easing into the holidays from one WAHM to another:

Take control of your finances early, before your holiday shopping begins, and develop a realistic budget to follow. If you can avoid using credit cards and only pay cash for gifts, you will breathe easier in January when the credit card bill arrives. Paying cash helps you stay on budget and will prevent you from making any rash decisions or buying outlandish gifts.

Prior to driving to the mall, make a list of your gift ideas for each person so you won’t be left wandering aimlessly from store to store, hoping for some divine inspiration. With the outrageous cost of gasoline, bundle your shopping trips to stores that are near each other. Your time is worth money to your clients and should be viewed as valuable by you, too.

Take advantage of your lunch break to shop online. Ordering online is a godsend when you need to ship items out of state. Paying for the online company to ship a gift is far less costly and time consuming than packing it up yourself and waiting with half the town in line at the post office.

Be focused and use any breaks in your work schedule to your advantage. Write out a few holiday cards or wrap a few presents in between client calls. Both tasks become more manageable when broken down into smaller time frames.

When you sit down to write your gift list with a nice cup of tea, decide if you will buy gifts just for family members or if you will also include your children’s teachers, bus drivers, garbage haulers, postal workers, religious education teachers, sports coaches…you get the drift. The list could get very long and break your budget if you don’t plan well.

A great gift idea for these “extra” people in your life is something homemade. If you are a big holiday baker, simply buy a few pretty tins and bake a few extra batches of your favorite cookies or breads. For those of you who do not bake, look for some recipes for making “Gifts in a Jar”. You can buy large or small mason jars at craft stores and you simply layer the dry ingredients of your favorite cookie recipe, close the lid, tie with pretty ribbon, and you have a lovely gift. Don’t forget to attach a copy of the recipe to the jar!

Organizing your holiday card list early will eliminate many headaches and hand cramps later on. Pare down your list, order your cards early, order your stamps online or with your postal carrier, and put all the addresses on computer labels. You can easily find labels with holiday designs and you can add a fun font for a customized look. Many card companies also offer to have your cards stamped with your family or business name, thus saving even more time.

Can you delegate any of the holiday prep to your older children or spouse? Your computer wizard teenager might be willing to input your holiday card list so you can print out address labels. Maybe an older child would be willing to babysit for the day so you can shop for gifts in peace. If you are preparing a holiday dinner, ask other relatives or friends to bring a dish. Older elementary school kids can help read recipes and layer the items in your gift jars.

Rather than build up your holiday as a Martha Stewart-recreation, complete with handmade gift wrap, make your holiday plans realistic to suit the needs of your family and your schedule. Focus instead on the peace, love and joy in your life and take time to count your many blessings.

If you need an extra hand getting what you want out of life and getting more organized contact contact Certified Life Coach, Aurelia Williams. She’ll help you design a life that allows you to reach your business and personal goals; cultivate more fulfilling relationships and that elusive achieve work/life balance you’ve been striving for.

Click here to learn more about her coaching programs.

How A Life Coach Can Help WAHMs Succeed!

Every mom knows the importance of organization; add a business to the mix and organization becomes even more important. As a WAHM, you need to know where your child’s play date is, when your next deadline is due, and what you are making for dinner.

A life coach can help you develop an organization system, set priorities and stay in control of your schedule. You’ll no longer waste precious time looking for things you’ve misplaced and you will no longer miss those important deadlines.

Get the Job Done & Spend Quality Time With Your Kids:
In many cases, women become WAHMs because they want to spend more time with their children. However, when you have deadlines to meet and clients to please, finding time to spend with your children can be difficult.

A life coach can help you develop a work routine that will allow you balance your time between work and family. When you have a routine in place, you will know which hours are for work; and which are for play.

How a Life Coach can Help WAHMS Spend Time with Their Spouse:
It can be easy to put romance on the backburner when you have your hands full. As a WAHM, you are tackling two “more than full-time” jobs. It is important to make time for your spouse, so that your marriage does not suffer.

A life coach can help you and your spouse work out a schedule where you both take on various household tasks. Having your spouse take over some of your chores will free up time on your schedule to create a date night together. You need time to be husband and wife, not just “mom” and “dad”.

How a Life Coach can Help WAHMs Get Time to Themselves:
By nature, women tend to be people pleasers; a life coach can help you learn to say “no”. This will prevent you from taking on more work than you can handle. When you take on too much, your natural response is to limit the time you take for yourself. This can be a big mistake. You deserve to take time out for yourself; take a walk, read a magazine, get a manicure.

You will notice that when you take a break to be alone, get your thoughts together, and recharge your batteries, you will have renewed energy and passion for all areas of your life!

Next Steps:

If you need an extra hand getting what you want out of life, contact Certified Life Coach, Aurelia Williams. She’ll help you design a life that allows you to reach your business and personal goals; cultivate more fulfilling relationships and that elusive achieve work/life balance you’ve been striving for. Click here to learn more about her coaching programs.

The Benefits Of Having A Personal Coach

If you have been watching the news, reading magazines, or even overhearing conversations while in line at the post office or grocery store, you may have heard about something called a “personal coach”. More and more people are turning to personal coaches each day; if you have ever wondered what one is and what they can help you with, read on!

Simply put, a personal coach helps you become the best “you” possible. Just like a sports coach helps athletes work out their problem areas and achieve new records with their strengths, a personal coach can help you set and meet goals that apply to many areas of your life.

In today’s society, many people over-book themselves with work, family, and social obligations. A personal coach can help you learn to manage your time effectively, and teach you new ways to calendar your time. You will work with your coach to find a system that works for you, and you’ll be able to meet all of your commitments. They’ll even help you carve out some personal time for yourself.

A personal coach can also help you with your parenting issues. It is no secret that being a parent is the toughest job you will ever have. A personal coach can help you work through any problems you have been having and help you learn new parenting techniques, as well as open the lines of communication between you and your child.

Stress is a common ailment that is shared by almost everyone. Some of the side effects of stress include aches, pain, fatigue, high blood pressure, anxiety and overeating. A personal coach can help you manage your stress levels. This alone can help you in all areas of your life. When you feel less stressed you will be happier and ready to take on new challenges.

Simply talking to a non-judgmental third party can do wonders for you. When people face problems, they are often too embarrassed to ask for help. They may not want their friends or family to know they are struggling with something. This can lead to further feelings of isolation and depression. A personal coach is there to listen and help you find solutions for your problems.

Working with a personal coach is actually more affordable than you think. Most offer free consultations. It is important for you and your potential coach to get to know each other; after the initial consultation, you can decide if this coach is the right coach for you. Likewise, the coach can tell you openly and honestly if they can help you. If they can’t, they will refer you to someone who can.

These are just a few of the benefits of having a personal coach. Think about how great it would be to have someone on your side, rooting for you, giving you honest feedback, and helping you achieve new goals. If you have been struggling with reaching a goal, it is time you experience a free consultation with a coach, and find out how they can help you!

Contact Aurelia Williams today and schedule your free consultation