How to Defeat Boredom as a Work at Home Mom
I have heard many work-at-home mothers complain about the lack of mental stimulation and the boredom of working from home. At first, I assumed that these WAHMs were bored because their business is not giving them the success or income that they need. However, upon investigating further I discovered that this is a problem of both successful and unsuccessful work at home mothers.
When I thought about it more I knew that I too had experienced boredom in my Work-at-home life. Boredom can be a very dangerous thing to experience. It can cause us to be side tracked and deviate from our plan of success by causing us to look around for other opportunities, until we become schizophrenic with our business. This is a recipe for failure.
I used to be guilty of this very thing. I had numerous direct sales businesses. None of which were earning a substantial income. It is impossible to grow a business if you allow your business to become fragmented in that manner. You must focus yourself on one thing at a time.
If you have a good business idea you need to stick to that idea following some basic steps until you have run out of steps to follow and your business is either a success or you have determined that it was not a marketable idea to start with. Only after an exhaustive effort should you move on to the next good thing. I have seen Moms who want to work from home repeatedly go crazy with all the opportunity that exists, signing up for this and that until they are broke and end up having to go out and get a J.O.B. working for someone else.
It even happened to me.
Then I discovered the Power of a Focused Business, which I listened to on Mom Masterminds. In a nutshell you should focus on your business idea and give it your full attention just like you would a real job until you are a success. If you do these things, success will happen. Maybe not with your first idea, but eventually following these ideas you will succeed at your perfect business.
Other than joining Mom Masterminds and listening to The Power of a Focused Business, which I highly recommend, what are some other ways you can defeat boredom and get some extra mental stimulation?
Join your local Chamber of Commerce. I tell people this all the time but often they complain about the cost of this. In my area a person running a home business can get a special membership for only $33.00 per month. When you join the Chamber get involved, seek office, volunteer for events. You will be surprised at what these contacts can yield you. It will more than make up for any membership fee.
Join your PTA. This is an important thing to do even if you do not have a business. But you do, so you are in a unique position to have more time to truly get involved. You can join an interesting committee, if you are into direct sells, volunteer to lead fundraisers. If you are a Virtual Assistant, volunteer to become the treasurer or secretary. Again, your rewards and business growth will far out weigh the cost.
Join the League of Women Voters. This is a bipartisan organization and one of the few political organizations besides the PTA that I would recommend joining. Once again, this gives you an opportunity to meet other leaders in your community to offer your services on a volunteer or paid basis or to obtain mental stimulation and renewal.
Join a book of the month club. This may sound frivolous, but once again any activity that keeps you brain active is very useful to your business. If you actively participate in any group, you will become known in your field and eventually you will be seen as the expert in that field. You do not have to and should not actively try to sell your services or product at any of these activities. You simply let people know what it is that you do, and eventually they will come to you.
Join a writer’s workshop. You know we all have to write or edit content so this would be great to do because it will keep your mind active. You will meet other writers too! Knowing writers is a great asset to your business because you might find people who are willing to publish on your site free or for a low cost. I have had people volunteer to write on my sites once they knew what I was doing.
Teach local seniors how to start their own business at the Senior Center. The Senior Center is a really great resource to you and to Seniors. If you have a craft business, you can teach your craft to seniors. You can do this on a volunteer or paid basis. Whatever your expertise it can be taught to someone else, especially seniors.
Speaking of teaching, you can also teach a class at your local University or College if you have the appropriate degree or expertise. Many colleges and universities have non-credit courses, often called Lifetime Learning Classes, and often pay local citizens with or without degrees to teach these classes. If you have an expertise, offer it, you might be surprised at what can happen. If they are not interested in paying you, offer to do it free, charging a small lab fee to those who sign up to see if there is an interest.
A word about Mom Masterminds. This is a wonderful community that anyone can join for a small monthly fee. When you join, women who have truly succeeded and made it in this online Internet business world will mentor you without hesitation. The coaching, camaraderie, and successes that you will experience by following the courses, lessons and suggestions on this membership site are priceless. All courses are included in the membership fee. You will not need any other “how to” books, or be distracted by other businesses any longer. You will become hyper-focused on your business plan, which will make you succeed beyond your wildest dreams. If you are unsure at least take a look at the 9 day free e-course.
As you can see, there are many things that you can do to eliminate boredom. There is no reason that you should be stuck behind four walls without mental stimulation when you are a work at home mother. I am sure after reading this article you have thought of other ideas as well. Please share them with me by emailing me here. I may post your replies with your URL on WAHC.
