By Angela Taylor

Being a work at home mom (WAHM) isn’t for every woman. However, I’ve never regretted taking the plunge for a minute. I used to work in a big corporate office, in a cubicle. However, I craved a work life balance and deeply resented the time that work took away from my time with my family. So I quit my corporate gig and became a WAHM, which believe you me, isn’t as easy as it sounds!

Being a work-at-home mom requires organization, patience, and the support of your family. Imagine having to juggle a full time workload at home while still acting as a hands-on parent—doing laundry, preparing lunches, and being there for the kids when they get home from school.

However, a WAHM without boundaries—either with her family or with her work—will suffer productively in one of those areas. For instance, a WAHM who doesn’t define her office hours might have her kids busting in on her workday for snacks and attention. (more…)

By Melissa Woodson

Time management can be difficult with any job, but especially for those with home offices. If you struggle to get everything done within a limited amount of time without neglecting your family or your home, here are five time management tips for you:

1. Create a to-do list.

Since it is too easy to get distracted, you need to prioritize. Make a daily list of what you need to get accomplished, in order from most important to least. Your list can include household chores, as well as packets that you need to collate and staple. Crossing items off as you complete them really does give you a sense of satisfaction, even if it only involves taking the garbage out. It is also helpful to complete the most unpleasant tasks first and work your way to the most enjoyable. This will help you retain focus and motivation as the day gets later and you inevitably become tired. (more…)

By Kenneth McCall

A creative mind is seldom tidy. I once saw this saying on an office mug situated on top of a phenomenal pile of unfiled paperwork and had to laugh. While it is true that most of us are, by nature, not fastidious organizers, blaming our personalities is not the best way to get on a clutter-free track. And even though some people might be comfortable with a little clutter chaos around the home, having a disorganized home office only accomplishes one thing: lost time.

Even if you are the furthest thing from an organized individual, having a clean and tidy office space saves untold amounts of time and frustration. Plus. it is often a relief to step away from the whirlwind of a busy home to a place where you know where to find everything. The tough part is creating and maintaining this haven of home organization. Fortunately, there are steps that even the most cluttered of creative minds can take to achieving and maintaining a clean and organized home office. (more…)

By Jessica Edmondson

People who don’t work from home tend to romanticize the daily lives of those who do. Peace and quiet, comfortable surroundings – the image is so attractive. The reality is often different, however. Working from home is full of pros and cons, just like any other work environment – and perhaps the biggest challenge is creating and protecting a functional, distraction-free space.

Home offices that look like the ones pictured in Real Simple or Martha Stewart Living magazines are the exception rather than the norm. The truth is, setting up a workable and well-organized office space takes planning and creativity to fit it to the particular needs of the occupant. (more…)

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your entrepreneurial journey.

I wasn’t looking for something to do with my time. I had a very full and active life. My children were grown, my husband had a successful business and I was very active with church, and public speaking opportunities (still waiting for grandchildren though). Two things happened to change all this. First, my husband’s business was embezzled and we ended up losing the business, the building, machinery, all of our assets, including any retirement funds. All they left us was the roof over our heads. HE is the entrepreneur of the family so he immediately started thinking of what new business he could start. I, on the other hand was quite eager to help him with ideas on how HE could move forward.

One Christmas morning however my life took an unexpected turn. I received a gift from my son. It was a great, trendy shoulder bag. Immediately I fell in love with it, but as soon as I looked inside I knew I would never use it… no pockets. I was an organizer bag fanatic. I had to have pockets… a place for everything. I sadly put the bag aside but couldn’t stop thinking about it. I began to search stores and the Internet for an organizer that had all the right pockets, making my essentials easy to find. Unsuccessful in this I set out to design an organizer that would fill the need. One thing lead to another and the next thing I knew I had 2,000 Pouchees® coming in from China. (more…)