There’s a ton of books for Catholic stay-at-home moms and working mothers. But there’s very little help for the work-at-home mom.
Frankly, that stinks.
WAHMs often end up getting the worst of both worlds.
When everything (work, family, and rest) occurs in the same place, it is challenging to set boundaries.
Challenging? Yes.
Impossible? No
Without order, one area can eclipse the others. When that happens, everybody suffers.
Your clients don’t get your best work. Your kids don’t get your full, undivided attention. And your poor hubby often gets the worst side of his beloved bride.
I have three distinct businesses and I’m always thinking about adding more. My life would fall apart without concrete priorities.
If your WAHM life stretches you thin, you need to read Fiat Ordo by Elayne Miller.
Elayne is a wife and mother. She works remotely from home & has a handmade shop.
This isn’t another book about business from a man with 7-figure net worth, an MBA, and no kids. All her advice is road tested by her actual family.
A roadmap to prioritized WAHM life
Fiat Ordo is Latin for “Let there be order.” The book is a 28-day journal for prioritising & organizing your time
Tip: I’m an unrepentant reading rulebreaker. I can’t remember to do 28 days of baby steps. Instead I do 4 or 5 steps a day until I finish the program. The day’s journaling exercises are very short, so it made sense to batch them together.
You don’t need a minute-by-minute schedule, but you do need to set down some goals on paper. Elayne walks you through three layers of goal setting.
A clear vision of your goal day
Begin with short-term priorities.
I used to think visualization was a bunch of woo. Fluff that didn’t really change anything. But it really is a valuable part of goal setting.
Think about the last big trip you made. You put a lot of thought into it.
You thought about what to pack. Where each kid would sit. When you’d stop for food. What you’d do at your destination.
That’s literally visualization right there.
Visualizing your goal day is like making an itinerary for the trip.
A family mission statement
Set long-term priorities.
My husband and I used to get stuck on this. I wanted a mission statement; he “isn’t good with words” (his words, not mine).
The good news is, you don’t have to be Shakespeare to craft a family mission statement. It’s less about style, more about substance.
Elayne provides numerous examples of statements. But I really enjoyed working on building our own by answering the questions in her book.
Your family mission statement is the destination in our trip analogy.
Functional routines
The bridge from short-term priorities to long-term success.
This is the most important section of the book.
Implementing new routines is hard. It takes a little self-discipline, but you can’t enjoy the reward without first doing some work.
Tip: For journaling books, I plan ahead to write in them again. I write with a colored pen (these Sharpies are my favorite) the first time, and leave space to journal through a second time in a different color. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to fit two run throughs in this book though, the margins and spacing are very tight.
Functional routines are the actual work of the trip analogy.
Because making plans, visualizing your success, and browsing hot destinations is fun.
But pinching pennies, packing your minivan, and driving cross country is the only way to get to Disneyland.
Conclusion
I like a book with structure. Not some rah-rah pep talk that I’ll forget as soon as I finish.
An actionable roadmap that will guide me down every step from Point A to Point B.
And that is exactly what Elayne delivers in Fiat Ordo.
So if you’re not making progress on your projects. Feeling torn between work and family. Or just a hot mess WAHM right now, check it out on Amazon today.
