Welcome to Day 5 of the 30 Days to Less of a Hot Mess Challenge. Today we’re focusing on decluttering, reorganizing, and carving out breathing room so your home supports the life you want to live. If you’re new to the challenge, you may want to start at the beginning.
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Hi — I’m Laura, a busy work-from-home mom juggling deadlines, school drop-offs, play dates, naps, and the everyday chaos that comes with little ones. I build my work around family life: I stay up late, I grab caffeine when I need it, and I try to make the most of the time I have to focus.
I never imagined I’d be self-employed when I started blogging, but being able to work on my own schedule while being home for my girls has been a huge blessing. It’s flexible and rewarding — but it also brings real challenges. When work and life happen under one roof, it’s easy for boundaries to blur. There have been many mornings when a sick child interrupts a deadline, or a photo shoot is derailed by toddlers needing attention. I’ve learned to adapt and to protect focused work time, because productivity suffers without structure.
No matter what season of life you’re in — homeschooling, full-time employment outside the home, or running a business from the family room — staying organized and productive requires systems. I’ve collected strategies that help me stay on track, and they can help you too.
A few fundamentals I rely on:
- Designate an office space. Even if it’s small, having a dedicated workspace helps separate tasks mentally and physically.
- Use a planner. I keep a personal daily planner and a separate blogging planner to track both family and business tasks.
- Set office hours. Establish when you will work and protect that time. It shifts seasonally, but having boundaries helps your family know when you’re available.
- Make organization attractive. Functional, beautiful storage and supplies make it easier to stay motivated and focused.
Those basics are powerful, but I’ve tightened my routine further by adopting time blocking. Time blocking helps me protect work periods, focus on priority tasks, and actually finish more in less time.
Find more working from home tips in this recent post.
How to Time Block and Work More Efficiently
I use a flexible 20-hour weekly time block as a framework, but you can scale this to match your available hours. The idea is to reserve specific blocks of time for focused activity and to protect those blocks like appointments.
Time Block Work Schedule Rules
- Choose and block your hours. Put these times in your planner and treat them as non-negotiable office hours. Say no to casual interruptions during those slots.
- Define focus categories. Assign each block a specific category or project so you know exactly what you’ll work on when the timer starts.
- Work in short focused intervals with breaks. I use 25-minute work intervals with alternating 5- and 10-minute breaks. For example, work 9:30–9:55, take a 5-minute break, then 10:00–10:25, then a 10-minute break, and so on. Short sprints keep energy high and focus sharp.
- Eliminate distractions. Put your phone out of reach, close unrelated tabs, and avoid social media unless it’s directly tied to your task.
- Be consistent. Complete your scheduled hours each week when possible. If you miss a block because of a field trip or sick child, reschedule it rather than letting it slide.
- Communicate your plan to others. Let family members know when you’re working and when you’re available so they can respect your focused time and step in to help if needed.
Having a clear plan and protecting your focus windows will significantly increase your productivity and decrease daily stress.
My Sample Focus Categories
Here are the categories I assign to weekly time blocks as a blogger and business owner. Use this as a starting point and adapt the list to your own work:
- Writing – 8 blocks
- Staging & Photography – 4 blocks
- Photo Editing – 2 blocks
- Graphic Design – 3 blocks
- Comments – 1 block
- E-mail – 2 blocks
- Scheduling & Editing Posts – 3 blocks
- Pinterest Maintenance – 2 blocks
- Goals – 2 blocks
- Newsletter – 2 blocks
- Weekly To-Dos – 3 blocks
- Monthly To-Dos – 1 block
That list adds up to about 16.5 hours; I fill additional time in the evenings for other projects. The exact mix will depend on your priorities and the season of life you’re in.
Weekly Time Block Schedule | Free Printable
I created a simple weekly time block printable to help you plan. Fill in your time slots and assign focus categories for each day — it’s an easy visual tool to keep you accountable and on track.
Tip: If you’re already on the blog newsletter list, check your most recent email for access to the VIP library and download the printable there. If not, you can sign up to receive it.
Share your decluttering and organizing progress on social media using the hashtag #lessofahotmess — I’d love to see how this challenge is working for you.
The Messy Work: Print the Weekly Time Block Schedule, list your focus categories, and block off dedicated work times. Stick to them and make up missed blocks as needed. Tomorrow we’ll cover creating an organized cleaning schedule — it’s going to be fun, I promise.
In the mess with you, Laura
More Posts You Will Love:
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- Spring Cleaning Checklist {Free Printable}
- How to Declutter Your Home in 5 Simple Steps
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