Success Advice
7 Ways I Mastered My Schedule While Managing My Job, My Side Hustle, and Homeschooling During a Pandemic

If you’d like to learn how to gain control of your life during this pandemic so you can get the most out of your days, sign up for the free 90-Day Master Class hosted by the founder of Addicted2Success.com, Joel Brown.
The CoronaVirus pandemic has thrown the world into chaos, for sure. We’re all wearing multiple hats, many of which don’t fit very well. Not only do we have to figure out how to do our in-person jobs virtually and continue to make time for our side hustles, we also have to help our kids with their distance learning.
With all these changes, it’s no wonder we feel like we’re juggling chainsaws on a tightrope over a pit of boiling lava. So now that it looks like this is going to be our reality for quite some time, how can we climb down off the tightrope and start to get control of our schedules again.
1. Utilize block scheduling to organize your day
With a block schedule you break up your days into chunks of time that you dedicate to one particular area of your life. For example, check in with work from 7-9 am, help your child with school work from 9-11am, work some more from 12-2pm, then spend some time on your business from 3-5pm.
Times can shift from day to day to allow you to be flexible for meetings and client calls, or you can have a firm, set schedule and stick to it no matter what. Every family is different and you may have to experiment with what works for you.
Here’s a rough outline of our schedule these days with our 3rd grader:
Mom | Dad | |
7-9am | Morning routine and free time | Morning routine and free time |
9-11am | Help with the kids’ distance learning | Job-related work |
11am-1pm | Job-related work | Help with the kids’ distance learning |
1-3pm | Job-related work | Side hustle work |
3-5pm | Side hustle work | Job-related work |
5-7pm | Job or hustle work | Job or hustle work |
7-9pm | Family time | Family time |
9-11pm | Free time | Free time |
2. Set timers and alarms
One of the most difficult things about our current situation is that there’s no division between work, home, and hustle. Without external cues like driving to and from work, the afternoon meeting, or Karen in accounting’s morning smoke break, it’s easy for time to slide by without notice. A simple alarm or timer can alert you that it’s time to take a break or move on to the next thing on your to-do list.
“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.” – Stephen King
3. Keep the kids busy
Have a stockpile of activities for the kids to do while you have to work. Try to get toys and games that can be set up, played, and put away by the child (or children). The more hands-off you can be, the more focused you can stay, and the quicker you can finish your work. Coloring books, legos, blocks, books, dolls or action figures, and a host of other games can be enjoyed by kids without parental interference. Think of it as creativity training. By using a parental control app you can create better digital habits for your children. These apps can help to create healthier digital lives by allowing only specific approved apps, limiting what images children can share, and setting time limits on usage.
And don’t go crazy over screen time. If your kids are watching more TV or YouTube than usual, it’s okay. Try to have some go-to shows that you know are educational – we love Wild Kratts – but remember this is a season, not a lifetime. Your kids will be fine, even if they go above the AAP’s recommended screen time allowance.
4. Delegate tasks that don’t need to be done by you
For work or business tasks, consider a virtual assistant. There are millions of people who are looking for work with skills that can help make your life easier. For home tasks, get help from your spouse or even the kids – a global pandemic is time for everyone to pitch in. You can also consider outsourcing mealtime with services like Hello Fresh or Blue Apron, or supporting your local restaurants.
5. Set clear, minimal goals
Just because you’re home all the time, doesn’t mean that you have to check every item off your honey-do list. While quarantine might seem like the perfect time to restain the deck, clean out the garage, launch a new service, completely retool your website, and write the great American novel, you are likely just as busy now as you were BC (before Corona), if not more.
Instead of trying to be all things to all people, focus on small successes in each priority area of your life – work, family, and side hustle. For example, rather than reworking your entire website, a smaller goal would be to rewrite your about page.
“You have to set goals that are almost out of reach. If you set a goal that is attainable without much work or thought, you are stuck with something below your true talent and potential.” – Steve Garvey
6. Let your kids help with your job or side hustle
In the time of Corona, every day is Take Your Kids to Work Day! And kids love to help out – my daughter will do anything for a quarter and the title of “assistant.” Some tasks that can easily be handed over to kids are stapling packets, stamping envelopes, and other “menial” tasks that no one likes to do. You can also hand your phone over to your child and ask them to take pictures of you working that you can later use on your website or on social media.
7. Take it one day at a time
Let’s face it. No one prepared for this. Even people with giant bomb cellars and stockpiles of food weren’t prepared for the world we’re currently in. So give yourself and your kids some grace. Some days are going to be great, and you’ll feel like you are owning this quarantine. Others are going to make you feel like a complete failure. In as much as anything is these days, that is normal.
Don’t berate yourself because you miss a deadline, your kids refuse to do any work, or you forget to update your social media postings. You are doing great!
How are you currently handling the coronavirus pandemic? Are you finding that you’re getting a lot done from home? Share your thoughts on it below!
Change Your Mindset
5 Ways To Achieve Your Goals (With Examples)

Setting goals is a crucial first step, whether you’re striving to reach personal or professional milestones. However, achieving those goals requires planning, determination, and focus. In this post, we’ll discuss five actionable strategies that can help you achieve your goals in 2023, and we’ll provide real-life examples to inspire and motivate you. By implementing these tips, you can train your brain to achieve your goals and make meaningful progress toward your aspirations.
1. Write Down Your Goals
The first thing needed to achieve a goal is to have one. A goal becomes very clear and precise once you have written it down most simply and easily to remember.
Here are some examples:
- I am the world’s best dancer!
- I am the greatest athlete!
- I have created the world’s most innovative tech company!
They are all written with the belief that these things have already happened. Once you start believing it has already happened, other people too can sense your confidence and things start happening.
“If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy and inspires your hopes.” — Andrew Carnegie
2. The One Page Plan
A simple one-page plan to accompany your goal is much more powerful than a detailed 30-page plan. After you have written your clear goal – write down all the things you will have to do to achieve it. Make it as simple and direct as possible so that you can refer to it every day and take action. A simple plan is easier to follow and keep up with.
3. Get The Right Skills
Once you have a clear goal that has been inked into your mind, and a clear plan in place, it is very important to invest in the skills you need to achieve your goal.
So for example, if you want to become a movie star, you should immediately start developing your acting skills. Observe how other actors perform, join an acting class, read about acting, and most importantly, start honing your craft by joining a local theatre group and going for as many auditions as you can. Practice is very important for mastering any skill.
Struggling To Achieve Your Goals? Here Are 9 Possible Reasons Why!
4. Surround Yourself With The Best People
The best way to achieve our goals is to make sure we have the best people supporting us. People who succeed are always those who understand the power of people.
So let’s say your goal is to be an entrepreneur and you have developed your entrepreneurial skills, the next step would be to get the best people to join your team to help you achieve your goal. These would be people who you consider to be the best marketers capable of getting you the best customers and investors.
Once you have the best people supporting you, it becomes much easier and faster to achieve your goals.
“It takes tremendous discipline to control the influence, the power you have over other people’s lives.” – Clint Eastwood
5. Power of Faith
Nothing beats the power of faith and belief. Sometimes you might face challenges, sometimes things might not be going your way, and you might feel like giving up – these are the times when faith and belief will keep you going.
So many people give up, just a few inches away from victory. I am sure you are not one of them since you are investing time into self-development which gives the highest returns! Now go out there and start achieving your goals!
Need more motivation? Read our blogs on motivation and become your best self now!
Change Your Mindset
This Concept Will Make You Happier and More Productive
While humans can’t expect to describe themselves as “always” happy, we sure as heck shouldn’t settle for “never” happy or even “seldom” happy

It’s always tempting to answer one more email before bed or to reply to one more text from a friend during work. Nonetheless, numerous studies have shown that multitasking, which is actually just constant task-switching, is exhausting. As the American Psychological Association states in an article about multitasking: “Psychologists who study what happens to cognition (mental processes) when people try to perform more than one task at a time have found that the mind and brain were not designed for heavy-duty multitasking.” (more…)
Change Your Mindset
Debunking 21 of the Most Common Leadership Myths
It has been proved beyond doubt that leaders are made rather than born

Do you think leaders should be tall and handsome? Do you opine leaders must know everything? Do you think leaders must have a magic wand? Do you think women cannot make good leaders? Do you think leaders should be intelligent with a strong academic background? (more…)
Change Your Mindset
There’s Only One Thing You Need for Success
The willingness to ask and live and love and overcome and learn and grow and so many other things all stem from one thing.

I know, the catchy title has you rolling your eyes and saying to yourself obviously there’s not only one thing that leads to success, but hear me out. (more…)
-
Change Your Mindset3 days ago
5 Ways To Achieve Your Goals (With Examples)
-
Change Your Mindset4 weeks ago
5 Easy Ways to Find Motivation When You’re Feeling Stuck
-
Change Your Mindset3 weeks ago
How to Unleash Your Full Potential and Live Your Extraordinary Life
-
Change Your Mindset3 weeks ago
How to Start Your Day Relaxed
-
Change Your Mindset3 weeks ago
10x Powerful Grant Cardone Quotes That Have Changed My Life
-
Change Your Mindset3 weeks ago
How to Acquire Emotional Intelligence and Why It Matters
-
Change Your Mindset2 weeks ago
There’s Only One Thing You Need for Success
-
Change Your Mindset1 week ago
How to Bounce Back From a Crisis and Become a Better You