Sanity Savers for Moms Who Work From Home
Moms who can manage to work from home have the best of both worlds. We can contribute to the family finances all while being there for our kids.
When our kids are young, we can save on child care as well as the cost of transportation to and from work, and we don't have to spend so much of our hard earned money on suits, high heels and drycleaning. Once the kids are in school full-time, we are able to cope with sick days and snow days with the greatest of ease.
While your work-from-home arrangement may look ideal from the outside, I know from experience that it probably also comes with long hours, many of which are done while your kids are sleeping. I also know that work/life balance for moms who work from home can be especially tough because you now have two offices that never close and two jobs that never end - one in your work capacity and one as a mom.
Here are a few sanity savers to help you excel in the art of working from home with kids.
1. Stick to a schedule. Your time is so limited that it's vital to set aside blocks of time for particular work tasks, as well as blocks of time in which you can give your undivided attention to your kids. It's so easy to fall into the trap of having a laptop on your lap all the time. Make sure that you are fully present with your kids for at least a good chunk of the time they are home with you.
If you have small kids at home with you during the day, make the most of naptime and quiet time and don't be afraid to ask for help, whether it's from a supportive spouse, a relative or friend or whether you pay someone to play with the kiddos for a bit. Calling in a mother's helper or a babysitter for just a few hours a week can be a real sanity saver.
2. Ask your kids to help you with the household chores as well as some of the more routine business tasks. Of course, it's easier to stamp envelopes, fold laundry and prepare meals when you're solo, but your children will love being able to work alongside you. They will cherish the one-on-one time with you as you get some things done around the house. After the household work is done, break out a board game and have some fun together.
3. Break your routine every now and again. After having emphasized the importance of keeping a schedule to help you maintain work/family balance, it's also important to liven things up for yourself every now and again. If you're feeling stuck in a rut, indulge in a change of scenery. Take your laptop to the nearest coffee house to do a bit of work there. Call your husband or your friends to make a lunch date or two.
If you work exclusively online, make a point to get out and see real people once in a while. Again, if your kids are too young to be in school full time, find a mom's helper or babysitter to help you when you just need to get out and be an adult for a while.
4. When your kids are home with you, use a visual cue to help your children know when it's okay to interrupt you - and when it's not. I have a friend who encourages her children to approach her as she works at the computer, unless she is on the phone or unless she is wearing her "writing hat." This is (literally) a hat she wears only when she is working on something that needs her entire focus. (In her case, this means she is deep in a writing project). See how your family responds to visual cues and use them for short periods of time.
5. On a regular basis, revisit all the reasons you work from home. Keep a list of reasons in a word processing file on your desktop or in your day planner. Times will come when it's difficult to keep going and when you're feeling burned out with all of the pressures that working from home might place on you. There may even come a time when you feel envious of your friends who go off to jobs outside the home day after day.
It is difficult to achieve balance as a work at home mom, but if you can manage to build your business while being home for your kids, you really will have the best of all possible worlds.
When our kids are young, we can save on child care as well as the cost of transportation to and from work, and we don't have to spend so much of our hard earned money on suits, high heels and drycleaning. Once the kids are in school full-time, we are able to cope with sick days and snow days with the greatest of ease.
While your work-from-home arrangement may look ideal from the outside, I know from experience that it probably also comes with long hours, many of which are done while your kids are sleeping. I also know that work/life balance for moms who work from home can be especially tough because you now have two offices that never close and two jobs that never end - one in your work capacity and one as a mom.
Here are a few sanity savers to help you excel in the art of working from home with kids.
1. Stick to a schedule. Your time is so limited that it's vital to set aside blocks of time for particular work tasks, as well as blocks of time in which you can give your undivided attention to your kids. It's so easy to fall into the trap of having a laptop on your lap all the time. Make sure that you are fully present with your kids for at least a good chunk of the time they are home with you.
If you have small kids at home with you during the day, make the most of naptime and quiet time and don't be afraid to ask for help, whether it's from a supportive spouse, a relative or friend or whether you pay someone to play with the kiddos for a bit. Calling in a mother's helper or a babysitter for just a few hours a week can be a real sanity saver.
2. Ask your kids to help you with the household chores as well as some of the more routine business tasks. Of course, it's easier to stamp envelopes, fold laundry and prepare meals when you're solo, but your children will love being able to work alongside you. They will cherish the one-on-one time with you as you get some things done around the house. After the household work is done, break out a board game and have some fun together.
3. Break your routine every now and again. After having emphasized the importance of keeping a schedule to help you maintain work/family balance, it's also important to liven things up for yourself every now and again. If you're feeling stuck in a rut, indulge in a change of scenery. Take your laptop to the nearest coffee house to do a bit of work there. Call your husband or your friends to make a lunch date or two.
If you work exclusively online, make a point to get out and see real people once in a while. Again, if your kids are too young to be in school full time, find a mom's helper or babysitter to help you when you just need to get out and be an adult for a while.
4. When your kids are home with you, use a visual cue to help your children know when it's okay to interrupt you - and when it's not. I have a friend who encourages her children to approach her as she works at the computer, unless she is on the phone or unless she is wearing her "writing hat." This is (literally) a hat she wears only when she is working on something that needs her entire focus. (In her case, this means she is deep in a writing project). See how your family responds to visual cues and use them for short periods of time.
5. On a regular basis, revisit all the reasons you work from home. Keep a list of reasons in a word processing file on your desktop or in your day planner. Times will come when it's difficult to keep going and when you're feeling burned out with all of the pressures that working from home might place on you. There may even come a time when you feel envious of your friends who go off to jobs outside the home day after day.
It is difficult to achieve balance as a work at home mom, but if you can manage to build your business while being home for your kids, you really will have the best of all possible worlds.
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