If you have children, the ability to earn money from home is the answer to your prayers. You will no longer experience anxiety attacks when one of them gets sick or has a day off from school. No one cares if you get to your laptop a few minutes later than usual in the hectic morning hours. If overtime looms, no problem. You can work once the kids have hit the hay. All in all working from home is sweet.
Then there's that little thing called reality. One of the first things I learned when I started working from home was that summer, when all of my kids were home during the day and didn't want to be (home, that is), was a whole new adventure. Suddenly I couldn't just drop them off at the sitter's and enjoy eight quiet, blissful, uninterrupted hours to concentrate on what I had to do. Instead, I was filling sippy cups, restarting cartoons and dragging my laptop to the park...and Chuck E. Cheese... and Funland... and any other place I could think of that would keep them entertained for more than half an hour so I could put a dent in my to-do list.
So, you can work after the kids go to bed, yes? No. You can be so tired when at last it's time to put them to bed, you can barely do the dishes and straighten up until at last it's your bed time too. Obviously to remain sane, a plan is in order. Below are the five steps to a plan that will work for any work at home mom.
1) Get up earlier than your kids to read and respond to emails. Then don't even look at your email until lunch time. It is amazing how much time emails can take out of your day. If you are not a morning person, learn how to become one. You need these early morning hours to update social media sites, blogs and do your email.
2) Take a break and eat breakfast with the kids. The number one problem with working from home when you've got kids is the way you can't get them to focus on something else long enough for you to get anything done. I learned quickly that taking time out throughout the day to spend time with the kids balances nicely with asking them to go play for an hour or two so I could get some work done. Play for an hour, work for two, then break for lunch. They don't feel neglected, and you don't feel like you're falling behind.
3) Never rule out calling in a babysitter when you have deadlines fast approaching. Hiring a babysitter to watch your kids while you are at home may seem counterproductive, but if you are feeling a time crunch and the little brats won't leave you alone no matter what, it's time to hire one. Even better, send them off to a little friends for a play day. I'll bet you have friends with kids that would love to swap baby sitting duties with you. If you don't, go find some.
4) When you go on vacation, leave your laptop at home. Working from home is still working after all. You need a break. So when you can finally take that vacation, really take it. Don't even think about work. Have fun with your family and enjoy the time off.
5) Keep scheduled work hours. Children do much better with a schedule that is followed religiously, or at least somewhat religiously. If you are able to inform them that in one hour we will go to the park and have a picnic, do that in one hour. They will cooperate with you and leave you alone until that hour comes, making the day far more pleasant for all of you. Work at home success is what you were after in the first place. These brief tips will help you get there.
