Tips For The Working Mother - Staying Sane When Working From Home By Melissa Brewer At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

For most moms, working and raising children can be very daunting. But for those moms who work from home, getting their work done while preparing meals, trying to get children to take naps, cleaning and running errands can make working during the day almost impossible. Developing a strategy and a work schedule is important if you want to continue working and raise your family at the same time. The following tips can help you become more productive when working and still maintain a close connection to your children.

Determine the Number of Hours You Need to Work

Determining the number of hours you need to work each week is the first step toward creating balance in your role as working/stay-at-home mom. If you can afford to work part-time until your children are school age, do so. Even though you won't be making as much as you did before you become a mother, you will still be able to make your contribution to the working world while spending quality time with your children.

Create a Work Schedule

Creating a work schedule can be as simple as listing all the work-related tasks you need to complete in one day or during the week. Breaking your time into smaller chunks can help you stay focused, but still attend to your children when they need you. As a working mother, you need to have more flexibility in your work schedule because each day is different when raising children.

If possible, try to complete most of your work while your children are still in bed or when they are taking naps. This may mean starting your workday early, but at least you will be able to complete the tasks on your list.

Revisit your work schedule each month to see how you can make improvements. Try working during different times to see when you're the most productive. Charting your work successes in a journal is an easy way to determine your peak working hours.

Create an Office

Turning that spare room into an office is a great way to separate work and family, but also gives you a space to spread out when you need to. If you don't have a spare room, try to find a quiet space in your home where you can talk with clients, customers and others without too many distractions. Unfortunately, some people do not want to conduct business with working mothers, so you need to create a space where you can communicate freely and maintain professional relationships.

Hire a Sitter

If you need to attend periodic meetings and phone conferences or you need extra time to complete a project, hiring a sitter for a few hours each week can give you enough time to concentrate on important tasks or allow you to participate in a phone conference without being embarrassed that your children are yelling and playing in the background. When working from home, you need to be professional at all times when dealing with supervisors, clients, vendors and others you contact during the day.

There are many ways to be successful in your field by working from home to be with your children. While you can't have it all, you can find a balance that allows you to pursue work goals while raising a family.

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