One of the biggest reasons some women become work at home moms is to be available for their children. Many choose to start when the children are young and need a lot of supervision. Many continue the experience as the children get older because of the flexibility it offers.
It can be a challenge being a work at home mom and juggle the needs of the family with the needs of your business. Finding a balance between the two is the key to being a successful (and peaceful) work at home mom. Here are some tips on how to achieve this:
1. Make a schedule of times when you KNOW you won't be disturbed (early in the morning, late at night or during naps). There are probably a few hours in each day that you can devote to work that are completely undisturbed by the rest of the household.
2. Keep a calendar of all the children's activities close at hand (include everything from doctor's appointments to carpools). It will help you know how to juggle your schedule if you always have the important events written out for easy access. Keeping more than one calendar might lead to oversights, so use just one and keep all the activities in one place.
3. Use that same calendar to keep track of due dates or projects that you need to complete. It will help you stay on track if you know what you have to do and when you have to do it. You can use a paper calendar or even one of the many automated calendar programs (that will sound an alarm when things are suppose to happen).
4. If you do work for clients, aim to complete your projects ahead of schedule. Procrastination can be one of the major pitfalls of the work at home mom. Keep it at bay by staying ahead of schedule.
5. Expect the unexpected. One of the main reasons that people choose to work at home is so that they can be flexible. You want to be able to walk away from work if the children have an unexpected awards program or they are just sick. Plan to have unexpected down time – keep ahead of your workload, set aside a day that can be a time for catching up, plan on getting up an hour early (or staying up an hour later) the day after the unexpected changes occur.
6. Put the children first. Whether it's a splinter in the finger or a question about homework, help the children to understand that they are more important than any project or work schedule. Remember that they are the main reason that you are a work at home mom.
The best way to balance your children's schedules and your work load is to stay organized. Keep lists and schedules easily accessible and keep them up to date. Before long you will fall into a rhythm and find that the juggling act is really much easier than it looks.
Carrie Lauth is a single work at home Mom of 4 who blogs about internet marketing at http://www.carrielauth.com/blog
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