7 Secrets For Working Moms At Home – I’m A Mom
Reconciling work and motherhood is usually not an easy task. And, in the meantime, a particular case is that of women who work at home.
This combination can force them to work both as nannies and in their profession at the same time, leaving no room to fully do any of the activities.
Therefore, we will give some advice to mothers who work at home and still take care of their children.
Being able to work from home has undisputed benefits, but it also has some problems.
When someone is already mothering, it can become a little complicated to combine the work of a mother with that of a worker.
Often there is an overlap of demands, the hours are not enough and mental exhaustion becomes noticeable.
In these cases, it is better to follow some recommendations to work at home with children and not die in the attempt.
Secrets to Working at Home with Kids
1. Hire a nanny
By no means should you think that because “you’re home all day” you can take care of your child by yourself.
While there are exceptions, you will generally need to be clear-minded to fulfill your obligations. Otherwise, it will do everything by halves.
Therefore, asking your partner for help or hiring a nanny is far from unnecessary.
After all, working from home is the same as doing it from an office, but with the added benefit that you’ll be there for when it’s really needed.
2. Organization and determination
You may be working and remember that you must do a shopping or a household chore.
To avoid these distractions, try to establish a schedule with fixed, determined times for work. From there, when you have it, try to fulfill it.
Otherwise, you’ll be working under pressure all the time, you’ll be open for anything to take your focus, and what’s worse, you may not meet your work goals as you intended.
3. Choose a workplace
Like time, space plays a fundamental role in all areas of work.
So, if you have the possibility of adapting a space in your home for work, don’t hesitate to do so.
This is important because all family members must know how to respect your privacy when you are there.
Also, consider adding a dedicated phone line to your office so that you are always available to your customers.
4. Use out-of-school activities to your advantage
When kids are of school age, things get a lot easier. During the shift they go to school — either in the morning or in the afternoon — they will already have their hours occupied.
When they are not at school, you can enroll them in some sporting or artistic activity. Clearly, it is the children who must decide which ones they want to participate in.
Together with this excellent tool, you can combine, for example, a visit to the grandparents during the week or even plan free afternoons with your partner to alternate supervision of the children.
Then babysitting will be needed at specific times and you can save money.
5. Be smart and flexible
This is precisely one of the greatest advantages of working from home. In this dynamic, there are no schedules.
So if one night you can’t get to sleep or need to stay awake to take care of one of your children, you can advance the work.
Of course, this shouldn’t become a rule, as overworking is not the solution.
However, it can be helpful when you know you can’t sleep right away and, as a result, will be tired the next morning.
6. Enjoy the “extra time”
Along the same lines as the previous topic, you can also enjoy some moments when you know the kids won’t demand your attention.
For example, when they’re watching TV or playing video games, they probably won’t need you. Or maybe they don’t even realize you’re not there.
At these times, you can use these minutes to finish something outstanding or advance some details.
But be careful! It is not advisable for you to concentrate on the main work at these times. Simply consider activities that fit into ‘extra time’.
7. Find balance
While most of the above recommendations are aimed at maximizing the time available, that doesn’t mean you should put children away as much as you can.
Much less does it mean that you should consider them a nuisance to be avoided.
You and they will need time together, so that you are not always closed off and so that they are ‘not disturbed during working hours ‘.
Stay open and receptive to their requests. You can even assign them simple tasks, like stacking papers, for example, to spend time together and make them feel useful.
We warn you in advance: it will not be an easy task. However, with organization and willingness – and also patience – this will work perfectly.
In short, working from home with children is not only feasible: it is also a great advantage that many would like to take advantage of.
