Raising children is easily one of, if not the most demanding and all-encompassing roles you will have in your lifetime. So what does that mean for parents who are at home raising their kids while also trying to operate their own business and work from home? To say it’s a struggle is a massive understatement, as parents in this position know all too well what a fine balancing act it is.
So if you find yourself in the position of working from home, while trying to raise your kids and you’re finding it tough to stay on top of everything, then here are three tips that can make a world of difference.
Get Yourself on a Schedule
Work at home parents are becoming more and more common in today’s workforce. In fact, according to the Office for National Statistics, roughly 14% of employed adults work from home. What this means is that you aren’t alone and there are many other parents just like you out there.
Most will attest to the fact that a schedule is an absolute must in allowing things to run smoothly. You need to create your very own office hours, whatever they may be, and make that clear to your clients and customers. This also means you need to stick with the office hours and not feel inclined to return calls and do work outside of those hours. The schedule is meant to provide you with balance and time to get everything done, so you don’t want to throw it off.
Set Up a Designated Office Space
In order to make sure your role as a parent and a business person don’t blur, you want to keep the spaces away from each other in a physical sense. This will help your frame of mind allowing you to switch from mommy or daddy mode into business mode.
Look for an area in your house that allows for privacy and room to store all your necessary office equipment. This includes such things as your desk, chair, computer, phone, and storage system. This space should be off-limits to the rest of the family and seen as your workplace, not a playroom.
Set Up Some Basic Rules
You’ll also find it beneficial to have a family discussion about the basic rules during your work hours. Kids will have to learn that your focus is on work, which means you can’t be entertaining them. Obviously there are some instances were interruptions are fine, but the ground rules need to be clear for them and for you.
Find Tools That Help You to Be Productive
Another tip is to find tools that allow you to be your most productive self. As a work-from-home parent time is always a hot commodity so any way you can get things done faster is a bonus. Take for example the email finder tool which can be a huge timesaver when setting up B2B marketing campaigns. Simply key in an email address and get instant verification if it exists. You can click here to use it.
You Can Have It All
While it may not seem possible to have it all – a rewarding career and a happy life at home with kids – with some planning, organising, and patience on everyone’s part, it is possible.
Brought to you by our friend, Carol.