How To Master Being A Work-at-Home Mom

As a mom, it’s natural to want to dedicate all your waking hours caring for your kids while keeping everything together in the household.

But as you already know, money is inescapably necessary, and as in most cases, having only one stream of income and resources is not enough to sustain the needs of the whole family.

As a result, many moms with small kids often have to juggle work and parenthood. Fortunately, many have tacked the secrets to using the internet to find that sweet balance between employment and motherhood.

By working at home, these mothers are able to slay being a full-time mom while making ends meet.

If you’re looking to explore the same option for yourself, the following tips will help you master this often tricky occupation without compromising either one or both responsibilities in the long run.

Set a Work Schedule

One of the greatest appeals of work at home jobs is its flexibility. However, it’s important to observe a disciplined work hour system so you can manage your time and set your expectations about how much you can accomplish in a day.

 Delegate a certain period in the day for working. And while you’re at it, help your kids get used to your routine. If they’re old enough to accomplish certain tasks, get them in the loop of helping you achieve productive goals during the day. It could be finishing an artwork or coloring a book while you do your job in the other room.

This will not only help you have time for productive work but will also help them hone their skills and values at an early age. Just make sure you provide adequate feedback and occasional rewards at the end of the day.

 If you have an employer with whom you have to report to every once in a while, strike up an agreement about how much hours you should render in a day. Also, see to it that they understand your situation as a mom and are willing to make a little compromise with you. Given the fact, you should be diligent in turning over expected work so your employer knows that your situation does not imperil your competence for the job.

 

Take Advantage of Nap Times

Hustling from one task to the next is the normal SOP in a mom’s ordinary day, often with little to no rest at all. Understandably, you take advantage of the little time available that is not spent on looking after your child or doing work to keep the household in operational order.

 So make nap times work for you. Turn it into a routine. Aside from setting your own work schedule, help your child build a habit of napping at a certain period during the day. (Yay, siesta!)

 Use these quiet hours to focus on work that requires strict completion—especially if you’re working with deadlines. Prioritize and get the most important stuff out of the way so you can unload the bulk of the burden and worry less when your child starts fussing again.

 You can also choose to dedicate certain work hours after their bedtime. And if you’re a night owl, channel all that energy to accomplish whatever is necessary so you can confidently start with a clean slate of tasks the next day. Catching up with backlogs due to a poorly managed schedule is extremely draining and can eventually jeopardize your job.

 Compartmentalize

If you can’t draw up a line between being a working individual and being a responsible parent, you're setting yourself up for failure. To be a successful work at home mom, you should be able to balance both responsibilities and be able to keep boundaries between the two. Otherwise, you will risk sacrificing one for the other and eventually destabilize your routine.

Compartmentalize. Set up a separate working space where you can’t give in to the temptation of attending to the dirty dishes while in the middle of composing a long content article. Keep your desk minimal: a journal, your own teleconferencing system if you’re taking client calls, and your desktop. Minimal clutter will help you concentrate and focus on tasks at hand.

If possible, dress for the part. It will set you up in the mood for work, and you will be cautious about attending to housework if you’re in your work clothes as when you’re in your pajamas.

Keep Your Kids Occupied

Designate tasks to your kids. Schedule activities, and involve them in planning. This will give them something to look forward to, and when they’re in their own world, they are also less likely to interrupt you.

 Just like how you secured your own home office, you should also set up a play-conducive place in the house, where children get to unleash their creative spirits. This so-called activity center should be equipped with tools for the imagination so they can keep occupied while you focus your own time in completing much-needed work.

 If, for some reason, they have completed their designated tasks and can’t find other things to do, you can brainstorm for ideas, write them down, and put them in a jar. And when the occasion calls for it, just pick one from the jar.

 Helping your kids take charge of their own time while also making room for occasional surprises helps them cultivate a sense of responsibility and independence at a young age while also helping them develop an appetite for adventure.

One of the signs of mastering the art of being a work-at-home mom is helping your kids develop their own sense of autonomy and independence, even when you are always around.

Prepare for Interruptions

Sooner or later, especially if your kid is a toddler, you’ll find that set plans don’t always work. They will come rushing through the door, demanding attention, all while in the middle of a conference call.

This is understandable—and expected. The best way to deal with it when it does happen is to be properly prepared.

Firstly, make sure you inform your employer of your work-at-home situation. Most moms have found that employers, in general, are understanding. You must, however, make it a point to submit whatever is needed at the end of the day.

Second, turn the whole affair into a game, and reward positive behavior. Use signs that will tell your child when a behavior isn’t allowed. For instance, a little ribbon tied to your home office door may tell them to not yell around the house or to wait until they get their turn to make demands.

 

Ask for Help

Asking for help is not an admittance of defeat or your incapacity to handle work at home while being around kids. Sometimes, it’s just the practical thing to do, especially if your child is in the terrible-three stage.

If you don’t need regular help and are confident that you can manage the rest of the time, perhaps you can ask your spouse to spare a few hours to help you get through really important work.

Otherwise, hiring child-care assistance is the best thing to do. If you know other moms you need the same help, you can pool in your resources and have the sitter take care of your children for two to three hours a day. Additionally, improve the way you handle your time by signing up for a time management class.

 

Final Thoughts

Being a work-at-home mom is no easy feat, but once you grasp its dynamics, there’s nothing more satisfying than knowing that you’re not falling short on your obligations and responsibilities. Set up right. The trick is in building a system that works. Follow these steps into building a method that ticks all the boxes.