Making the decision to work from home as a mom can be a scary one. This may especially be true if you’re used to formal employment and engaging with colleagues every day. However, there are multiple benefits of working from home, and one is getting to spend more time with your kids. However, finding a balance can be hard especially if you haven’t worked from home before. Continue reading to find some helpful tips for new work from home moms.
Create a Schedule Getting organized is one of the best first steps you can take when preparing to become a work from home mom. Without a timetable, it’s very likely that your days will be frustrating and unproductive. Seeing as you’re going to have work deadlines, create a timetable that helps you maximize the free time you have and attend to your kids as well. When creating a schedule, include set office hours or blocks of time that you can work without distractions. You also want to organize your to-do-list in a smart way, which could mean completing simple tasks while your kids are playing and leaving more time-consuming ones until nap time. Ensure Your Home is Functional One disadvantage of working from home is the number of distractions that you’re likely to experience. You would be surprised at how something as simple as a leaking faucet or broken AC could set back your whole working day. Ensure you do a maintenance check so that you can identify anything that needs fixing. If you do find a few things that need to be fixed, call in a handyman to help you fix them properly. If you search for “handyman services near me” online, you should be able to find a good service at a decent price. This way, you have peace of mind knowing that everything is working properly and hopefully, nothing is going to break anytime soon. Create a Routine for the Kids Similar to creating a schedule, it’s also essential that you create a routine for your kids. If they’re old enough to understand, let them know that you’ll be working from home and get them familiar with your work timetable. Also, organize playtime and think up as many child-friendly activities as possible to keep them busy. It could be arranging reading time, arts and crafts, or outdoor play if you have a garden. The point should be to keep them busy with independent play while you get things done. Meal Plan Food is an important part of the day for both you and your kids. You’re going to need as much energy as you can get to make it through each day, so plan meals ahead of time. You want to plan healthy and nourishing meals and snacks the day or week before, so you aren’t wasting time thinking about what to make. Meal prep is also a way to cut your cooking time in half. If you decide to do weekly meal planning, do it on Thursday or Friday. Take a look at your fridge and see what leftovers you have as well as what groceries you need to buy over the weekend. Write down what meals you would like to make for breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day of the week and keep a balanced diet in mind. Not only will doing this save you time, but it could also save you from buying unnecessary groceries. Be Flexible No matter how much you plan, some days, nothing will go accordingly. Be flexible knowing that unforeseen circumstances will arise and you’re just going to have to work through them. It may also help if you have an extra pair of hands on deck where possible which you could achieve through play dates. On days you aren’t able to achieve both being a great worker and being a great mom, don’t be so hard on yourself. Use Tools Effectively Don’t neglect technology in your quest to become a super work from home mom. There are endless tasks that technology can help you complete, so find them and use them. For instance, use time tracking apps like Timely or Everhour to help you identify areas where you’re highly unproductive. Also, try automation tools to help with tasks that don’t require strategic thinking to free up your time. Working from home can be convenient, but it requires a level of discipline. If you’re able to master organization you should find that you become a pro at balancing motherhood and work.
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