Finding Balance As A Work-At-Home Mom

Over 20 percent of employed adults do some or all of their job at home, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Mothers who are able to work from home can take advantage of the ability to be full time mother while earning an income. While everyday may feel like a living tug-of-war, there are some steps you can take to ensure that you are successfully balancing a career and motherhood. This guide will provide you with some ideas on how to manage your time effectively.

Stick to A Schedule

If your job requires you to work eight hours a day, start by figuring how you will map that out to accommodate your child’s nap, feeding, and playtime each day for example. This will help you structure when you are more likely to complete work tasks and help you create a more fixed routine for your child too. Speak with your employer about how you envision your day to look, and explain that your schedule is flexible, meaning you could potentially be available outside ‘regular’ working hours.

Create a Separate Work Environment

Having a home office or work place set up somewhere in your house can help you detach from the rest of your house. Setting up these boundaries will make you likely to focus better on your professional work. Furthermore, while you are working, dress professionally. This will help you get in the right mindset – and you will be less likely to do to get distracted by the temptation to do household chores.

Set Up A Support Network

There will be days when you need to be at your most productive and distraction-free. Seek assistance from other stay-at-home moms. If there are a few of you who work at home, consider pooling money together to hire a babysitter to watch all of your kids for a few hours. Having that additional support will mean you can focus your attention on your work knowing your children are being cared for.

Provide Distractions For Your Kids

If you can, try and arrange some special activities for your kids to enjoy so that they will be less likely to interrupt you. This can be anything from letting them watch their favorite movie, to giving them fun projects like painting and arts and crafts to occupy their time.

Enroll Kids In After School Programs

For the stay-at-home mom with school-age children, these after school activities can help buy you some extra time to complete work tasks and projects. They can also be a great way to keep your kids active and help in their personal development too.

Don’t Try To Do Too Much

Trying to manage a career and full time motherhood is exhausting, both mentally and physically. If you’re tired and your child is having a nap, you should have a nap too. You need your energy levels to be up as much as possible otherwise you will burn out. Try not to see every naptime as an opportunity to do work, you do not always have to maximize your productivity during these times.

Online Resources for Work-At-Home Moms

This website is a great online resource for the work-at-home mom. It features articles and advice on the types of career opportunities available to career moms, guidance on how to set up an effective work schedule, and how to manage interruptions and distractions.

Good luck moms!