Being a Work
From Home Mom

Being a work from home mom can be challenging. Whatever you choose to do for extra income, you still have all of the responsibilities that come with managing your home and taking care of your kids. These work at home tips come from experience. They've helped me and hopefully they'll help you, too.

The larger your family, the more responsibilities that you have, but you also have more helping hands too. Start early getting the kids involved with the housework and make sure that dad helps too. Don't feel guilty about asking for help. You are probably doing as much, if not more, than everyone else put together. For some excellent tips on how to get your kids to pitch in and do chores, check out chores for kids.

If you are thinking about making the transition to a work from home mom, discuss the necessary changes to everyone's schedule with your family. Some changes are inevitable, because there are only 24 hours in a day. Discussing changes beforehand will help smooth the transition in everyone's workload. For instance, if you have a housekeeper now, you may be thinking about letting them go to cut back on finances in order to afford going from two to one paycheck. It's best to discuss and have a plan in place for 'who will do what' in order to keep the house tidy when the housekeeper goes.

Stick with a Schedule

When we have jobs outside of our homes, we develop a routine that we can easily stick to daily. We might get the weekends off to sleep in. But, when the alarm clock goes off, we are up, getting the kids ready for school, showering, doing breakfast, fixing lunches, etc.

I've seen work at home tips geared towards self-motivation, which are great, particularly for those of us that are not working under a strict deadline. Simply sitting down and focusing on the day's projects can be difficult for some, while other stay at home business force you to be motivated such as home daycare centers. The kids do the motivating for you. So, if you're looking into a home based business, think about how self-motivated you are and choose your line of business accordingly.

If your kids are young, you're working at home, and trying to put together a schedule, you're more than likely going to need to find child care some time during the week so you can get work done. It's unfair to your kid(s) to think that you'll be able to crank out work while they play quietly. If you can't find, or can't afford child care right now, then you'll have to work when your little ones are sleeping. Just know that this is temporary and will change once your kids are older.

Below is a short two minute video of how one super busy work from home mom handles 'doing it all' without child care and still has a successful at home business.

One thing you can do during this time when your children are young to increase your productivity is to be sure and organize your work environment.

Organize Your Environment

If things are where you can find them, it makes sense you will spend less time looking for them and more time being productive. Allocate one room or at least a part of one room for your office. Make sure that you have all of the materials that you need handy.

You might need your laptop, phone, notepads, pens or whatever it is that your work requires. Keep it in your designated work area and make sure that the kids have their own supplies so they don't raid yours.

I believe that organization really is key to success as a work from home mom. If you are "organizationally challenged", be sure to check out my section on Home Office Organization for simple tips that will get you organized fast.

Take Time for You

You don't always see this suggestion in work at home tips. But, if you do not take some time off now and then, you will burn out, just like you would in an outside job. You will always be more productive after a short break or a day or two off. Even an afternoon nap or a hot bath can clear your mind and get you back on track.

Being a work from home mom is not only challenging, it is also fulfilling. It just takes a little time to get into the routine, and you can successfully find balance between your work, home, and family responsibilities.

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