Parenting

You’re a mom. You have a job. You work at home. It can be a lot to handle. It can be stressful. But somehow you manage to get it all done. Between your deadline at work and your responsibilities at home, you’re balancing a lot of plates. So how do you do it all?

Create a family calendar: Knowing where everyone is supposed to be, when bills are due, and more is something all moms have to stay on top of. It’s best to have it all in one place, ready to check at any moment. This way you won’t have to waste time worrying about forgetting to do something. You have your reminder already set up.

Budget your time: Plan your time like you would if you were going into an office. Be consistent. Start your work day at a particular time every day. Give yourself x hours to work on a project then take a break to spend time with the kids or plan activities for the family. Follow a routine.

Be flexible: Once you have a schedule, things will go more smoothly and you should stick to it. But life happens. Things come up and you have to adjust in the moment. Whether it’s work or a family emergency, be prepared to change course, and don’t let yourself feel guilty about missing out on this or that. You will have time to spend in each area of your life when you need it.

Create a workspace: Having a specifically designed place for work, separate from your family, can really help you divide your time. Set up a home office. When you’re there, you’re in work mode. In the rest of the house, you can be mom.

Plan family activities: Just because you’re a work-at-home mom doesn’t mean you can skip planning family activities. You still need to do fun and exciting things together as a family even when you get to see your kids off to school everyday and play with them after school.

Take care of yourself: Don’t forget to spend a little time on yourself to recharge and relax. In the long run, it will help you to be a better happier parent and person.

Image by MrJSEE on Flickr Creative Commons.