8 Tips for Mothers Who Work From Home
Mothers who work from home have a huge challenge: caring for their families and being productive at the same time. It sounds exciting to work from home, but it’s a complex task. If you want to do it or currently work from home now, discipline is key.
It will be difficult to avoid getting distracted by your family, neighbors, social networks and organizing the house. The latter is already a great responsibility. Your responsibility will double when you add work. However, everything is possible when you establish goals and strategies for your tasks.
How can mothers who work from home be organized?
1. Create a schedule
The best thing you can do to keep your tasks up to date is allow time for each of them. Set up a schedule instead of procrastinating or waiting for a moment of inspiration. Assign a sensible amount of time for your work so you can start tracking your daily goals.
Freedom is very hard, and is accompanied by procrastination, poor time management, sedentary lifestyle, anxiety, apathy, fear. How can you overcome them? The most fundamental problem is procrastination: the tendency to leave for tomorrow (or later) what we can do today (or right now)”
–Sergio C. Fanjul–
2. Establish certain limits that your family knows
Remember that it’s not good to play with your children while you work, or work while playing with your children. When you combine two unrelated activities, you don’t focus on either of them. You won’t spend quality time with either one.
Just like when you are in the office, focus on the task corresponding to your schedule and don’t let yourself get distracted. Teach your children to respect when you’re working.
3. Ask for help if you need it
If your professional load is very demanding, you can find a nanny or help from a family member. Many mothers who work from home choose to hire someone to help them take care of their little ones.
Also, if you have a difficult or demanding job, go to your support group. Even superheroes need a sidekick.
4. Avoid doing too much
Whether with work activities or home care, you run the risk of taking on too many responsibilities. The family is a team that needs to complement and help each other. Be clear about your priorities, take care of yourself, and learn to delegate tasks.
5. Make time to rest
A tired, cranky person can’t perform tasks in the best way. Before starting work each day, make sure you rested enough the night before.
Not having enough rest makes mothers who work from home feel physically and mentally exhausted. They may even get sick. A working mom also knows when to recharge her batteries.
6. Leave the house when possible
Even if you are with your family and in contact with your co-workers, you need something more. Every person is a social being. People need to relate to others to perform better.
In the schedule you make for yourself, devote some time to a distraction, even to have coffee outside. You won’t believe how healthy that practice is. It’s very good at reducing stress.
7. Entertain your children
When you give your children one hour of quality time, you’ll have much more time for your work. Happy children will be able to explore and create things with the tools you provide.
When you provide them with the means to have fun, they will entertain themselves. As a result, they won’t interrupt you. Give them small projects, arts and crafts, and games.
8. Take advantage of children’s naps
When you plan your daily schedule, do the most complex jobs when your children are napping. It’ll be a moment when you can concentrate and dedicate all your effort to one activity. When children are awake, you can do the tasks that don’t require as much thinking.
Although it’s hard to separate work from parenthood, it’s possible to achieve it. Again, keep in mind that the keys are discipline and proper time management. Always take care of your well-being to become a successful business woman and a happy mother.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Goldsmith, E.B. (1989). “Work and Family. Theory, research and applications”. Newbury Park. Sage Publications.
- Greenhaus, J. & Powell, G. (2006). “When work and family are allies: A theory of work-family enrichment”. Academy of Management Review, 31, 72-92.
- Greenhaus, J., Collins, K. & Shaw, J. (2003). “The relation between work-family balance and quality of life”. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 63, 510-531
- Jiménez Figueroa, A., & Moyano Díaz, E. (2008). Factores laborales de equilibrio entre trabajo y familia: medios para mejorar la calidad de vida. Universum (talca), 23(1), 116-133. https://scielo.conicyt.cl/scielo.php?pid=S0718-23762008000100007&script=sci_arttext
- MSCBS. (n.d.). Conciliación y corresponsabilidad de la vida familiar, laboral y personal. Ministerios de Sanidad, Consumo y Bienestar Social. Gobierno de España. https://www.mscbs.gob.es/ssi/familiasInfancia/conciliacion/conciliacion.htm
