How to Stay Sane as a Work-from-Home Mom

It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but a growing number of moms are staying at home during those early formative years and you have joined their ranks. However, in today’s economy, that extra paycheck not only helps, but is necessary to meet all the bills. The one thing you may have considered was that you’d need to deal with kids underfoot, but you didn’t realize that some days the noise and confusion would keep you from doing either job well. How can you balance being a full time mom with the work you’ve taken on? Here are some pointers that should help you keep the level of sanity you need to stay productive.

Find a Place to Work

No matter what you do when working from home, the one thing you find problematic is a place to work undisturbed. This doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to keep an eye and ear on the kids, but it does mean you need a place where little fingers won’t be getting into the work you’ve laid out. If you don’t have room in your home to set up an office or workshop, perhaps a custom garden building from Armstrong Steel would be your best option. The structure of their premium buildings is designed to last for 50 years, so you know you’ll get good value for money.  If you want to get more use out of it, you can have it divided into two rooms with one half being a playroom and the other side a garden office/workshop with a connecting door between the two.

Set Aside Hours for Work

One of the things many work-at-home moms fail to do is set aside hours to work. This will take some amount of planning. If you need quiet time to make phone calls, schedule those hours during nap time. In other words, your time may be flexible, but your schedule must be structured. Not only will your work benefit, but so will the kids. Children need structure in their lives, so why not take advantage of that structured day? Use the hours they will be otherwise occupied to get your work done. Once you have the hang of it, it works like a charm.

Enlist the Help of the Family

Sometimes there’s just no getting around it. You need someone to mind the kids so that you can do what needs to be done for your home-based business. Perhaps you need to meet with clients or attend a local event without the kids. If you have older children in the home who could babysit, fine. If not, there’s always grandma and grandpa or an assortment of friends and neighbors. Always keep a list of qualified babysitters on hand because even stay-at-home moms can’t be on duty 24/7. It isn’t realistic.

When working from home, if you really want to keep your sanity, there are two major elements to consider. The first is having a place outside the living areas to do your work. It’s vital to separate work from home. Secondly, structure and scheduling are of prime importance. There’s a time to work and a time to parent, and if you structure your days well, you can do both well with a minimal amount of stress.