How to Balance Working from Home and Being a Mom (Part I)

When I first realized that I would have the opportunity to do the majority of my work from home while raising my one-year old, I thought, ''perfect!'' Little did I know that while working from home can save in baby-sitter fees, it’s not always the picture-perfect scenario that I envisioned. Trying to chase around a toddler while doing work (thank goodness for laptops!) can be difficult to say the least, but at the same time, very rewarding and worthwhile. Through trial and error, I have learned the following tips on how to find a balance between my career at home, and raising my child.

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Set New Priorities

Before my son came into my life, I had no problem keeping my house very clean, and completing my work. However, once he came, I realized that my time (and sanity) didn’t allow for everything to be my version of ''perfect'' anymore - something had to give. Sadly, there are days when my husband comes home from work and the dishes are piled up, and the baby’s toys are scattered throughout the house. However, I find satisfaction knowing that I attended to my two main priorities for that day: keeping my child happy and healthy, and completing my work duties. I had to set new priorities, and unfortunately, while other things are still important, keeping my house clean, have dinner on the table, and laundry always caught up, they are no longer at the top of my priority list.




Get Organized

In the last year, my new best friend has become the notepad on my nightstand. Each night, I make a list of the things that I need to accomplish the following day, and make a schedule of when I will do them. Of course, as any mom will tell you, with kids you have to expect the unexpected, and no schedule is foolproof. So, allow for some wiggle room in your schedule. However, even if something comes up, I have an overview of what I need to do for the day, from start to finish, which helps in my productivity for the day.

Keep Multi-tasking to a Minimum

I know this sounds crazy to any mom, because we depend on multi-tasking. But when you’re trying to work from home, multi-tasking can actually cut into your work time, and/or even distract and hinder you from getting your work done. It can actually be more productive to set aside dedicated work time, rather than attempt to do work all day, all the while chasing after kids, doing laundry, and all of the other tasks that moms do. For example, I like to dedicate several hours just to work. I put on my blinders to cleaning, and everything else that can wait. Also, during this time, I set my child up with toys, and let him have some time dedicated to self-play (of course checking on him regularly!). I find that so much more gets accomplished this way.



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