How To Manage Family and Working At Home

As we all know it is important to have a balance between work and family life. You have the benefits of being at home with your children, but how do you balance this with work and stay focused on what you are doing? Not only are you thinking of what you have to do next for the children, but there is the dreaded chore of housework and meals to make. It takes a lot of self-discipline. However, if you can manage your time in order to handle what distractions might come your way, you will have the best of both worlds. It sounds like the perfect solution.

The following are five important tips for managing your time. These include planning ahead and writing down your goals, deciding the best times of the day to work and balancing these times with the children’s schedule. Everyone’s time schedule will be different depending on whether you are an early bird or prefer to work at night when the children are in bed. You should have a designated work area and it is important to take breaks in order to work more efficiently.

The first tip for managing your time is to make a plan, including goals that you have set for yourself. It is recommended that you make daily and weekly goals. Planning ahead is imperative in order to work efficiently. Your plan should be specific for instance, planning to spend five hours per day working; planning to call eight to ten clients; and planning the hours during which you will spend quality time with your children. Once each goal in your plan is accomplished, check it off so that you know it is completed and you can focus on the next task at hand.

Another tip is to write down your goals, so they are easier to remember and follow. Use a journal, calendar, or day planner, whatever you choose. A calendar might be good for writing your day-to-day goals and a journal for writing extra notes to yourself. Another example is to put your goal in both your journal and on your calendar so you have two reminders. Keep your journal nearby and refer to it often. If you have a long list of things to do in one day, you should decide which is most important, do it first and focus on it entirely. Do not worry about the next task until each one is completed so that you don’t get overwhelmed. Make sure your plan for the day isn’t so full that you don’t have time to complete it and spend quality time with your children.

Thirdly, you should develop a daily schedule. You might choose to work from nine to twelve-noon and break for lunch or work from one to four in the afternoon, keeping the rest of the day for your family. If you keep the same timeframe, you will get more work done and be more organized. Make sure that your child has a healthy breakfast, including protein such as eggs or oatmeal with fruit, so that he or she will be content to play independently. During an afternoon nap, perhaps you can fit calls in and do some computer work. Do your most difficult tasks during the part of the day that you are at your best, when you first get up in the morning if that’s best for you.

Make sure you have a room that is designated as your office and your children understand that when you are there it is important for you to work. If you have a child in daycare, of course take full advantage of this time completing as much work as possible. As far as fitting in housework you could try putting a load of laundry in on laundry day before you sit down to work in the morning and one in the afternoon before working again. This will keep things from piling up.

Last, but not least, as I mentioned earlier, be sure to take breaks, if even five minutes at a time. Try stretching, have a cup of tea, which has anti-oxidants, anything to give you a lift. Of course you will have a longer break at lunch. Your mind will be refreshed and you will be ready to get back to work. If you have a little extra time, go for a short walk. Be sure to take care of yourself so you don’t get run down. You might even fit in a fifteen-minute catnap while your child is napping. When there is a designated playtime for your child, this may be something you want to take part in, such as reading or coloring in order to give them some of your undivided attention. You can have them help prepare dinner. They may like to do this and it makes them feel helpful.

An important piece of advice for a successful home-based business is to work diligently and have a lot of self-discipline. Be sure to write down your goals and focus on each one separately. Also, take breaks so as not to become overwhelmed with the task at hand and your work at home can be very rewarding. You can have both an amazing career and quality time with your family, the best of both worlds!

Sincerely,

Jill Bernardi-Bromwich
Jann3b@aol.com
http://www.JillAnnBromwich.wordpress.com