By Jill Bernardi-Bromwich

A radio program the other day was talking about how important it is to balance work and family. As moms we know that’s much easier said than done, but being a work at home mom does allow us many crucial flexibilities that help us achieve harmonious balance. Still, we must learn to balance work and motherhood inside the home.

The following are five important tips for managing your time as a work at home Mom and some ideas of how to do this. It is imperative that you plan ahead and write down your goals. Decide the best times of the day to work and balance these times with the children’s schedule. It is likely, that if you have more than one child, one will be at daycare, which is a good time to work. 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 importantly, also, take breaks! You will 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. As I was growing up, one of my father’s sayings was, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”. I put that phrase to good use during my high school years, university years and career years spent out of the home before I had a child. It still rings true to this day! As a work at home Mom it is imperative that you plan ahead 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; planning the hours during which you will spend quality time with the children; and least important, fitting in some housework. Once each goal in your plan is accomplished, check it off so that you know it is completed and you can then 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, and/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 for instance, if your goal is to call ten leads on Monday, put it in both your journal and on your calendar so you have two reminders. Keep your journal nearby and refer to it often. If you are working at the computer, make sure to keep your goals posted nearby and/or saved on your computer. 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. Then start the next and focus on it. Put the other tasks away until each one is completed so that you don’t get overwhelmed thinking of all you have to do. 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, not having your mind wandering back to your work again.

Thirdly, you should develop a set daily schedule. Keep it the same most days, during the times you’ve decided are best for you. You might choose to work from nine to twelve-noon, break for lunch and begin again from one-thirty to three-thirty in the afternoon, keeping the rest of the day for the kids and husband! If you keep the same timeframe, you will get more work done and be more organized. Make sure that your child has a healthy, filling breakfast; including protein such as eggs or oatmeal with fruit, so that he or she will be content to play independently and you can make some calls. During an afternoon nap, perhaps you can fit some more 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 that your children know and understand that when you are in there it is important that you work. If you have a child in daycare, of course take full advantage of this time completing as much work as possible. Plan your time so that you can fit in a little grocery shopping before going to pick them up. You might want to wash floors while they are not at home, but put it in your plan for the week. For other house cleaning tips you should ask my husband, as he is the “King of Clean”, or should I say obsessive compulsive! No, seriously, on laundry day for instance, try putting in a load of laundry 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; stretch, have a cup of tea, green or black which has anti-oxidants, anything that will just 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, you can go for a short walk. Try 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 especially if you have young children, such as reading or coloring in order to give them some of your undivided attention. You can have them help prepare dinner; they like to do this and it makes them feel important.

An important piece of advice is, for a successful home-based business, you must work diligently and have a lot of self-discipline, which may be obvious to you. I can’t emphasize enough how especially important these tips are, first, in order to make life as a work at home Mom easier to manage, be sure to write down your goals and focus on one-at-a-time! Second, 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!

Jill is a stay at home/work at home mom, married and has one son. She runs two home-based businesses, one that involves natural products for the home and another that has natural, paraffin-free candles, with natural soaps and hand-creams.  You can reach her at her website:
http://www.jillb.scent-team.com

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