Balancing Work and Family...Part I

Balancing work and family life is important, however, it may not be as easy as it sounds. 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, but there is the dreaded chore of housework and meals to make. It takes a lot of self-discipline! You can manage your time in order to handle what distractions might come your way and have the best of both worlds, that of working at home without having a stressful commute. It sounds like the perfect solution.

Here are some tips for managing your time working at home 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 your family's schedule. Your schedule may 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, remember to take breaks so you will work more efficiently.

Be sure to make a plan including daily and weekly goals that you have set for yourself. 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, university and career years spent out of the home before I had a child. It still rings true to this day! It is imperative that you plan ahead in order to work efficiently. Your plan should be specific like, planning to spend five hours per day on the computer; planning to call clients; and planning the hours during which you will spend quality time with the children. 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. Use a journal or calendar, whatever you choose. A calendar might be good for writing your day-to-day goals and a journal for writing extra notes to yourself. 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. Put the other tasks away until each one is completed so 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 time with your children without your mind wandering back to your work.

Develop a daily schedule. You might choose to work from nine to twelve-noon, break for lunch and begin again in the afternoon, keeping the rest of the day for your children and husband! If you keep the same time-frame, 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 while you work. During an afternoon nap, perhaps you can fit calls in or work on the computer. 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 in there it is important that you work. If you have a child in daycare take full advantage of this time completing as much work as possible.

Last, but not least 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. I like to drink 'Gochi' too, which is very healthy. 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 colouring 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 helpful.

An important piece of advice for a successful home-based business, is to work diligently and have a lot of self-discipline, which may be obvious. To make life 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!