Working from home with children

Working from home with children is not easy, achieving balance between work and children can be extremely difficult to achieve. However, here are a few tips that should get you towards achieving the right ‘balance’

1. Include your children in what you are working on- if it’s feasible you should try and include your children in your work, explain to them what you do, and let them help you out. Through doing this they will eventually form an understanding and appreciation of your work and will want you to succeed and allow you to concentrate on your work.
2. Make the perfect office. Big advantage of working from home is that you have the opportunity to make the office of your ‘dreams’, or at least somewhere you will be comfortable working! Working from home gives you the chance to have a desk and chair that you want and will be able to work from. By using sites like eBay in combination with shipping sites you can find cheap couriers (try using the cheap courier services of uShip).
3. Childcare shouldn’t be a ‘no-go’ option. If your work is really intensive and requires a lot of concentration and effort, then considering childcare shouldn’t be an option that you have to ignore. By sending your child to daycare or arranging for a playgroup, they will be more active and will learn important social skills. And at least you will have some uninterrupted time to work on your business.
4. Make use the ‘office door’. This is the easiest way to visually tell your children that you are at “work” is to have a door on your office. The reasoning behind this is that they will come to associate you needing to work in your office as your job, and your time outside of the office as your time for them. Speaking from experience this association won’t be made instantly, but as the children became familiar with it; they will understand that when you enter the office it’s time for work and for them to be quiet.
5. Make use of the answering machine- Answering machines are often ignored but brilliant pieces of technology for working at home moms. If the phone rings with a business call while you are busy with the children or things are getting a loud around your home, then let the machine take the call and then callback when the kids are quiet or in the other room. This way you never miss an important call

Amar Patel

(Guest Post)