5 Tips for Work at Home Moms

If you’re struggling with life as a work at home mom, you’re not alone. There’s so much to balance, especially if you’re a wahm with a business of her own.

I never seem to have a week where I get to concentrate on just my work. And that’s with a stay at home parent in the house, too. Parenting involves teamwork. There is give and take on both sides and the need to compromise on your own schedule at times.

This morning I started late because my daughter needed new wellies for school. Later today I’ll have to take time out to get my younger daughter to the doctors for an appointment. There are school shows, parent-teacher conferences, and emergencies that pop up all the time.

And then there are times that children just want to see and spend time with their mom.

So, how do you manage it all? After years of being a work at home mom, I do mostly have a schedule. But I don’t let the little things affect my day too much. Here’s a look at my top 5 tips for work at home moms.

Be Flexible with Your Schedule

You just don’t know when you’ll be needed. I have an accident prone daughter who loves to play rough with the boys. That leads to a lot of calls from the school about how she has bumped her head or her arm, got pushed into her cubby, or falls off the monkey bars or slide.

We expect these calls every day. In fact, I’m sure the school has our number on speed dial because they know they’ll end up calling us at least once a week about something that’s happened.

Most of the time we don’t need to pick her up. It’s just a general call to let us know that something has happened. But there are times that we have had to go in. She may be under the weather or need a trip to Emerg.

And it’s not just Monkey. Peanut, her sister, is also accident prone. She’s only 16 months and is into absolutely everything, wanting to be just like her big sister.

As a work at home mom, you need to be flexible with your schedule. I have to be even more flexible because my husband doesn’t drive so I’m the one that has to go out and pick them up or take them places.

It doesn’t mean don’t have a schedule at all. I have set hours in the day where I work. As long as there are no emergencies or phone calls, I will stick to those hours. Once the hours are up, I’ll shut the computer down and spend time with my girls. However, if I find that a day just isn’t working out, I’ll take that day off and work a different day of the week—usually a Saturday, which is my catch-up day if I need it.

There will also be times that I’ll work on a night, once everyone else is in bed. I get my family time but have the chance to catch up on work because of the emergencies.

There’s no point fretting about the breaks in the day. They happen as a mom. The benefit of working from home, especially with your own business, is that you can pick and choose your schedule and be much more flexible than someone who works in an office for someone else.

Have a Closed Door Policy

I’ve spent years working in a room with the kids around. We didn’t have the space to put the desk in another room or the layout/home needs has required the desk to be in the main room with the kids. I haven’t always had a stay at home parent on hand.

Now I work in a separate room to the rest of the family. I get to close the door and shut the world out.

My daughters know that if the office door is closed, mommy is working and can’t be disturbed. If I’m really needed, then they can knock on the door and wait for me to answer. When I’m in a meeting, I put a note on the door to say so. That way they know that I won’t be answering their knocks.

Set up a policy in your house.

If you need to work in the same room as your kids, you can make it clear that when you sit in a certain place it’s work time. Monkey knew that when I sat at the desk with the computer, I was working. She would play with her own toys and wait for me to finish.

Children pick up on these things. This type of routine is good for them, as they get the cues early and figure out when they need to be quiet and on their own.

Hire a Babysitter or Organize Daycare

When Monkey turned 18 months, we opted for daycare. It was time to get her out from under my feet and into an area that was full of children her own age. We’ll be doing the same with Peanut when she’s 18 months (likely a little older due to the summer months).

Daycare has been one of the best things for Monkey. I had set hours in the week when I could work without too many worries. While my daughter is an accident prone, I knew that the daycare could sort most of it out—the way the school now will just make a courtesy call and handle problems themselves.

If you don’t want daycare (we found it great for Monkey’s socializing, but that was another issue), then you could always hire a babysitter or nanny. This will allow the one-on-one with a responsible adult while you spend a few hours working. Arrange to be in a different part of the house or out of the house—a coffee shop, maybe?—to help make it clear that you are working.

Hiring a babysitter or opting for daycare won’t solve everything. What it does give you is a few hours of (mostly) uninterrupted time.

Make It Clear You’re Working

It’s not just the kids that cause problems for work at home moms. Actually, my kids have been the best when it comes to setting routines and allowing me to work.

More often than not, it’s the adults that cause a problem. My husband, bless him, can try hard to leave me alone but sometimes he doesn’t realize that he’s interrupting me. My sister will call me and speak for hours on end on the phone about her day. I love my family to pieces, but they often forget that I do actually work—and I need to spend the time working to make money.

I’m blessed to have a family that understands my work is actually work. There are a lot of people who believe that what I do for a living isn’t actually a job—it’s just a hobby that pays me a little money. These are the ones that are trickier to handle.

With those who just don’t realize they’re bothering you, you can just make it clear that you have set working hours. Tell them that you’re not being rude if you don’t answer the phone or the office door is shut. It just means that you can’t be disturbed right now, just like they can’t in their office jobs.

When it comes to people who don’t view your work as a job, you’ll need to be harsh. You’ll need to make it clear that you cannot babysit their kids, just because they haven’t thought about the P.D. days or snow days. This will require some ignoring of their calls and the door. You’ll need to set a precedent that you’re not available, just like they’re not during their working day.

It can take longer for these people to understand. In fact, they may never understand. They can see it as rudeness, but stick to your guns. Your work matters. As a work at home mom you need to put you and your work (and your family, of course) first.

Make Sure You Have Days Just for the You/the Family/Friends

You can’t work 24/7. It’s tempting as work at home moms, but it is bad for you. Your family will resent you and you’ll actually start to resent your work.

While you need to set your schedule for your working day, you also need to make time for your family, your friends, and yourself.

I always recommend that work at home moms take at least one day a week off work. Try to create routine with that day.

For me, Sundays are non-negotiable. I’m not interested in working for anyone on that day of the week. I won’t answer emails (unless extremely urgent) and I won’t respond to text messages or calls. That day is for me and my family. We’ll go away for the day or just enjoy a trip to the park. If it’s bad weather, we’ll play board games, read stories, and build forts.

The kids need you just as much as your work does. This was part of the reason for becoming a work at home mom, right?

If you can, try to take two days off. I like my Saturdays off. This is known as a catch-up day, in case something with the kids has stopped me from working. But I’ll try not to push any work onto it.

And don’t forget about other days throughout the year. Take a week off now and then for a family vacation. On the P.D. weeks or school holiday weeks, I try to take as many week days off as possible. It not only means I get to spend time with my girls, but it prevents my husband going crazy with two hyperactive, fun-loving children in the house. Sometimes I can’t, but if I plan ahead enough then I definitely can take one or two extra days off.

The kids love it when I’m not working. They’ll cheer and cuddle me, because they want to be around me. Especially Monkey who has been used to me being around and there for her all the time.

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I know this is a long one, but the tips needed depth. Following these tips will help you set up a system in your home to work around the kids. You’ll find ways of managing your deadlines and your time, without too much upset.

My tips really do work. I’ve been a work at home mom since 2012. I’ve worked around the kids and managed my time. Now I have a schedule that mostly doesn’t need to be changed unless the major emergencies strike.