How to master being a work at home mum
Mums, you don’t have it easy, and if anyone thinks that running a household, maintaining a career and taking care of children all at the same time is easily manageable, well, that person is almost definitely a man. And speaking of men, why don’t you get yours to pick up the slack around the house by kindly moving his butt off the couch.
After all, no matter how tough his day at the office was, he’s got nothing on you next to the troubles you go through every day. Being a work at home mum sounds like fun and is exhausting, but still, it is not too late to grow to love working from home ‒ you simply need to implement these essential tips, and you will be back on your productive, energetic, and loving feet in no time.
Having a schedule is crucial
You might have heard this one a million times, but it is a time-tested tip that few implement into their daily lives. If you’re a mum without a schedule, that’s fine. If you’re a working mum, or a work at home mum without a schedule, you are setting yourself up for disaster, because your little munchkins will eat away at every possibility to get any work done.
Creating a schedule while taking care of kids might seem like wishful thinking, but you need to look at it from a different perspective. Rather than trying to devote a big chunk of time to work, you want to work in smaller increments, thus having time to tend to your younglings and your work as well.
The kids need to know their boundaries
No schedule can work if your kids are re-enacting the battle of Gettysburg in your living room from dawn till dusk, so you need to set some ground rules. Whether you enforce the naptime (we’ll get to that in a moment) or set up physical boundaries by putting the kids in a small fenced play area, or even if by some stroke of luck they actually listen to you, they need to respect your boundaries.
Naptime is work time
The best time to get work done is when the kids tire themselves out. They need to be fed, clean, and comfy in order to doze off into the dream land, which will give you an hour or two of free time, if you’re lucky, to catch up on work.
Apply the same logic you would use if you were working at an office: if there were no kids around, you wouldn’t concentrate on anything else but work. Therefore, the naptime is not the time to do the dishes, clean up the mess, or do the laundry; naptime is work time for the work at home mum.
Create your own space
To get one thing straight, you don’t need a home office to be successful, you can absolutely get things done from the comfort of your living room. However, you do need a designated workspace no matter how small, such as a desk and a chair, where you can sit up straight and concentrate.
This is where tailor-made custom furniture becomes your best friend, as a customisable workstation is exactly the thing a busy mum like yourself needs in order to keep everything at hand, even the feeding bottle. By introducing custom furniture, you will also create the nook you need to keep your productivity levels up before you fall down on the couch at the end of the day.
Keep the munchkins busy
A little planning goes a long way, so rather than racking your brain on how to keep your little devils occupied while you work, make a detailed list of activities they would love. For instance, you can schedule some fun movie time during your “work hours”, which will allow you to concentrate while the kids are watching Cinderella losing her shoe.
Additionally, you can give them their favorite toys or spark their imagination by giving them coloring books and fun DIY projects to work on. The first one to build a fortress out of blocks is the winner!
Being a work at home can be enjoyable
It’s not easy being an entrepreneur mum in the 21st century. However, by applying these golden tips and with a little help from your significant other, you can transform your daily routine from stressful to fun, enjoyable and rewarding in no time!
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