How to Keep the Work-Life Balance as a Work at Home Mom
Posted in Time Management
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By Dita Basu
The job of keeping work-life balance can be challenging for the work at home mom. Though it is nice to have all the freedom to be flexible and have the option of multi-tasking whenever you wish, unless you are aware and stay focused it can be counter productive too.
Prioritize
Starting with the big picture, prioritize what is important and in what order. For me they are…
- Health
- Spouse and Children
- Career and Money
- Friends and Extended Family
- Home and Hobby
After you have made your priority list, start planning your week accordingly.
- Therefore I try to make my walking, exercising and meal planning for my family, my number one priority.
- Ahead of time I make some plans for fun things that I want to do with my husband and children each week and let them know.
- Of course spontaneity is wonderful thing, but leaving it open too much often back fires and insignificant things eat up that time.
- Having a Family Meeting Day where everyone participates with their calendars and with their wishes and dreams works out great.
Staying Focused
- I use calendar, weekly log, daily to-do list, a kitchen timer, organizer and training. By doing it consistently has really made a difference.
- Respect other peoples work time and concentration. When is it okay to be interrupted? This is a game in our family that we play with imaginary scenarios… This also helps me in role modeling while I teach that to little ones. It is important for children to know when it is okay to call mom even if she is busy.
Preparation
- Preparing snacks with kids ahead of time so that they can grab and go, helps.
- Having an art center and changing them according to the child’s interest, keeping it stimulating has worked wonderfully. Little ones look forward to spending time here and keeping busy.
- Interesting books, CDs at a listening center are also found to be productive when I took time to introduce them to children. This way they learn to cultivate the joy of spending time alone.
- Swapping baby sitting with other parents is an idea we all know – works great.
- Regular cleaning and picking up sessions to keep the environment clutter free was found to be an important part. I use the kitchen timer to make it fun and stay focused too.
- Training my self not to stretch work day beyond what is planned, is also an important thing to remember.
I found these things worked for me to keep my work life sanity as a work at home mom.
Dita Basu writes for the work at home moms with jewelry making business in her web site Bead-z-Mommys-Business. Her online Etsy store: Alankarshilpa. And blog where she writes about the ecstasy and agony of her journey as a jewelry artist entrepreneur: Art of Jewelry.
Very thoughtful article. For a fresh take on building strong careers and families, check out Getting to 50/50 — on how men and women share roles with all sorts of good results — including a healthier sex life. The book also debunks some common myths that cause many moms to back away from their jobs. Authors Sharon Meers (a Goldman MD now in tech) and Joanna Strober (a private equity exec) share their often funny tales of combining work and family. Definitely a book worth checking out!
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