When I do an interview with a work-at-home mom, I almost always ask them how they manage their time between the business and their family. Each person gives me a unique answer and others are very much the same in what they do. Below is some excellent advice from a news website about what some other moms do to manage their businesses.
I asked three of my contractors - Alice (with a 12-year-old), Julie (with a 5-year-old) and Sue (with an 18-month-old) - to share secrets for juggling both demanding jobs. And I’ve added a few of my own.
Take your e-mail and the Internet with you.
“Now that I have my iPhone,” Alice told me, “I don’t know how I lived without it! Being able to check and send e-mails from wherever I am, and review documents is a lifesaver. Before, I’d have to rush home or find a Wi-Fi spot, or would be a nervous wreck wondering what was going on that I didn’t know about.”
Set aside working hours.
You’ve got two jobs to do - watching your kids and running your business. You can’t always do both simultaneously. Your working hours might be 9 at night or on Saturdays when Dad can take the 2-year-old to the playground. But you need times when you pay attention only to work.
Get away.
Julie loves public libraries and parks. “Ask your spouse/partner to watch the child, or get a baby sitter, and head off to the library. Need some phone time with a client? Grab a wireless-enabled laptop and cell phone, head off to a park, or do it in your car.”
Be realistic about time commitments.
Working from home gives you flexibility, but it doesn’t give you more hours in a week. Your clients deserve to be confident you’ll deliver in the timeframe promised. But, as Sue says, “Nannies, day care, and schools all have many more vacation days and holidays than your typical business. You also have to take little ones to the doctor a lot.” So don’t expect - or commit to - working 40 hours a week.
Take advantage of technology.
If you’re not a power user of technology, it’s time you become one. Alice is particularly adept at making technology work for her. She uses call-forwarding (as well as her cell phone) so she receives her calls no matter where she is. She bought a high-speed color printer that prints on both sides, and she uses online services such as freeconferencecall.com (for phone meetings with clients), myfax.com (to send and receive faxes from anywhere) and yousendit.com (for sending large files) to supply “back-room” functions.
Image from Stock.xchng.
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