To Work From Home, Prioritize Your Tasks

Times Herald-Record:

A reason that resonates with me and other young parents is that you can be home with your children and earn some money, while maintaining the intellectual stimulation that many stay-at-home parents miss.

I decided to start my own business, but even if you are not the entrepreneurial type, there are lots of options, including phone sales or telemarketing. There is also the growing trend of what I call “purchase parties,” which are basically updated versions of Tupperware parties. A friend hosts a party and invites women you normally wouldn’t have access to to a “ladies’ night out” where you will be selling X. It could be jewelry by Lia Sophia, Pampered Chef products or designer jeans that fell off a truck somewhere.

There are wonderful advantages to being a WAHM; the only challenge is that you’re pretty much always working. You’re wearing a professional hat, a mom hat, and a homemaker hat. Take a deep breath, and enlist your kids’ help. A 3-year-old can dust with a baby wipe, or fold a pile of napkins. (There are plenty of jobs for kids. E-mail me if you need some ideas.) Whew! That’s one hat off. Now for the second hat: Determine if your professional hat can wait so you can make a home-cooked meal, or, if you are on a deadline, order in food. Nobody will care, and your house will just look lived-in.

The key to working at home is to remember that even if you can take care of the children, and home, and your professional job, you can’t do all of them at the same time. Like I tell my 4½-year-old: You have to slow down, focus, and do one thing at a time.

Allison Berman, an artist and mother of two, works out of her home studio in Warwick. She paints one-of-a-kind home accessories, specializing in kids décor. See her collection at www.withlovealib.com. She can be reached at info@withlovealib.com. Her column appears Tuesdays.

Screenshot from with love, ali B.