Ever since I gave birth to my children, I’ve worked from home, on a part-time basis for the first 2 years and then full time after that. Over the years, I’ve learned quite a few things that usually help me in getting more items crossed off my unending to-do list. Here are some of them:
1. Manage your time
Easier said than done right? But no matter how cliché it may sound, proper time management really does make everything easier. As a work-at-home-mom, I’ve learned that time management relies heavily on factors such as your toddler’s mood upon waking up in the morning, your 7-year-old’s refusal to do his homework, or the heavy rains during laundry day.
Hence, the key is to manage your time as best as you possibly can and to not stress yourself with unexpected delays. Despite the work and the chores, never forget to set time for learning and playing with the kids. Remember, time spent with them is never wasted time – it is, after all, the best thing about working from home.
2. Plan ahead
It pays to plan ahead. Planning will let you consider various options and scenarios, and help you prepare for them. I have always been flexible in terms of ordering take-aways or letting the kids watch an episode or two of the Backyardigans whenever there are too many deadlines or I have meetings scheduled.
Despite our family stand on healthy eating and limited TV time, I give in every once in a while. In most cases, these are parts of a plan made ahead of time.
3. Delegate
We may be work-at-home-moms but it does not mean we have to do everything! The first person to delegate tasks to is your partner or husband. Talk and agree about dividing chores between the two of you. It does not have to be equally shared in terms of the number of tasks; instead, go by an arrangement that both of you are comfortable with.
Consider it a bonus if someone else is willing to lend a hand every once in a while. Grab the opportunity if grandma or if any of your friends offer their help.
4. Train the kids
Letting your kids do chores is not child labor. On the other hand, training them to do these teaches them important life skills and responsibility. I’ve always thought that I’d be embarrassed to marry off any of my children without them knowing how to do the laundry, clean the house, wash the dishes, or do some basic cooking.
I wouldn’t be doing those things for them when they are married and I sure as hell wouldn’t want them to expect their future spouses to do everything for them. There are different chores appropriate for every age, so no matter how old your child is, you simply have to make sure that the chore you assign is appropriate for his or her age.
Keep in mind, though, that you might have to lower your standards as well because they will probably not be able to do the chore as well as you can.
5. Prioritize
After planning and delegating, you will sometimes find yourself still at a loss on how to do everything with only 24 hours in a day. No matter how much of a control freak you are, you will have to accept that there will be days when you will have to leave some items on your to-do list for the following day (or week/month).
My daily thoughts often involve prioritizing things – should I give the toddler a bath now or should I work on the last paragraph of my almost-done article, should I read another Pooh story with the preschooler or should I start preparing lunch – the choices are endless and I don’t have any clear-cut strategy when making a decision.
However, it does help that I have a rough ranking of my priorities in my head and this ranking may change every so often. Knowing which specific aspect of my life as a WAHM is high on my priority list helps me make these decisions.
These are my general best practices as a WAHM, and the goal is to always remember to put this into action. Do you work from home? What do you do to make yourself a more effective work-at-home-mom?
Article originally published on: alaherrera.com
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