CC BY-SA by Monkey Mash Button
Work from home time savers are music to the ears of that special breed of entrepreneur: moms working from home – the Mompreneur.
Mothers working from home tend to feel the pressure of the juggling act more than most: juggling children, house keeping, meal preparation, business and their personal lives. Some thrive on the adrenaline rush of it all, while others crack from the strain.
Work from home moms caught unprepared will tend to send the inadvertent message to their family that work is more important than children – a mother’s nightmare. Avoid that dreadful reality by using work from home time savers such as these.
Schedule work around family needs
By planning your working moments around opportune quiet times (nap times, school hours and periods when the children are otherwise preoccupied), you will seize the moment and remain productive without being intrusive.
The flip side of this coin is that you will train your family to expect your work flow and they will, in time, learn to work with your schedule. Conversely, you will train yourself to work more efficiently in these moments that you are allotted.
Keep your work area (desk, office, etc.) clutter-free and organized
By not wasting time looking for your supplies, and looking for your important papers, you will be able to maximize your efficiency. This also means that keeping your important papers and supplies out of reach of young hands.
Some mothers find that they need to lock away their pens, paper and highlighters – or place them on high shelves so that children cannot wreak undue havoc.
“A place for everything” is a motto to live by. Even the house clutter can be kept to a minimum by passing along these lessons to the children by showing them easy ways to clean up the living areas (and this busies their hands while they seek to be helpful).
Reward your children for organizing their toys and putting away their clothes, dishes, etc.
Organizing is a learned skill – which means it is also taught. One of the easiest work from home time savers is to train your children to help as much as they are able. Teaching them to be organized with play areas and clothes will minimize “clutter stress” and help you save time so you have a minimum to clean up.
Schedule times for housework and work-work
For work at home moms to keep sanity, you will need to balance one ball at a time and balance it well – this can happen if you segregate your time spent doing 1 or 2 things at a time. If the house is being “trashed” by your children spilling their toy bucket or spreading their laundry and dirty dishes like mustard on a hot dog bun – you could do the unthinkable…
Let it go. Keep everything in an appointed time (when this makes sense to do so), and clean up the house when it’s “clean up time,” rather than stopping a project for your business to pick up the laundry, which leads to organizing the dressers, which dovetails into a full white glove assault on your entire home.
Reduce the bunny trail effect by focusing on your schedule and adjusting it when necessary
Spend time with your children every day
This may not seem like it belongs on a list of work from home time savers – but it does. Your children will want and need their mom-time. Rebellion and acting out will ensue, and often these are signs that they want more time from you and will take it any way they can: even if it means being disciplined for their efforts.
If your children know they will have lunch with you every day, and a nice conversation to boot, then they will not feel abandoned and may reward you with better behavior. With younger children, having a small toy desk in your office with art supplies will help them to feel a bond with what mommy is doing.
This will keep them pacified for a while (depending on the child and child’s age) and will create a sense of unity between mother and child. If your children expect they will be neglected, they may act out more, or worse – simply write off the relationship mentally.
Keep the bond between you and your children strong, and their behavior will reflect their thanks. Their good behavior will be one of the most rewarding work from home time savers you could ask for.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Essential-Time-Savers-for-Work-at-Home-Moms&id=5441258