Time Management Tips For The Work At Home Mum
A lot of people, including myself and also many work at home mothers, always have a perception that working at home is just a bed of roses. Flexible working hours. Spending more time with your kids. Being your own boss. Wow it sounds good, doesn’t it?
Well, yes, those are some of the benefits but there are also certain issues which could arise when you are a work at home mum. These issues are normally related to how well you are at managing your time daily. I listed out a few of the issues together with my recommended tips on time management. I hope they prove helpful if you find yourself in those situations one day.
Problem No.1: You work until the wee hours of the morning.
When you are a work at home mum, sometimes it is difficult to draw a line between time for work and time for family. Usually when you work in an office, you will leave your work at the office and come home then return to the office the next day to continue your work. Unfortunately, when you work at home, sometimes work overflows into family time. Instead of spending more time with the family (remember that this was the reason you wanted to work at home in the first place), in the end you neglect your family more!
Set an alarm clock to remind you when it's family time
The Solution:
Create a work schedule and stick to it! You can designate a specific period of time a day when you can work and if you can’t finish your work then leave it for the next day. This requires some discipline and self-control especially if you are a workaholic or perfectionist. You can also set an alarm clock on your desk and when the alarm goes off, shut down your computer and close those files, then leave your home office/work space and get ready to divert all your attention to your family.
Problem No.2: Putting off household chores or not having enough time to get them done.
When you had just one job which is full-time Mum, you had the whole day to complete household chores. Now that you are a full-time Mum and part-time home business owner, it seems like 24 hours a day is just not enough! It is hard to imagine having to pay bills, send out customers’ orders, iron the clothes, cook dinner, help Junior with his Math homework and deal with difficult suppliers all in one day. In the end, you forget to do the laundry and throw out the trash (wait a minute, isn’t this your hubby’s job?), so you end up being a mess in the eyes of your family.
The Solution:
Make a to-do-list to help you prioritize and get more organized. You can set a time limit for each task. For instance, iron clothes from 10am to 11am. This will help you complete the required work tasks and household chores within the designated time limit. If you find that you can complete the tasks within a shorter time period, then you will have some extra time at the end of the day to relax. The benefit is not only that you will be able to handle chores and work tasks well but it also helps you to become better at managing your time daily and become more productive.
Problem No.3: Your kids constantly want your attention.
If your kids are still young then they may not be able to understand that you are running a business from home because for most kids, working means leaving the house in the morning in a office suit and coming home in the late afternoons. Therefore, they may want your attention every single minute of the day since you are always home. Some home business moms find it hard to say “No” to their children and end up putting off their work to cater to their child’s every whim. In the end, their home businesses fail due to lack of effort. If they follow these simple time management tips, then they can avoid this unfortunate consequence.
- Let your child play educational games on the PC while you work
The Solution:
Explain to your kids that you are now also running a home business and so some of your time will be spent doing serious work chores. Let them know that you will still be around the house but you need a few hours of uninterrupted time each day to make more money for the family. If your kids are a bit older, you can also get them involved in more menial tasks for your business such as tying ribbons on order packages. Another way is to provide a distraction for your kids so you can work peacefully. You can let them watch cartoons on TV or send them to art classes at the local community center.
You as a work at home mum should not be discouraged by the potential problems I mentioned above. I think they are just minor setbacks and with some discipline and effort from yourself, as well as support from your family, they could be overcomed easily. Just follow my easy time management tips and you will have a better chance at it. Good luck and have fun with it! 
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