Whether you have given up your office job to spend more time with the kids or want to supplement the household income, work-from-home online jobs can be a real option to bring in steady profit. Setting up a home office sends the idea that you are committed to both your family and your career. But as good as it is to make you both professionally and domestically productive, working from home in an online business can present some problems. How are you supposed to choose between a crying child and a work project nearing its deadline? How are the kids expected to behave when mommy’s working in the next room, or even the same room? And who’s going to do the usual household chores and meal preparation? Moms working online at home are sometimes torn between making a living and performing the household duties. So, where do you draw the line?
Families are as diverse as the individuals within them; therefore, being a good parent and running the household greatly vary in style from family to family. But though this is the case, moms working online should follow a specific set of rules to allow good productivity. Here are some rules that must be set if this is going to work:
1. Discuss the working set up with the whole family. It should be negotiated between yourself, your partner and, in case they are already grown up, the kids. However, if the kids are still toddlers or quite young and still need close attention, decide if you are going to hire a sitter or childminder, and if you are, establish if the arrangement is going to be on a fulltime or a part-time basis. In most cases, part-time sitters are more practical since mommies don’t tend to work set 9 to 5 hours, or certainly not the hours they would have spent in the office plus commuting time.
2. Organise your work schedule. It will of course depend on your personal circumstances, family commitments, and other duties. But whatever your schedule is, make sure everyone in the family knows it, this will lessen possible distractions and constant interruptions. Setting regular working hours also gives your kids the impression that they are not left out of your schedule entirely, and that they can wait for their allotted time rather than barge into your home office to disturb you any time they want. Ensure you adhere to your timetable at all times, unless of course urgent events or emergencies need your attention.
3. Decide on whether you will operate a closed door or open door policy. A closed door policy works better if you have someone to look after the kids, such as a childminder. This allows you to get your work done with little or no interruptions, and your minder can comfortably assume responsibility without you having to constantly check on the kids. On the other hand, the open door policy would be advised if you don’t have a hired childminder or babysitter at your disposal. With this policy, you can instantly check how the things are going with your kids and the house, and feel reassured when everything is fine. But since this will be more distracting by nature, you can close the door whenever you need an extra bout of concentration, or are having a conversation over the phone.
4. Confirm to yourself, your kids, and the childminder about the possible interruptions that you can and cannot respond to. Stick to your guns and show that you mean what you say. Don’t abandon your home office at the sound of sobbing or crying; instead let your childminder do what you are paying them for. If the kids are grown up, tell them the kind of environment you need for efficient and productive work time, and how they can help you to achieve it. Children just need to be talked to, reasoned with, and constantly reminded.
5. Lay out your expectations to the kids —how they are supposed to behave, the amount of meal preparation and household jobs you will do, the level of noise you can tolerate, among other things you may need to establish to be able to work efficiently. Then once this is all settled, set out a plan of action. If, for instance, your kids are older, you can ask them to tidy their rooms by themselves, or do the washing up. Or you can choose to work further away from the living or TV room where the kids will spend most of their time. Moms working online from home and their families, will all need to make certain adjustments for this system to work well.
For more information about working at home, and reviews of current work at home opportunities, visit my success blog, details of which are listed below.
M Newbold has helped Shelley Brown to find work from home that comfortably fits around her kids. Visit http://www.workingonlinesuccess-stories.weebly.com
Or for more information about working from home visit http://www.squidoo.com/WorkingOnlineSucess
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