Avoiding The Work At Home Mom Blues

As the fax machine noisily went off, I ran to silence it. After all, the baby had just gotten to sleep after a fussy morning due to teething, and I didn’t want him to be disturbed. I’d have to call the client in a few minutes so that he could resend his papers, but not until after I turned the volume down on the fax machine, of course. Talking on the phone, however, could end up taking a lot of time, as this client tended to like to talk for a while. I, on the other hand, would much rather be getting some quality work time in during the baby’s nap time.

What are the pitfalls of working from home and being a mother? It seemed like the best of both worlds. I could attend \”Mommy and Me\” playgroups, then spend significant time with my computer while my baby slept. All the baby books assured me that babies slept at some point, and I am a focused worker. Everything seemed to be on target except for two things: my baby was fussy and slept poorly unless I held him. Also, my primary client was fussier than my baby and required extensive time with me on the phone.

What makes it hard to be a work at home mom? Figuring out what’s the most important and what your limits need to be. Although I sometimes had trouble trying to decide whether the baby or the client should take precedence, I soon figured out what was more important. I had just gotten off the phone with my client, and I was tending to the baby, who wasn’t feeling well, when the phone rang. It was my client ??” again ??” and that’s when I knew I had to draw a line.

That was when I had to toughen up and set some ground rules for myself. The client couldn’t be blamed for taking up my time ??” after all, I was letting him. If I didn’t set some limits now, all my clients would behave the same way. Everything started to run smoother when I let my customers know that work for me was set for after 10:00 pm. They could fax or email me during the day, but my work day would officially start after the baby was either in bed for the night or being attended by my husband. That would allow me to more fully concentrate on my job. It would also help me to avoid marathon phone calls with clients who just needed someone to talk to

Another area in which being a mom who works from home can be difficult is knowing how to properly manage your time. I had to set up a specific time of day that I would contact each client. That schedule also helped my clients to manage their time better, which made all of our lives easier and more focused. Since I wasn’t being interrupted as often, the quality of my work increased, which in turn ended up saving the client money.

My clients soon got used to the new schedule, and I became much more productive. I had learned to manage my time in small increments, which even let me get the house cleaned up on a regular basis. My baby, however, soon became a toddler. His naps changed from the morning to the afternoon, and just trying to keep up with him would wear me out, leaving me unable to get anything done while he was sleeping.

What are the pitfalls of working from home and being a mother? Trying to do everything the same way all the time. I had to train myself to mother more effectively. Outdoor play became the best option as my little one could run around in our fenced garden and blow off all the steam he wanted. This kept me from having to run behind him (as I had done in the house) picking up toys, wiping up spills, and just generally keeping him out of trouble.

Now my teenagers (yes, I have more than one) are easier to handle. After 15 years of working at home, I now mainly handle a few writing and editing jobs. With all the technological advances in those 15 years, I can now service clients whom I’ve never even met, which certainly saves me wear and tear on my car as well as gas money. And although my children can take of themselves now, I still prefer to do most of my work at night. That way, I can still work while my little ones sleep.