Let’s face it – balancing work and family life can be hard. It can be even more difficult to balance both at the same time. Working from home is a great option for many moms that want to be able to spend more time with their little ones while still getting their work done, but it is by no means easy. Between answering emails, changing diapers, calls with clients, and trying to navigate the latest tantrum from your toddler, there are definitely some challenges to working from home as a mom in addition to the many perks. 

If you are considering an entry level work from home job or you already are working from home as a single mom, there’s no need to worry – there are definitely some ways that you can navigate childcare along with your workday. We’re here to help! Read on to find out about our top five tips for moms for successfully working from home! 

1. It’s All About Routine! 

Yeah, we know – scheduling may seem like an impossible task when you have children, but it truly is possible! Having a routine and a schedule is important for ensuring that everything runs smoothly. Perhaps try waking up before your family does in order to get a few more tasks done. 

It may even be worth writing your schedule down on a spreadsheet, for example allocating times for the laundry and the grocery shopping. If you have a very young child then you could try and alter their sleeping schedule so that they are sleeping while you work. Where there’s a will there’s a way! 

With that being said, it’s still important to have some flexibility. Sometimes things can happen unexpectedly at home, and that’s okay! 

2. Socialize

When you’re working from home, it can sometimes be a little lonely, especially if you have only seen little people all week and you aren’t even sure what an adult looks like anymore. When we say socialize though, we aren’t talking about Facebook or Snapchat – we mean getting out and seeing friends or other professionals in the same situation as you.

Having some adult companionship as you work from home can do real wonders for your sanity, and if you look online there are always meet ups that you can participate in around you. With a daily routine that involves work and house chores, it is sometimes difficult to get a break.

It is easy to miss signs that your body is giving in. You will brush away stressful situations because you do not have enough time to get help. Regularly checking in with telehealth can help relieve you of the stress and strain of your daily routine and helps you to have a rejuvenated spirit.

3. Have a Home Office

When you’re working from home, it’s vital that you are able to some extent keep your personal and home life separate. If it’s possible to do so, try and set up an office kind of space at home that you only use for working. This can help with mindset and productivity, and it can also help the family to understand that when you are in your working location that you are not to be disturbed.

4. Planning

It’s important to keep on top of all of your tasks, and thankfully there are a bunch of online tools that can help you to do just that. Perhaps try a tool such as Asana or Trello to keep on top of all of your work tasks for the week.

For the home, you could invest in a paper planner to keep track of what needs to be done. You could even create a little family planner that you can pin onto the wall. That way, everyone is kept organized at home too! 

5. Prioritize

When you’re working from home, it can be easy to get distracted. That’s why it’s important to assess what is most important at that moment in time. Every time a task crops up, just ask yourself: can this wait? Is it going to take me a long time? Asking yourself these kinds of questions can help you to structure your day. 

Conclusion

So, there you have it – those are our top 5 tips on how to successfully work from home if you’re a mom! It can be tricky to balance children and a workload, but hopefully our tips have helped you to be able to balance them a little bit easier!