Who works from home? I do and it is confusing me?

Question

Where am I supposed to get all this time from? I am raising a toddler and because I am home every day I feel as though I should be doing all the house duties as well and I get torn between cleaning, working or visiting friends who dont seem to understand that I need to actually DO my work to get money for it. I have a small business and it only makes as much as I have time for. How do you cope with working, family and friends, how do you divide and manage your time, I do not have day care or a consistant babysitter so basically during my daughters nap time I do packaging and at night or weekends I can do the actual work part. Please give me some good advice : ) Thanks

Answer 1

My mother owns her own business and works from home and I have moved out but it was a lot of work for her too. She would hire a baby sitter when she was working (if my grandma couldn't babysit) - usually three times a week for just a few hours.

She unfortunately gets little time to get out. Most of the friends she had had babys at the same time and she brought them over to play with them. But as a stay at home mom, life will be busy.

I wish you luck

Answer 2

Cassie,

First, put the baby down for a nap, grab some coffee, tea or whatever and BREATHE!

The first thing you should do is realize that you can not do all things alone! Then, you need to take your business seriously and learn to say "NO". If your friends can't understand that you have to work then they aren't as supportive as they should be and it wouldn't hurt to spend more time away from anyone who discourages your success, be it directly or indirectly.

Learn to re-assign tasks that you can have someone else do for you. You never mentioned if you have a husband but if so, ask hime to take on a few chores to help. If you have family and friends that support your efforts, ask them for their help. It may actually help your friends understand a little more if they were somehow involved in your business, therefore seeing first hand what you are required to do in order to progress.

You must stay focused when doing your work so that you are more productive. The more interruptions you have, the less productive you will be.

If you have a family member or freind with a child, try to "sitter swap" if you can't hire a sitter. Offer to take turns sitting with the children and when it is their turn, try to focus on getting as much as you possibly can accomplished. Then, follow through with the "swap". If there is some way you can involved the kids in your business, then, by all means, do that! For example, if you have a toddler and you do mailings, allow them to put the labels and postage stamps on envelopes. Don't worry about perfection! The post office nor the recipient is gonna think doodle about a label or stamp being crooked! This gets the kids involved and also helps them learn some responsibility in the process. Pay them an "allowance" of cookies and milk after you are done!

These are just a few things that may be of help in freeing up some time for you. Remember, if you can only save 10 minutes a day, in 6 days, you have saved a full hour! So every minute is important and can build up to have a big impact on your business.

I wish you all the best in your business. If you would like to email me with any questions, feel free, at [e-mail]

Bonnie Ramsey
Home Business Owner

Answer 3

You've got to stop looking at it as working from home. Think of it as a job. The basic problem you've posted is a lack of proper priorities.

What would happen if you had an actual "job" on a work place with a boss and a place to go? You'd have someone standing over your shoulder telling you what to do during the hours you're supposed to do it.

Set aside specific time to work. During that time, you don't even think about cleaning or seeing friends, because you're working. Just like you were at a job.

If friends call wanting you to go see them or do something with them, tell them your (self-imposed) work schedule. They will understand when you tell them you have to work until 5:00.

Or, better yet, tell them in advance you will be working until 5:00 (or whatever time) and don't answer the phone at all until then. During that time, you're at work, nothing else exists.

The daughter is a little more difficult, you'll just have to work around that on your own. It all depends on how old she is, but you'll have to find a way for her to entertain herself while you work. Make sure she knows that is "mommy's work time" and she shouldn't interrupt you until you are finished.

Answer 4

I am in the exact same boat. I work at home and am raising a 3 year old and an 11 month old. I've learned to let the housework go. The dishes and laundry pile up, but taking care of the kids and working are more important. Your friends should understand if you can't hang out with them. Or, maybe invite them over - you could do the dishes and chat with them while they play with your baby. It's not easy, but you can do it.

Answer 5

First the work at home jobs advise you that you can work at the the job when ever you like or can.just settlle down take some time FOR YOURSELF.then get your thoughts in order.you can take some time when your daughter is napping to call a friend to visit for a time.Dont let your thaughts run away with you.If your friends are truly your friend they will understand.If you are finding that you realy dont have the time for somthing then take the one you like the best and do it well.again take sometime for yourself and dont fell guilty for it.You should be comended for wanting to get your work done in keeping your house looking nice. GOOD LUCK & Hang IN THERE.

Answer 6

When I was looking for marketing articles for home business I kept getting all the wrong ones--exactly the kind you need right now. I don't have kids so the info was useless to me.

Do a google.com search on 'work from home articles' and I'll guarantee that 95% of them will be talking about exactly what you're needing suggestions on.

Answer 7

Here are tips on how to manage time efficiently for the benefit of the moms, the kids, the house and their businesses.

1. Mom’s should identify activities that look like they’re important but they’re not. In other words, time-wasters. TV time or a little chit chat with fellow gal pals are a bit distracting but can be done at a more convenient time. These should be eliminated or be managed.

2. Keep a timer. It comes in handy when informing the child when playtime with mom is already available. It also helps in keeping track of finished tasks or if one wants to accomplish house chores or work faster.

3. Develop a routine for both household chore and business activity. Having a good one means smooth-sailing days ahead. Set limits as to which activities that can and cannot be done.

4. Make shopping and meal prep easy. Doing a scheduled monthly or weekly shopping will help save time and cash. Making sure that the list is complete saves a lot rather than making an extra trip to the store every time something is missing. One dish meals that requires the use of the crock pot is good.

5. Know the things that you need first before going online. This saves a lot of time rather than surfing aimlessly and go nowhere. If net searching is such a task, teenage children can be of use or plainly hire a virtual assistant.

6. Group like activities. If some of the papers need filing or some e-mails need to be responded to, allow time for it to prevent from switching from one task to another.

7. Scrutinize steps being employed to check if it is helping at all or not.

8. It does not cost a fortune and it helps make the job done quicker. It’s a win-win situation for mommies. Kids and baby sitter!

9. A laptop plus wireless internet connection can come in handy. Sitting out front or hang out at the park to watch kids play is a big advantage.

Time management is integral to every mom and is important to succeed in business and fulfill responsibilities for the home and kids as well.

Answer 8

Its a tough. You have to plan your time if you can. It should also include rest time too. so get a pen and paper down. plan from the time you wake up to sleep. yes, understand that the plan may change day to day due to your baby.