RSS
Home
Is Being a Work-at-Home Mom One Job or Two?
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
I have been working out of my home since shortly after the birth of my daughter in September 2000. I should say that I have taken on outside employment while also fulfilling the duties of a stay-at-home mother. In short, I have one full-time job (mom) and one part-time job (writer and editor).
After 18 years of being an editor, I still can’t pare down that job description. Why? Because when you tell people that you “work at home,” you receive one of two responses: (1) From fellow mothers, you get a “Don’t I know it!” smirk meaning they understand that every mom works at home, doing hundreds of small tasks that nurture our families; and (2) from everyone else, you get remarks like, “You’re so lucky!” and “Wow, you get to be your own boss!” What they are really thinking is that you stay in your pajamas all day and do whatever you want.
While there is some truth to that theory, the flip side is the huge responsibility of being your own boss and managing a part- or full-time workload all on your own. Yes, I do have flexibility in terms of setting my own hours and controlling my agenda, but it’s not as easy as it may look.
If you think staying organized in a remote office is challenging, try staying organized in your home office. I’m lucky if I’ve checked off 2 out of 5 items from my “to do” list every day. No, I do not have adult ADD—once again, I am a M-O-M. How can I write an article if dust motes cover every surface of my work area? How do I ignore the ringing phone? How do I find time to exercise? And what about helping in the classroom? I think I signed up for Tuesdays, and today is Tuesday (uh-oh).
There are dozens of distractions, and unlike those in the workplace (i.e., chatty coworkers, staff meetings), the distractions at home never clock out. The “end of the day” is not so clear-cut for mothers who work at home. When regular employees end their workday, they drive home, leaving work at work. Yet, when you work at home, your office is mere steps away and your work is always there, waiting for you.
2. Get dressed every morning—that means shoes too!
6. Don’t try to do two projects at once: One job at a time.
9. Work quickly to get the job done. This will give you more time to play later.
11. Smile even when you don’t feel like it.
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” you might be thinking—but I’d rewrite that to read, “Where there’s a log, there’s a way.” The single most important document out of the hundreds on my computer is my daily log, with five columns clearly labeled “Work,” “Emma,” “House,” “Errands,” and “Me Time.”
It is important for work-at-home moms to write down everything that they do, not just job tasks but all tasks. It promotes a sense of accomplishment when you see, in black and white, each completed task; it gives you a sense of control in the whirlwind of family life and helps you to prioritize; and it can restore your confidence and motivation when you procrastinate, worry, mope and/or beat yourself up for not being smart, successful or rich enough. So the next time that someone asks what it is that “you do,” hold your head high and declare, “I’m a full-time mother and a part-time bookkeeper…” or caterer or cellist or community activist.
Keeping a daily log of my activities helps me in all of those areas. Experts say that children need structure, and I think adults do, too. On a highly productive day, I’ll have check marks in every column, even the normally blank “Me Time” column. I feel proud of myself on such days, when I can accomplish a paid project, an extra activity with my kid, a household chore, an errand and something for myself.
If you need help getting organized, I recommend visiting FlyLady.net: “Your personal online coach to help you gain control of your house and home.” Scroll down, click on “Table of Contents,” and choose the pink box headlined “FLYing with the Kids.” Also, check out FlyLady’s “Eleven Commandments” (see my favorites above). And, yes, you can consider this an official task on your daily log—it falls under “Me Time”!
Related Articles:
Comments
.JPG)
