One of the attractions of working from home is being able to work while your kids are at home. But what is the actual reality of this? Is working from home really feasible with small children running around or not? Let’s take a look.
Hundreds of moms would love to work from home after having their first child. They often look into this while at home on maternity leave. If this is your desire then there are a few things you need to take into consideration first.
Flexibility & Discipline
Working from home requires that you have a lot of flexibility and discipline. You will need to set some type of office hours and then stick to them as much as possible. Of course things will crop up and you will have to adjust your schedule.
What you don’t want to do is to let your business suffer. If you have to take a day off, then try to make up the time at some point. At the same time though, you don’t want to beat yourself up because of it.
Expectations
Consider what your expectations are for your new business. Do you need to replace your full time salary? Or can you manage with a smaller income for a while?
Many parents have a goal of earning what they would consider a part time income while their children are at home. Then as they start school they can easily ramp up their business and start producing more income.
Having clear expectations will allow you to enjoy the time at home with your child, while still running a business.
Type of Work
Next look at the type of work you can do from home. Could you actually work for your current employer from home? Telecommuting is a popular option these days and many employers are catering to this.
If not, other options include providing a service to clients. This could be transcribing notes, setting up and sending out emails, writing and formatting books or even doing graphic design.
Working for clients provides you with an income but you still have deadlines to meet. Maybe taking on just one or two clients would work at first. If they provide you with regular work, you have your regular income in place.
Working from home with kids can be done successfully. You may need to work in short periods of time, when your child is sleeping, or before they get up in the morning. If you are adaptable then there is no reason why you can’t have the best of both worlds.
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