Avoiding The Work At Home Mom Blues
The fax machine’s shrill tone broke into the still silent room. I leaped to grab the receiver and terminate the transmission; having just managed to put my fussy teething baby down for his nap, I was determined that nothing would disturb his rest. Unfortunately, that fax had been from my client. Now I’d have to call him back and ask him to re-send after I’d turned the ringer off. That would entail some over-the-phone \”face time\”, where he’d pick my brain for several minutes, or just shoot the breeze while I itched to get some work done while the baby slept.
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.
It was my own fault that the client was taking up my time. I had to train myself to be an efficient consultant or else the same pattern would repeat with every client. My life grew much simpler when I informed my clients that I would only be working for them after 10:00 p.m. I’d be happy to take their faxes and e-mails during the day, but actual work would not begin before ten o’clock. That way my baby was down for the night (or with my husband) and I could focus on my work. This also eliminated lengthy \”while we’re on the phone…\” type conversations with lonely clients.
What are the pitfalls of working at home and being a mother? Time management. I established set times each day when I’d return phone calls one per client. It forced all of us to become much more streamlined and focused in our work, which ultimately did us all good. I was able to create higher quality work and my clients found that their invoices were lower since I wasn’t charging for all the interruptions.
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 boys (plural) are teenagers. I’ve worked at home for the past 15 years, mostly writing and editing for various clients. Newer technology has made it possible for me to work for clients I never even meet, which keeps my car’s gas bill low. Older children are much more independent and don’t need my constant supervision, but I still try to work at night. They may be my big grown boys, but I still like to work while my babies sleep.
Filed under: Business