Can kids and work mix? Definitely – if you follow some guidelines.
You love your at-home business. You love your kids. How do you do right by both? To work successfully from home, you need:
- Dedicated space and time for your business
- Help with other household tasks
- Support and ideas from other work-at-home parents
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Find support
Working at home creates challenges that your traditional colleagues may not understand. Find a network of other at-home working parents to swap advice and commiseration.I recommend: Entrepreneurial Parent and Work at Home Moms are two sites dedicated to supporting and information at-home working parents.
Get household help
Consider investing in a cleaning service or grocery delivery service to ease some of the stresses of working and living in the same place.I recommend: Simon Delivers is a nationwide grocery home-delivery service. The Cleaning Service Directory can connect you with a local cleaning service to lighten your load.
Take advantage of short-term or virtual offices
Meeting in an office outside your home may look more professional to clients.I recommend: HQ can provide you with rent-by-the-hour office space or a "virtual office" including mailing address, voice mail and access to private office space.
Hire childcare
If your kids are at an age where their needs can't be put off, hiring a mother's helper or in-home sitter can help you stay close by — while somebody else fetches snacks and changes diapers.I recommend: A Nanny On The Net is a nationwide agency placing full-time nannies, while Welcome To NannyVille hooks up parents with part-time nannies and mother's helpers.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
- It's easy to get distracted by household needs when you're working at home. Set — and keep — regular business hours.
- It might be tempting to work in your pajamas, but going through the motions of showering and getting dressed — even if it's in comfy clothes — can help put you in a "work" frame of mind.
- Set up separate office space, even if it's just a corner of the living room or kitchen, for your business.
- Don't isolate yourself. Going to networking meetings can help keep you connected to other adults and the outside working world.
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