In the world of traditional work, your shift begins at the time when you are scheduled to be at work. Unless you call in sick or find a co – worker to cover some or all of your shift, there is little room for flexibility. If something happens and your daily routine gets changed around a bit, you may have to work when you are rather tired if the change affected your sleep.
Working from home can be much kinder and gentler in that regard because many times, you are able to decide when you work. This makes working from home ideal for parents because babies and children are full of surprises, as I found out this morning. My baby and toddler have been on a regular schedule of going to bed at eight in the evening and waking up around eight in the morning for a couple of months now. Occasionally, though, they have an “off” day and this morning was one of them.
Both children sleep in our bedroom, and around six this morning I was awakened by happy squeals and raspberry sounds. Blake was bright eyed and awake. His joyful noises woke Dylan up, and there I was dragging myself out of bed, trying to be as cheerful as the boys were. I had stayed up until my usual late house last night, and I was definitely tired.
Fortunately they went to bed on time this evening, despite a rare afternoon nap. I wasted no time getting down to business so that I could get my work done and get to bed earlier than usual. This type of flexibility in my work schedule is something that I am eternally grateful for. Working from home is a wonderful way for stay at home parents to keep their work skills sharp and earn a little income. If you find work that lets you set your own hours, you can take life’s little surprises in stride instead of lamenting them as you slog through your work day.
Photo by ppdigital on morguefile.com.