Working at home is hard enough if you aren’t used to the self-discipline that is involved in keeping yourself on schedule and on task. What happens though, if you have decided to work out of your home so you could raise your children at the same time? Chances are you have your hands full most of the time!
What can you do to keep your sanity? Other than making sure you balance your work time with family time, you have to find a way to be productive when you have projects to be done. If you find yourself setting aside something for a more “convenient time,” you will eventually notice it never is done.
When you’ve made the commitment to work at home, however, you have to make sure you live up to your responsibilities to your clients. Even with a set schedule, a separate office space, and eight hours in a day, it can be hard to keep your children occupied long enough to get engrossed in your work. I know this is especially hard during the summer months, when kids of all ages are at home.
Try a few of these ideas to keep them busy, for a little while at least:
Make it “Quiet Time”: My children, ages two and six years, have a daily Quiet Time that they may use to do what they wish. The only requirement? You guess it – that their activities are QUIET. I try to set aside two hours for this, though depending on the day, it may only last for an hour or so. You can combine Quiet Time with naps if you’d like; just take advantage of the quiet while it lasts!
Send them outdoors: Weather and age permitting, you may want to set the timer and ask your kids to play in the yard. This allows them to run off their extra energy and get some exercise while you enjoy a peaceful work environment.
Put on a movie: What child doesn’t enjoy a good movie? Make sure it’s one that will engross them for the entire two hours and you’re set! My pick: a DVD that features an entire season of their favorite cartoon, such as Spongebob.
Indoor games: This will depend on the age of your child, and whether he or she has siblings or friends over to play with. Coloring is a good, quiet activity. If you sign up for a free newsletter from RaisingSmallSouls.com, you can receive an awesome set of printable coloring pages sure to keep your kids busy for hours! The eBook, titled Twenty-Four-Hours of Peace-&-Quiet, can be a God-send.
Community activities: You may consider spending some money and enrolling your kids in a community or church summer camp, or an after school program such as 4-H, Boy’s and Girl’s Club, or the YMCA.
With a little planning, you can still make working at home work around your kids!