Confessions of a Work at Home Mom
I was recently asked: How do you balance taking care of the house and working from home, what are your tips for time management or your stories of not being good at it.
Having been a Work at Home Mom for several years now, I can say with authority that it is much easier to become a work-a-holic when you work from home than when you work outside the home. While at the same time, it’s much more easy to become distracted.
It’s difficult for family and friends to realize that just because I am AT home, doesn’t mean that I’m always available to go shopping, run errands or babysit their kids when they need one.
I’ve been through the mill on each of those and have gotten to the point where I sometimes have to just NOT answer the phone or door, just to be able to complete certain tasks.
My work is seen as one that can be done ANYTIME, day or night, and sometimes I feel as though others expect me to stay up till the wee hours of the morning, or wake up several hours before the rest of the family, just to get my work done so I can cater to their needs and demands the rest of the time.
Just because I work from home, doesn’t mean I require any less sleep than someone who works out of the home. It doesn’t mean my job is easier, in fact, it’s far more difficult than when I did work out of the home. It’s actually more taxing on my brain because I’m not only working, but I’m a forever student in the process.
I find myself being pulled in several directions throughout the day, whether it’s laundry, cooking, sick kids, “important” family phone calls, etc.
I suppose my confession would be that many times I really resent others who neglect to see my work as being important and somehow I wish I had a voice that demanded more respect for what I do.
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Filed under: Work at Home
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You just described my everyday feeling. As a working at home mom I really understand what you are talking about. By the way, I’m reading all your posts and it’s really helpful, thank you!
OMG, woman – yes!! I have been feeling this exact same thing in a big, major way lately! There is so much that needs to be taken care of – when it comes to the family. But the family (mainly the teens) would also like a never-ending flow of money. Um – hello? Help!
I totally feel ya on this one, Gayla!
I didn’t bold any of that – not sure how that happened…
@ Reut – Thanks for commenting. It’s nice to know I’m not alone
@ Lisa Marie Mary – I am struggling with one of those moments now. I hate to feel rude and like I have tunnel vision or hearing – but sometimes it’s just necessary.
As for the bold, it’s a glitch in the template – I’ve yet to find the culprit < --b--> lol I’ll fix that soon. It’s on my “To Do” list
That’s it exactly – I feel rude and like I have tunnel vision. Like I’m always saying, ‘No, I have to work’ but only because, I’m just not getting to work enough. It really almost makes me think about planning to rent a little office space in town!
I am just beginning my journey into blogging and freelance writing. I can only imagine how much worse it will be than it already is!
I own a computer store that sells parts, notebooks, PCs, etc. and services computers. It’s me and my guy in this business. Yes, we’re good enough that we’re extremely busy and a lot of people (okay, MOSTLY my mom) don’t seem to understand that I don’t have time for idle chit chat during store hours. And if I send my mom to my cell phone voice mail, she inevitably calls the store line! Ugh!