Organizing the Home Office

The way the economy has been lately more and more stay-at-home moms are becoming work-at-home moms. It can be a difficult transition if you don’t take an organized approach. You don’t want your clients or customers to know you are working from home when your child starts requesting juice at the top of their lungs during your phone call! Make your home office an enjoyable place to work with these simple tips.

Work in the Same Location

 Either set-up a space in your home or, if you don’t have extra space, make sure you work in a spot that you normally don’t sit. This way you can tell your children that when you are sitting in this location it means you are working and there are different rules they need to follow. Make sure you have all of the supplies you need for work before you start so you don’t have to keep getting up for things and getting distracted.

Work at Specific Times

 Many people who work from home can have a hard time stopping work. When your work is always nearby it can be easy to just respond to a couple of emails right before dinner or just finish that one report. When you are constantly “nibbling” at your work it can seem like you are working all day and not getting anything else done. When you stick to a work schedule your family will know that Mommy can help them with their homework at 5 p.m. They won’t be constantly fighting for your attention when they know what time they can have your undivided attention.

Let Your Kids Play Work

 Set up a little workstation for them. We have a little table and chair for our daughter. It’s stocked with paper and crayons, has a computer and a pretend phone. Your kids love doing what you do, and they will be less likely to try and work at your desk when they have their own desk to work at.

Work Out a Swap

 If you have a neighbor nearby who is also a work-at-home mom, work it out so that once a week she takes your kids during your work time and once a week you take her kids while she works. You can plan special projects that take extra concentration on the days you have to yourself.

Keep yourself organized and your work time can be an enjoyable break from the kids, instead of something that is constantly hanging over your head all day.