If you work at home, you probably already know that the time freedom you enjoy is probably the best part of working from home.
If you are a parent and you work at home, the extra time you can spend with your children is so important to them.
It's rare that you hear kids talk or reminisce about all the hours their parents spent at the office or away from home so they could make more money and buy more stuff.
If you have decided to work at home and you are finding it hard to spend time with your children and work at home, then you need to re-evaluate what you are doing.
Do you find yourself telling your kids "I'll be with you in a minute" or "Just wait until I finish this"? This can be quite common for parents who work at home.
Many lose sight of the fact that the reason they want to work at home is to be able to have more time freedom and scheduling flexibility to spend time with their family.
I try to segregate my work hours and my family time and I generally work early mornings and late nights when my kids are sleeping.
If your kids are in school then obviously working during that time would be best.
It may take some adjustment for you to work efficiently during different times than you are used to but once you get comfortable with it, you will be as productive as ever.
Here are a few other strategies to ensure that you maximize the benefits of your work at home experience.
Pay special attention to meal times.
It will seem to many of you that it makes sense to work for an extra half hour since your kids are busy eating anyway.
In reality though, this is one of the best times of the day to spend time with your kids.
You will be away from the distractions of work, tv, etc.
and this will allow you to focus on discussing things that are important to your kids such as their school day or activities.
Most kids thrive on relatively consistent schedules and they will generally look forward to meal time so they can talk to you about things that are important to them.
Another way to ensure you make the most of your work at home experience is to combine your breaks with their playtime.
Most people need a break every few hours to relax for a few minutes and give their brain a rest.
Use this time to talk your kids for a walk or do some other fun activity with them.
It won't take long for you to get them conditioned to look forward to these breaks and they will be less likely to interrupt you during your focused work time.
They will also learn how to distinguish between work time and play time.
These fun breaks will also help you by providing daily reminders of what you are really working for.
By utilizing some of these strategies you can ensure that both you and your kids are receiving the maximum benefit from working at home.
If you are a parent and you work at home, the extra time you can spend with your children is so important to them.
It's rare that you hear kids talk or reminisce about all the hours their parents spent at the office or away from home so they could make more money and buy more stuff.
If you have decided to work at home and you are finding it hard to spend time with your children and work at home, then you need to re-evaluate what you are doing.
Do you find yourself telling your kids "I'll be with you in a minute" or "Just wait until I finish this"? This can be quite common for parents who work at home.
Many lose sight of the fact that the reason they want to work at home is to be able to have more time freedom and scheduling flexibility to spend time with their family.
I try to segregate my work hours and my family time and I generally work early mornings and late nights when my kids are sleeping.
If your kids are in school then obviously working during that time would be best.
It may take some adjustment for you to work efficiently during different times than you are used to but once you get comfortable with it, you will be as productive as ever.
Here are a few other strategies to ensure that you maximize the benefits of your work at home experience.
Pay special attention to meal times.
It will seem to many of you that it makes sense to work for an extra half hour since your kids are busy eating anyway.
In reality though, this is one of the best times of the day to spend time with your kids.
You will be away from the distractions of work, tv, etc.
and this will allow you to focus on discussing things that are important to your kids such as their school day or activities.
Most kids thrive on relatively consistent schedules and they will generally look forward to meal time so they can talk to you about things that are important to them.
Another way to ensure you make the most of your work at home experience is to combine your breaks with their playtime.
Most people need a break every few hours to relax for a few minutes and give their brain a rest.
Use this time to talk your kids for a walk or do some other fun activity with them.
It won't take long for you to get them conditioned to look forward to these breaks and they will be less likely to interrupt you during your focused work time.
They will also learn how to distinguish between work time and play time.
These fun breaks will also help you by providing daily reminders of what you are really working for.
By utilizing some of these strategies you can ensure that both you and your kids are receiving the maximum benefit from working at home.