Working Digitally: An Advantage of Being a Stay-at-Home Mom

A practical guide for stay-at-home mothers balancing remote work and childcare, offering strategies for productivity, organization, and maintaining work-life boundaries.

The following is a guest post from my bloggy friend Taylor McKnight on behalf of Franchise Direct. Interested in having a guest post on my website? Click here for my guest post submission form.

The Stay-at-Home Career Path: Digital Opportunities for Modern Moms

Working remote has many positive and negative changes, and you need to learn how to manage them. First, it gives you the freedom to work in the comfort of your home. However, it could get really boring and also hard to concentrate if you have children.

To remain positive and productive, you need to:
• Work during your active hours- Working when you are most energetic produces the best results.
• Set boundaries- You need to set boundaries for your children and set boundaries with your work hours. That way, you neither overwork nor spend too much time off work.
• Remain connected- Always remain connected with friends and family. That helps you deal with stress and negative feelings on your bad days.

Skills That That Will Help When Working Remotely

Adaptability and continuous learning

We are all used to waking up and heading to the office. Therefore, working remotely is quite new to a lot of people.

To remain productive and still have the same positive attitude as when working in the office, you need to learn how to adapt to the new virtual working environment and also learn how to navigate it.

You need to learn how to avoid all the distractions at home and align your schedules with your children’s.

Communication skills

You need to maintain clear and consistent communication with people at your workplace and home. That way, you keep both aspects of your life in synch.

Leadership skills

Leadership skills will help you maintain order both at home and in the workplace. First, you need to lead by example by never being late for work and meetings even though you are not heading to the office.

You should also always remain professional and smart. For your children, you need to show them how to stick to their schedules.

Tips On Work And Life Balance While Being A Mom

Set aside a home office

One of the main challenges that stay-at-home moms face when working is trying to remain focused and productive with all the distractions around the home that the children cause. To avoid that have a home office or a place around the home set aside to work.

You should also give your children something to do, for example, toys to keep them busy as you work. If they are old enough to understand, or with someone who can understand, you need to tell them when you are working.

Have a schedule

Have a schedule that will work for both your work and family time. Dedicate certain times of the day to work, and some to spending with the family. Do not over-prioritize any of them, and ensure that your schedule matches that of everybody around you.

Delegate childcare duties
The number one priority of every parent is to ensure that their children are properly looked after, even when they are not around. Juggling your work and caring for your children is not only tiresome but will also reduce your work productivity.

Therefore, you should look for a responsible person to look after your kids as you work. One of the options is to come up with a schedule that you and your partner can follow for both of you to take care of the kids and remain productive at the same time.

If not, look for a responsible caregiver, a friend, or a family member. That gives you peace of mind that makes your productivity increase.

Be organized
To effectively take care of your children and remain productive calls for a high level of organization. Apart from having a schedule, you need to start doing some things like laying out clean clothes and preparing your kids’ breakfast and lunch the night prior.

You can also make bulk meals and freeze them. That saves you a lot of time that you can use to do some extra work.

Have good communication
Communicate with your clients, children, and colleagues every time so that they remain informed if anything on your schedule changes. That ensures that neither people at your job nor your family make plans that will not go through.

Being A Single Parent And Working From Home
Single parenthood is hard as it is. However, it has become even more difficult with the pandemic, with many jobs being online and children also learning online. That could make it hard to balance your life as a mom and as an employee.

However, with effective planning and these guidelines, you can manage both sides of your life effectively, efficiently, and easily.

Don’t have very high expectations
Being positive and having high expectations are important. However, as a single parent, very high expectations might overwhelm you, and you might end up failing, both at work and as a mom.

Every day will be different, and sometimes you might not hit your targets or meet deadlines, but don’t let that overwhelm you.

Have a schedule
While making yourself a schedule, remember to make one for your children too. Make them a schedule that resembles the school timetable to keep them occupied and entertained throughout the day so they will not distract you.

Ensure that your schedules and those of your children are in synch. To help your kids follow their schedules, you can have a sign outside your office indicating when you are working to keep them from getting in.

You should also lead by example and follow your schedule to the letter. That way, your children will also follow theirs.

Ask for help when you need it
Juggling your job and taking care of your children can be overwhelming. Some days at work are longer and busier than others, which could result in you not paying enough attention to your kids.

On such days, you can ask a friend or a family member to come and help you look after the kids as you work.

Have recess time
Recess time is important, both for you and your children. In your schedules, include some time to play or walk around the yard. That helps all of you relax from the busy schedules, and it also helps improve the cognitive skills of your children.

You should also have some time to work out, meditate, or treat yourself to a long warm bath.