Any work-at-home Mom knows that it's tough when you have a business that needs attention, in addition to family, household duties, and responsibilities to self. Clients, suppliers, phone calls, paperwork, keeping the house reasonably clean, keeping the children reasonably quiet/clean/entertained...it is really hard work.
When I created my home business, the excitement and motivation were so overwhelming that I found myself working hours after everyone else in the house had gone to bed. In the wee hours of the morning (and I mean WEE hours!) I'd be working again, like a madwoman. Only after several years did I see how consumed I had become with developing, adding, tweaking, and tweaking some more, my websites, making new contacts and network partners.
Only with extreme diligence have I learned to turn my job off, and do what I set out to do in the beginning, which was *be* home with my family. I see why they say that you'll work harder for yourself than any other employer!
You may as well face it...you are going to have to be creative, and think up new ways to get everything done. And you are going to have to be flexible, and realize not everything will get done, at least not right away.
You may have a problem with some friends or family who don't understand that you really are working, even though you are home!
I want to share with you a few things that have helped me deal with working at home and a few tips to help you get more things done in less time.
 Schedule: You should have some sort of routine, even if it's not set in stone. Remember, flexibility is a must if you are running a home business, and even more so if you have children at home. Working at odd times may be the answer for you as it is for me. I work early in the morning before the kids wake up, and I'm usually here after they go to bed.
Choose one day of the week to do chores such as cleaning or bill paying.
Enlist someone to watch your children once in a while so you can get some really tough work done. Maybe there is something that requires your total attention, that may take you most of a day. Get someone to pitch in a take care of the little ones for a while.
Use slow times to get organized. Being organized the one of the best time savers I know! If you can't find things...you waste time looking for them.
Get your files and office organized from the beginning. As soon as you get something in the mail, take care of it. File it, answer it, throw it away...whatever needs to be done.
Keep meticulous records of everything having to do with your business. That way you'll never have to search for records for something.
Keep a calendar with you in your purse, or on your desk. Keep it out all the time, so you are forced to look at it at least once a day. You are less likely to forget to take care of something important if you are constantly exposed to your calendar, and can see when it needs to be done.
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Work-at-Home Assistance Center
