Five Tips on Gaining Work From Home Time -
1. Plan ahead & Plan Well – this is a well trodden path but it’s well worth repeating. I’m not just talking about a to-do list here, I’m talking about taking all that RAM of info in the front of your brain and setting it down in a system you can trust will not let you forget anything and give you a much extended work from home time. When you have a system your stress goes down, everything is covered and you’re more creative and able to function on focused tasks. The grand master of all this and the guy that wrote “Getting Things Done” is David Allen, instigate his method, it has changed the way I work forever and dinner is always on time
2. One hour of Quiet Time early in the morning – I can get more accomplished in this hour than I normally can all day. Getting up before the kids (and spouse) is precious. It takes time but you DO get used to – and addicted –to it.
3. Keep Phone Calls Minimal– And Short . Friends have a tendency to think we have plenty of spare “chat” time, so avoid all unnecessary phone calls during your peak work times. Talk to friends while cooking dinner or on the way to pickup the kids. Don’t even pickup calls from telemarketers, bill collectors, or anyone you don’t know.
4. Use your computer! Email is so much quicker to get a complete message to someone without all the chit-chat. You can send a cordial email and get your message (and answer) much quicker. Use your computer to pay bills and any other tasks you can automate. (birthday greetings, homework help, alarms, calendars, reminders) I have all my bills set up on auto-pay, and let me tell you, bills get paid while I am asleep and it reduces my stress A LOT. More tools homeworkers coming soon.
5. Take breaks. You can become a bundle of stress if you don’t stop to eat, take a swim, or even a nap when you’re sick. (Yes you are allowed to be sick.) Convince the kids to nap with you if need be. I find if I am so tired I can’t function, a short nap will recharge my batteries and let me make it through the rest of the night.
There will always be a struggle for work-at-home-parents to achieve balance. We all find things that work for us and the trick is to use the tools we do find, it doesn’t do my family any good if I am such a grouch from working.
