I ran across the room as soon as the fax machine started making that piercing sound. After all, I
had just put my cranky teething baby for a nap, so I rushed to turn off the machine. I wasn't going
to let anything wake him up. I would, unfortunately have to call the client who had just been trying
to reach me. I'd have to tell him to resend his fax after I remembered to turn the ringer off. This
would cut into my work time a little, having to brainstorm with the client for a while, rather than
taking advantage of the baby sleeping to get some work done.
What makes it hard to be a work at home mom? When I first began, it seemed like the ideal situation.
I could get plenty of work done while the baby slept, and still get in plenty of quality time with
the baby when he was awake. After all, the baby had to sleep, and I would easily be able to
concentrate on what I needed to get done. That was good in theory, but my baby tended to be fussy
and couldn't get to sleep unless I held him for a while. In addition, my main client was twice as
fussy and needed long talks over the phone several times a day.
It's hard when you're a work from home mom. You never know who comes first ??" the baby or the
client. I finally had to put my foot down one day. The client and I had just had a long
conversation, so I went to take care of the baby. He seemed a little feverish, and right when I was
taking his temperature, the phone rang and the answering machine called out, "Hello? Are you still
there? Did you go somewhere? Hello?" That was the last straw.
It was my own fault that the client was taking up my time. I had to train myself to be an efficient
consultant or else the same pattern would repeat with every client. My life grew much simpler when I
informed my clients that I would only be working for them after 10:00 p.m. I'd be happy to take
their faxes and e-mails during the day, but actual work would not begin before ten o'clock. That way
my baby was down for the night (or with my husband) and I could focus on my work. This also
eliminated lengthy "while we're on the phone..." type conversations with lonely clients.
What makes it hard to be a work at home mom? Finding time for everything. I set up a schedule for
returning client's phone calls, one per client per day. It made all of use focus on the important
things when we did talk, and the business became more streamlined on both ends, which was a win-win
situation. The quality of my work got better, and my customers ended up actually paying less because
fewer errors were made due to interruptions.
My clients soon got used to the new schedule, and I became much more productive. I had learned to
manage my time in small increments, which even let me get the house cleaned up on a regular basis.
My baby, however, soon became a toddler. His naps changed from the morning to the afternoon, and
just trying to keep up with him would wear me out, leaving me unable to get anything done while he
was sleeping.
What makes it hard to be a work at home mom? Being too rigid with my time. Flexibility is a crucial
component of managing both work and home. Letting my little one play outside for a few hours daily
allowed him to expend pent up energy, and it let me ease up from always having to follow after him
cleaning up his toys and messes.
Now my teenagers (yes, I have more than one) are easier to handle. After 15 years of working at
home, I now mainly handle a few writing and editing jobs. With all the technological advances in
those 15 years, I can now service clients whom I've never even met, which certainly saves me wear
and tear on my car as well as gas money. And although my children can take of themselves now, I
still prefer to do most of my work at night. That way, I can still work while my little ones
sleep.
