Having my own business, I made the decision to keep things small-scale and work from home. I did this because I recognize that being a wife and mom to my family is still my top priority. I like being able to manage my own time and be with the kids as often as possible. While there are drawbacks and hindrances, every moment and decision to operate this way has been worth it.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I never leave my kids, as a matter of fact I do almost everyday, but I am not gone the entire day. I homeschool them in the morning, then head off to work out or go to meetings for about 5 hours in the afternoon. I am always home by dinner or a little shortly there after. Because we homeschool, I’ve also had the flexibility of being able to bring them with me. When I feel like I am going to far places where I will be out for a long time, they usually tag along. They love being in their car seats, eating snacks and listening to stories or music on the cd player. That’s Manila. Traffic is terrible so we have to plan. Our van is loaded with snacks, water, a portable potty, CDs and toys. When we are in Hong Kong, it is so much easier. I am only gone for about 2 hours in a day and public transport just takes 30 mins.
When I am at home I review design plans, sketch design concepts, blog, edit photos, do banking and bills and plan home school. These all require some time for me to just sit on my lap top and focus. Here are some tips to effectively work from home.
- Find your golden hour. That time when the kids are asleep or playing outdoors can give you quality time to work.
- Learn to delegate. Use virtual assistants or hire people to work for you and set things up in such a way that you can communicate by email, Viber or Whatsapp.
- Invest in a good data plan so you can work when you are in the car. I like to go through emails and do a lot of research over my Iphone.
- Don’t be afraid to conduct meetings via Facetime or Skype.
- Have kids watch a movie on TV while you work.
- Be familiar with internet banking.
- Work together with the children, having them do school work or painting and crafts.
- Outsource what you can like Accounting, taxes and permits.
- Plan your day and create a schedule for you and your children.
- Create a nice efficient working space or home office for yourself.
While we are on the topic check out all my other blog posts on home offices. Get inspiration, and tips to achieving a pretty home office.
I would love to hear from you. . Have you tried working from home?
Leave a Reply