Our next guest blogger is Genesis Davies from At Home Mom Blog. We highly recommend her blog to all our readers; as the name implies, her blog also tackles the issues of being a successful freelancer and simply being a good parent!
As work at home parents, it is very easy to get caught up in work, since it’s always there. Cooking dinner? While the roast is in the oven, you can get a few more paragraphs written. Laptops make it easy for us to work while the kids are in the bath or at the park . . . but working all the time isn’t necessarily the best for anyone, you or your kids.
Taking some time to just hang out and play is good for you and chances are you’ll find that you are far more productive after a little break. If nothing else, you’ll have a little down time to work in because your children will be calmer and happier after spending some time with you. I know my toddler gets awfully cranky when he doesn’t feel that I’m paying enough attention to him!
One Thing at a Time
By focusing on what you’re doing, you will do it better. That means when you are bathing your kids, you can get in there and make bubble beards and Mohawk hairstyles and just enjoy being with them. And when you have to work, focus on that. This isn’t always possible, but spreading your attention between several activities is usually far less productive.
Use a Timer
If you are a total workaholic who simply can’t pull yourself away from work, try using a kitchen timer. Set it for 30-60 minutes and take a 15 minute break when it dings. This works well for kids, too. They can trust a timer more than you saying, “I’m just going to finish this report . . .”
When the timer goes off, go do something else. Play with your kids for those 15 minutes, do the dishes, etc. You will benefit from a little rest and your kids will leave you alone more if they know they have guaranteed time to be with you when the timer goes off.
Schedule Free Time
Whether it be a full day to hit the zoo or waterpark (or skating rink for those of you in colder climates!) or simply an afternoon for a picnic, it’s a good idea to schedule free time into your day planner. Having it specifically scheduled means you won’t accidentally plan a client meeting at the same time, pushing that free day up again and again. It also gives your family something to look forward to, if you make it a regular thing.
Taking time out to play is something that every freelance parent needs to do. Kids grow up fast and you don’t want to miss out on it just because you were working too hard! So, plan to start taking time to color and build block towers with your toddler, play Monopoly with an older child, or just hang out and chat. You won’t regret it.
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I’ve said this before, but I don’t buy the “meshing life” stuff. Work is work time and kids are kid time. If I try to do both and balance both, I do both halfway well. So I enjoy my kidlets fully- no laptops at the park! On the other hand, I work fully- kids go to childcare or school. That just works for me.
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