Summer is upon us and many work-at-home moms face this fleeting time of year with a mixture of relief and dread. The good news about summer is that, when you are a work from home parent, there’s more time with your family because they are always around. The bad news is; there’s more time with your family because they are always around.
When you are used to having at least a six-hour span of peace and hardcore work time during the school year, it can take a bit of getting used to when the summer season hits and your normal flow of work is interrupted more often than not.
The best advice I can give to any mom facing this yearly dilemma is to practice what I call Creative Scheduling. In a nutshell this means you do your best to shift your work around the schedule of your family. This is far from flawless, but it is very do-able. Picture this; your mother-in-law is coming over for a surprise visit and your house is trashed. BUT, knowing you have 20 minutes to get as much cleaned as possible, you will clean your home at lightning speed and get more done in that time than you ever dreamed.
Working from home during the summer months is very similar to that situation. If you choose to get up early (5:30 –ish) you can probably get a monumental amount of work done in that 3-4 hours before the rest of the family awakens. If you are a night owl, just use this tactic in reverse and put your proverbial nose-to-the-grindstone after everyone is in bed for the night. For many of us those four hour pockets of time are not nearly enough, but I guarantee you will find other pockets of time to utilize while your kids are napping, playing, reading or even doing a craft project. Just know that, where there is a will, there is a way. Embrace this extra time with your family and never lose sight of the fact that this is a temporary shift in scheduling.
What do you do to keep your sanity in the summer months if you work at home?
Michele says
I do not have to work my schedule around anything except maybe my cat–but I still have a couple of bookkeeping clients and then there is my Mom that I have to take shopping or to Doctor appts. Schedule is the same year round.
Teresa McCluskey says
My blog is pretty much my job, I am lucky that i get to make my own hours. That what keeps my mind at peace!
Sam B. says
I struggle with working around my 3-year-old daily. He’s a huge bundle of kinetic energy and need attention 24/7, but I do my best!
sharon martin says
A well timed post and something I’m trying to do at the moment as the school holidays have started, wish me luck xx