5 Ways to Make Summer Work for Work at Home Moms
Summer is here!
I used to get pretty excited when I worked away from home whenever school lets out for summer.
This period afforded me the opportunity to sleep in a little later as there was no need to rush off to drop the kids off at school before heading out for work.
Usually, during summer, I would be on vacation from work and will spend some weeks with the kids at home while they spend the rest at one Summer program or the other.
Fast forward to this period.
I now work primarily from home and only go out for social functions or business meetings.
It took me a while to remember this fact and to think of ways to make this summer period one where I can function at my job and still ensure that the kids have a good time.
This is one area I am sure a lot of moms working from home will need to find ways to deal with this summer.
Whether you will be going away on vacation or not, you need to find ways to ensure that the summer break is an enjoyable time for both yourself and the kids.
What Can You Do To Ensure That You Function Well as a Mom Who Works From Home?
Plan The Entire Holiday
The fact that the children are home does not mean that work stops for you, except of course, you have planned to shut down your business during that period.
This is why you must have a plan in place for what the entire summer will be like. A plan will help you to engage the children better and give you room to function well at your job.
Things like your Work Time and schedule, play time for and with the kids, activities to engage the kids, time out of the house, taking a short trip… Have a plan in place.
Be Flexible and Realistic
While it’s great that you have put a plan in place for the entire period, you need to also realize that it cannot be a plan cast in stone. You need to make room for some flexibility to accomodate the children.
It’s summer and the kids should be expected to have some fun, as you too should endeavour to have fun yourself. Therefore, you should realize that your plan is only a guide and you should be prepared to work around it if there’s a need to.
You may need to adjust your regular work schedule. For instance, I work from 9am till 3pm when school is on and I know this cannot be a realistic time for the summer. I can decide to put more work in very early in the morning or when the kids turn in for bed in the evening.
Get A Mom To Swap Kids Play Time With
This is one area I plan to explore this summer. Get another family you can swap time with and you can make it a weekly thing. Their kids are at yours for one week and yours at theirs for the other week.
This will give both parents the opportunity to have some time of uninterrupted work to themselves. If you can get more than one family, all the better. That way, no one person will feel burdened as you can have time a great interaction going all summer.
Task Your Kids & Keep Them Busy Too
Don’t wear yourself out trying to get everything done yourself. The fact that the kids are home means cleaning, dishes and laundry will increase.
Let the kids help out. This will not only ease your burden, it will give them something to do.
Also engage them with a summer project that take peak their interest. For instance, depending on your child’s interest, you can get them to write a book, start up a painting, build something… Anything you feel they will love to do.
My son and I were discussing having him record videos of teachings on How To Knit simple things. He loves to knit and he also loves to pass knowledge to others. It’s something we are still exploring. Summer may be a good time to test run that. If you look closely, I’m sure you’ll also find something that works for you.
Put Your Feet Up For Some Time To Rest
Summer is a period for some laid back time. Spend this time resting and getting yourself prepared for the new school year.
Make the most of this period by reducing the amount of work you take on. You can clear your calendar a bit by focusing on generating some passive income. Automate a lot of your work as much as you can and find ways to earn money from some other income avenues.
Sleep in on some days and shut the world out and get some well-deserved rest.
[Tweet theme=”basic-border”]Summer is a time to enjoy, make sure you have some fun. #summer #workathomemom #mompreneur[/Tweet]
I will love to hear from you on how you plan to make summer work for you.
Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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