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A Mom's Guide to Working From Home
Part One: Balancing Family and Career Under One Roof By Jacqueline Rupp
Below are 10 home-tested tips that address some of the everyday dilemmas you may encounter on the road to working from home:
1. Be Flexible.
Nothing is more important for a work-at-home mom than the ability to switch from completing a major sale to taking a little one to the potty. Strict schedules are usually the first things to go in a home career. The trick is to not get stressed, adapt to the situation at hand and look ahead for other opportunities. "It's been a juggling act and it's never the same," says Taliercio. "As soon as I think I have it all worked out, something changes and I have to figure it all out again! My son's constantly growing and changing, so I have to adjust my schedule around his wants and needs. However, I wouldn't have it any other way. I've never felt as fulfilled and happy as I do now that I'm a mom and work from home!" 2. Set Realistic Goals.
What a confidence boost to have completed the day's to-do list. Don't sabotage your work by thinking you can do more than you can. Be honest in what you can do and adjust your goals to fit your current schedule. Taliercio initially ran into problems because, as she says, she gave up too fast. "A lot of people are guilty of giving up too fast," she says. "We think that a business should bring in money pretty quickly, but it doesn't work that way. When I had my first Web site I gave up on it and almost gave up on business in general. I then was given a second chance. I researched, read, learned and asked questions. I'm happy to say it worked."
3. Work When You Can.