It’s summer! For most people, the summer holidays are a time to rejoice and to plan vacations, but for work at home moms with school age children, there’s often a sense of thinly veiled panic. The question we don’t dare voice is: how the heck will I meet all my deadlines with all my kids at home?
Of course, being able to spend time with our kids is part of the reason we have this job anyway (that, and an inability to leave the computer for more than five seconds), so we should welcome the opportunity. However, there’s no denying that it can present challenges if you have a roster of regular clients with regular deadlines. So what do you do? Here are some of the strategies I have used.
Outsource
Pass some of your work onto a trusted colleague. It has to be someone who will deliver the same standard of work as you, and whose work you won’t have to check to often (spot checks are always sensible). Yes, you will earn a bit less, but it will free up some family time and ease the pressure.
Shift Your Work Patterns
During school time, I generally get my daughter ready for school and then start work at about 8am while my hubby does the school run. In the holidays, I may start later and work intermittently. Today, for example, I did an hour between 7 and 8, then came back to the computer at around 9 to do some more. Hubby’s taken our daughter out, leaving me a couple of hours to do client work and write this post. I’ll probably take a break when they return, and do an hour late this evening to catch up.
Find A Camp
Despite the horrors suggested by summer camp in the Peanuts strip, not all kids hate it. In fact, many kids love the chance to do something different. Around here, camp breaks up around 2.30 so it’s a shorter day, but it means that I can get some of my work done if I’m organised, which brings me to my next point …
Be Efficient
When you have the whole day, you can afford to waste a little time. During the summer vacation, every minute counts, so make sure you use any free time wisely. During the summer I may post less on the blog and be slightly less active on some social media outlets so that I can make sure that my clients’ work gets done.
Take Some Time Off
Of course, you could just go with the flow. You will never get this time with your child back again. I’m aiming for a balance. My daughter knows that there are days when I have deadlines and I won’t be able to play, but on other days when it’s less critical, I can take a couple of hours off and revert to childhood – isn’t that the whole point of being a freelancer?
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{ 7 comments }
Sharon, these are great suggestions even for those of us without children. We can all get a little summer fun in while still earning a living. Being efficient is something that helps year round. I switched to a 4 day work week and discovered that when I took away that extra day, I suddenly became much better with my time. Enjoy your summer!
Writing in the summer can be a challenge and I don’t have kids! Because of all my years as a student, my brain is hardwired to take some time off! lol.
Yes, I must admit that I’m getting that summer feeling too.
Sharon,
Such great words of wisdom. On the weeks when I have my six year old girl, my writing falls behind a bit. I don’t mind one bit because the time with her is the most important time there is. I can play catch up with my blog – I’ll never play catch up with her.
George
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Well said, George.
I’ve found having routine, rules, and activities to occupy the children during school holidays helps too. We’re coming to the end of a two week mid-year holiday now but just because the children are home all day doesn’t mean they are underfoot. There are several ways that children can entertain themselves. My 9 and 5 year old children spent several hours these holidays rollerskating. Working from home meant I could supervise their activity with one ear and work with the other.
But I must agree, one of the reasons may of us choose to work from home is to spend time with family. So, the most important thing is to find some balance. Take advantage of the fact that the children are around to spend several hours each day with them.
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A four day work week is a great idea, Karen. I achieve that sometimes, but not always. Have a good summer!
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