Business travel is stressful enough. What with the chaos of the planes, trains and automobile added to the monotony of conferences and conventions. Work-at-home moms don't need the added pressure of worrying if all is well back home.
But worry is just what we moms do. There's no way around it, but the best way to minimize stress while you're away on a business trip is to plan carefully for your family's needs. Even so, you know what they say about the best laid plans.
I don't frequently travel for business. As a work-a-home mom, I like to be, well, at home. But on one
I admit I was never a big fan of working during naptime.
Naps were always unpredictable things with my kids. And I felt like as soon as I really got going on a project I'd be interrupted by a cranky, half-awake child.
Yet I know many work-at-home moms are far more productive during naptime than I ever was.
My kids no longer nap unless they are sick. But the fact that naps eventually go the way of diapers is one reason to be careful about planning your work schedule around your child's nap.
Eventually, your child will drop his or her nap, so it is important to start preparing...
When working from home, you can use all the help you can get, right? So let the kids help with your job or home business, when possible.
Help from children won't always be a time saver in the short-term (usually you can do it faster yourself), but in the long run involving children will help them understand your work-at-home ground rules and generally feel more positive toward your work, especially if you reward them in some way for their help.
Not ...
I saw a daffodil poking its way through the ground this week. Yes! Spring is coming. Never mind that the tiny spot of green was in the shadow of a disgusting, blackened snow bank. Spring is coming.
After being snowed in for more than a week, I am ready for spring. But one of the first orders of
Twittering Away the Day
Do not click on this link! Twitter Or this one...Facebook. Not if you want to get anything done today, at least. Social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn can be serious distractions to a work-at-home mom, who undoubtedly has enough real life distractions of her own. But on the other hand, these sites, when used wisely, provide an opportunity for personal and professional networking. This can relieve the isolation that work-at-home moms often feel and provide