Mums rock! Being a mum is a full-time job at the best of times and if you juggle this with employment then you are totally incredible. Now the mum, who is a self-employed VA, works from home, and takes care of the kids, deserves a medal!
Most of us ended up working from home during the pandemic, so we had a taste of what it is like to do both at the same time. Social media was full of hilarious antidotes, memes, gifs and Zoom bloopers. Kids yelling at the most inopportune moment, animals jumping on the laptop deleting work, and the kids wanting snacks, tested both our humour and endurance.
For many VA’s this is the norm and always has been. Even without children, we are bombarded with distractions. There are some easy adjustments that you can make to help your days run a little smoother with your cheeky, little monkeys.
Here are our top 10 tips.
Have a schedule
Whether you manage to stick to it is another thing, but having a schedule in place from the start will help to hold your focus. Knowing what you need to achieve that day is paramount, so you can be happy in the knowledge that when you log off, everything is done. While we are on the subject, make sure what you set out to achieve is realistic. It is counterproductive to set yourself a goal, fail to achieve it, then kicking yourself after.
Speak to your kids
Depending on the age of your kids, of course, sit them down and explain to them what you are doing and when they need to be quiet, for example, if you have a call or meeting booked in, set an incentive and reward their good behaviour. For example, my son, aged nine, knows that every Tuesday at 10 am I have a call with a client. He even asks me if it is Tuesday yet because he knows he will be rewarded for not interrupting. Turning this into a game does help.
Consider a babysitter
It could be a good idea to hire a babysitter a few hours a week to give you a chance to catch up on everything or if you know a mum who works from home too, why not trade-off an afternoon a week. One afternoon, you take all the kids to the park, the following afternoon, they look after the kids. Never be worried about reaching out to other, stay at home mothers, they will think it’s a great idea!
Involve them
Children are naturally inquisitive and are more likely to disrupt you if you hide yourself away or distance yourself from where they are playing. If you can, have them play quietly in the same room and talk to them as you work. Make sure they have plenty of things to keep them occupied and of course, avoid anything that makes loud noises because you will lose your sh*t after a short while.
Playtime
When you schedule your work tasks, be sure to schedule playtime with them. Kids hate it when the attention isn’t on them. It may take a little time for them to understand work time and playtime but persevere and stick to the same message. Mummy has to work now and then we can have playtime straight after.
Don’t beat yourself up
If the day hasn’t gone how you had planned, then so what? It’s not the end of the world. The unpredictable happens, we can’t change that, but we can adapt how we respond to it. So, you didn’t manage to finish up the work you wanted to do by dinner time, that’s fine, do it after the kids have gone to bed or finish it tomorrow. If you have set yourself a realistic schedule then this shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Get organised
I’m not talking about organising your work here. Make sure you have bottles prepared, juice boxes at the ready, sandwiches for lunch and snacks throughout the day. Make sure the kids have plenty to entertain themselves with.
Leave the phone alone
When you have playtime with kids, leave the phone on the desk. Be present with them without the distraction of messages, emails or the phone ringing. Treat that time as family time, not work time. Of course, if you are like me, always taking pictures, that’s the exception to the rule.
Lean on your partner
Often, we get caught up in the doing rather than the planning, so keep your partner informed of your schedule and your plans. Not only will they feel included they will be able to help out more. (Hopefully)
Celebrate your wins
No matter how big or small, a win is a win and should be celebrated. Did you make it through the day, without tantrums (either you or the kids), did you finish what you set out to achieve. Did you spend quality time with your family? Every win is worth celebrating!
With any luck, this has given you some food for thought. Just know that you are rocking the multi-tasking, self-employed, VA role all whilst being a great mum.