Tips for Work-at-Home Moms and Dads

These days, many adults make the choice to work from home part of the time: whether it's telecommuting occasionally, working from home a few days or afternoons a week when your kids are young, or even deciding to start your own business (like me. :)

Because of this increasing demand, advanced and aided by technology, employers are more willing than ever to allow their employees a flexible schedule—which can be extremely rewarding, yet also very challenging.

Here are my tips for making the most out of working from home:

Designate work hours and stay structured.
Try to make the most of the workable hours when your kids are at day care, school, and activities, or hire a babysitter or nanny to help you create dedicated work hours by engaging the kids so they won't distract you (or can even get them out of the house). If the sum of those hours doesn't add up to cover your workload, consider dedicating a full day or set period each day as your time to work, hire appropriate care coverage, or join/organize a local co-op.

Make the most of those work hours.
As Albert Camus famously said, "Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present." Multi-tasking between kids and work isn't fair to either party, and procrastinating with work just cuts into family time later on. Try your best to focus on and finish work during your designated work hours, and then engage fully with your kids, pets, and family members when you're "off the clock."

Get (and try to stay) organized.
Use free online task and time management trackers, like Backpack, Toodledo, or Remember the Milk to make the most of your time. Read Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and purchase one of his widely popular Franklin-Covey planners to stay on track. Even if your office doubles as the family study (or dining room), getting organized and hiring necessary help should allow you to be more productive. Make sure to set ground rules with your kids and their caregivers about times when mommy or daddy is working (especially for phone meetings and important calls). If you aren't able to "zone out" with the kids at home, or still find it difficult to separate work and family, consider working from a coffee shop or cafe that offers free wireless while your partner, family member, or caregiver engages the kids.

Make technology work for you.
Free chat and VOIP (voice over internet protocol, or internet phone) services like Skype, AIM, and Google Talk help to simply and affordably bridge the gap between your home office and your employer or clients, allowing for more efficient conversations and meetings. At Care.com, we use Skype company-wide and it's not only increased our productivity but also lowered our phone bills! There are tons of great, free software programs available for both the Mac and the PC that can make your work life more fulfilling.

Create "face time" with employers, clients, and colleagues.
Even if you work from home exclusively, participate in networking events, company-sponsored events, career-specific conferences, etc. Set up regular lunch dates with friends or colleagues to stay connected to the business (and adult) world. This separation will give you a renewed perspective on and increased energy for balancing work and family time. Check out my recent interview with Carol Fishman Cohen, author of Back on the Career Track for some tips on re-launching your career or keeping a foot in the game.

Tune out housekeeping and domestic distractions.
Just because you're working at home doesn't mean you're not working! Don't feel guilty about the dishes piling up or the dust collecting on the TV. Remember that you chose this arrangement to balance the time between work and family, and if necessary, it's OK to consider hiring an occasional housekeeper. I know that Ron and I have found this immensely helpful, and soon we'll be offering ways to find a housekeeper who fits your specific needs on Care.com!

For more information and advice on being a work at home parent, check out these great resources:

• Mom Corps
• Mom Central
• Mommy Track'd
• Work It, Mom!
• Work at Home Mom Magazine
• Dot Com Women
• Work-at-Home Parents Network
• StorkNet's WAHM Lifestyle Quiz: What kind of work at home parent are you?

Have a tip or a resource for parents working from home? Share it with the Care.com community by leaving a comment!

Cheers,
Sheila