The trouble most people have with working at home isn’t just finding legitimate work to do. It’s learning how to actually get a day’s work done with so many distractions. Working from home is very different from working in an office, and the differences can really mess up your productivity if you let them. If you really want to work at home, you need to know how to manage your work day.

Self discipline is the key. If you can’t keep yourself on the job without someone telling you what to do, working at home isn’t going to work out so well for you. It may not be impossible, but it’s not going to be easy either. Given that many work at home jobs pay on production and that all employers expect productive employees no matter how they’re paid, you can’t slack off just because you’re not in the office.

Running a home business won’t let you off the hook either. Matter of fact, it can be worse. Most home business owners don’t have a four hour workweek, and those that do usually took years of hard work to get to that point. Working at home isn’t all about leisure, no matter what some people say.

We all get distracted. I have times where it’s really hard to be productive, even though I know how important it is. The key is learning how to make yourself as productive as possible by managing your work day well.

1. Know what needs to get done.

You should always know what you need to get done on a given day. If you have a work at home job, this may be determined by your employer. If you work for yourself or have a lot of flexibility with your job, you may have to figure this out for yourself. It may not always be obvious.

2. Prioritize your tasks each day.

Some things need to get done before others. Have a good idea as to which things you most need to get done, and get them done first, or make sure to work on them during the times you will be most productive.

3. Don’t try to do all the hard stuff in one day.

There are going to be things you like more and less about working at home. Some things are harder to do or less interesting. As much as you can, spread those things out with things which are easier or more fun for you to do.

4. Limit how much you check email and social websites.

Email and social websites are very common distractions. You can go to check things out for a minute, then realize an hour or more has passed. Don’t get sucked in. Decide when it’s best for you to check your email and/or social websites, and how long to allow yourself. Set a timer if you need one so that you don’t lose track of time. Then get away from them.

5. Take appropriate breaks.

Just as you get breaks when you work outside the home, you need breaks when you work at home. Get up, stretch, play with the kids, do a little exercise, do something other than work. You really will be more productive if you give your mind and body the breaks you require.

6. Know how to work around your distractions.

Especially if you have kids in the house while you work at home, there are some distractions that are harder to control than others. Household chores, television, pets, neighbors, friends and kids don’t always stick to your schedule. Do your best to deal with these by planning ahead for them.

Sometimes you will have to be strict, especially with people who don’t understand that working at home is just as serious as working outside the home. Don’t get roped into doing things you don’t have time for just because you’re home. Learn to say no to the things you don’t have the time for and to make time for the things that really matter.

The post 6 Ways to Manage Your Work at Home Day appeared first on Home with the Kids Blog.

This has been quite the challenging year for me. We made the choice to homeschool my oldest, as the neighborhood school was doing poorly. I knew at the time that it would be difficult to add in the time it takes to properly homeschool a child to the time I need for working, but sometimes that’s what you have to do.

Despite the quite reasonable concerns of many, it went pretty well. The school year is nearly over and I’ve learned a lot about what it takes to make working at home and homeschooling work.

Be Realistic About Time Commitments

Homeschooling takes a lot of time out of the day. How much depends on the curriculum you choose, the rules you have to follow in your area for the program you choose, and how fast your child works on assignments.

Many homeschoolers manage to get it all done in much less time than their kids would be in school. That’s not always the case and you should be prepared for the fact that sometimes days run long.

Sometimes kids try to goof off rather than work on assignments. They may need a lot of help on some assignments, and less help on others.

You’ll have your own obligations to have things ready for your student each day. Some assignments will need advance preparation on your part, which may take away from time in the evenings that you had hoped to work.

With all that the homeschool requires, you still have to keep up with whatever time commitments you have for your work. This is especially important if your family relies on the income to get by financially.

Heavy Duty Time Management

If you’ve worked at home or homeschooled, you know how important time management is. Put them together and you have some serious time to manage.

As with working at home, adding in homeschooling means talking to your spouse and the other members of your family about where you’re going to need extra help. You still have all the rest of your daily routine to manage around the house, and you shouldn’t expect to be doing it all alone. Look at chores the kids can help with as well as places you need more help from your spouse.

Many homeschool families have a schedule. They’re often pretty flexible, so that you can change things around at need. Nonetheless, they’re necessary for most families, at the very least to help ensure that everything gets done that is needed.

You will quickly become aware of your child’s best working time. My daughter often does well in the mornings, getting her going again after lunch is often difficult, taking a day from one that had looked like an early finish to a late one.

Your schedule will also help you to remember when you need to work. You should still try to take at least one day a week off to enjoy time with your family, but that means you need to be absolutely certain you’re getting everything else you need to accomplish done on the other days of the week.

Be Sure Your Work Is Flexible Enough

You aren’t going to be able to cope with both homeschooling and working at home if your work schedule doesn’t cooperate. I work for me, so it’s pretty easy to make things flexible enough that I can deal with both schedules. Tiring, but possible.

Most times, you’re looking at the ability to mostly work evenings and/or weekends. If your child is self directed enough, you may be able to work as he or she goes through the schoolwork, so long as your work may be interrupted as questions and problems arise.

My work computer and my daughter’s school computer are side by side, which has been a great advantage since I can be interrupted when she needs me. It’s not like she wants me hovering as she writes a report or works a math problem, but if she has a question it’s nice having me available to her. Because I don’t usually need to talk to people on the phone for my work, this isn’t a problem.

Are we homeschooling next year? No, the situation at the neighborhood school has changed, as they’re becoming an International Baccalaureate charter school in the fall, so we’re giving that a try. The district decided to close the old school at the end of this school year due to poor performance, pretty much justifying my homeschool decision, I’d say.

I did enjoy the homeschooling, and if it weren’t for the change in the neighborhood school, would have continued with it. California Virtual Academy was a great choice for us, and now I know what to do if we ever have such problems with a poor quality school in the future. Their program is really challenging but fun to work with.

The post How Do You Combine Working at Home With Homeschooling? appeared first on Home with the Kids Blog.

You’re trying to get some work done. The kids just won’t give you any peace. It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to get dishes done, laundry, send an email or something else. They want you. Now!

Days like that can drive a parent crazy. You have a lot to do, and the kids just aren’t cooperating. It makes the job so much longer.

Ever consider just giving in, at least for a few minutes?

Often enough, this has been my best way to get some peace and quiet for getting other stuff done. I take a break and have some fun with the kids. When they’re trying so hard for attention, it’s often just that they really need it right then.

Most of the time, they aren’t after a huge time commitment. Just a few minutes of play. My son likes the “tickle spider” game. A couple minutes of that makes him very happy. But other times he or my daughter will need something that takes a bit longer.

If you really need the time at that minute, of course you can take it to get things done. But take the time to tell your kids why. Give them a time frame until you can go play. Set a timer if that helps.

It’s rough sometimes giving up the time you had planned to get something accomplished. Many stay at home moms have really busy daily schedules, and if something else comes up, it’s common to let playtime with the kids slide a little.

Doesn’t mean it’s your best choice. Just the easiest one.

We all know how fast children grow. You won’t regret playing extra, but you might regret getting too involved in caring for your home or working.

Sometimes this means learning to say no to people. If you’re at home people often assume you have tons of free time. And you might sometimes.

Other times, your life is quite full of other things. These are the times that you have to learn to refuse extra commitments. Overdoing it just tires you out and limits the time you have for your family.

Prioritizing can be one of the most important skills a stay at home mom can develop. But no matter how much you plan and prioritize, sometimes your kids will have other ideas. Cooperating with the ideas your children have for having fun together doesn’t have to mess up your plan for the entire day. Just take a few minutes and have some fun together.

The post Just Give Them a Minute appeared first on Home with the Kids Blog.

When you work at home the hard part isn’t just finding the time to work. It’s figuring out what your priorities are at a given time. Figuring out what to do can be such a huge time waster.

I’ve gotten pretty good at managing my work time. I check my email once a day unless I have a specific reason to check it more often. That one drives family members nuts since they tend to email me later in the day than I’m paying any attention to my email. But if it’s all that important, they can always call me!

I have my stats addiction under pretty good control too. No more than once daily for traffic, once weekly for most sales stats unless I’m tracking something specific.

So with all the junk out of the way, it’s often still hard to figure out what my priority is. Blog posting? EBook writing? Finding new affiliate products to promote? Article writing? Website updates?

There’s always plenty to do!

I have a basic priority list combined with a schedule for the month. Blog posting is often, but not always a priority. There are certain days I focus on article writing. And times that I leave it up to whimsy. What’s working at home if you can’t relax and do a bit of what you want?

I’ve found that the more organized I keep these things, the better I do overall in terms of production. It’s so hard many days to find enough time to work on my business that I can’t afford to waste time on figuring out what I should be doing.

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