Tips for Working at Home with a Newborn
Tips for Working at Home with a Newborn
After your maternity leave, it can be hard to go back to work, and new moms sometimes opt for working from home instead. This new stage in life is something they wish to cherish and the need to spend every second with their newborn is stronger than the need to go to the office. Some moms used to work from home before giving birth, but now they have to learn how to juggle their new schedule. However, try not to stress ahead of time and read these tips for planning your new career with a newborn.
Create a schedule
It’s important to line up everything you have planned for that day, including your child’s sleeping and eating schedule, as well as some free-time activities with the baby. This is where you’ll see the benefits of having your own schedule and the flexibility of your working hours. Put all your chores on paper and try to work around your baby’s routine.
Stay on track with the eating and sleeping schedule without too many deviations because these can lead to your child being cranky and nervous. If your loved one can’t seem to sleep, it’s perfectly fine to go for a stroll in the middle of the day and just push the assignments back for an hour or two.
Create an office space
No matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to work in the nursery or kitchen, so find a quiet spot in the house and set up a small office. You can even create a working area in your bedroom to be more productive and complete all your tasks more efficiently.
For starters, choose one of the many high-quality office desks and chairs so you can work comfortably and organize your working area. This will also help you keep track of your documents and work-related items without spreading them all over the house. You’ll find it easier to switch to your work mode if you have a designated space that’s for business purposes only. Try to keep any distractions – books, magazines, TV, shopping/chores lists – away from the working area because these will only keep you from finishing your work on time.
Focus on getting things done
The best thing about working from home is that you create your working hours and you need to shake off the urge to work from nine to five every single day and focus on the actual work instead. If you’re chasing a deadline, get as organized as possible in order to prevent having to push long hours two days before the deadline. This can ultimately take a toll on the time you can spend with your child and completely set back your routine.
Keep up with the workload, be sure to check your tasks at the beginning of the day and try to finish the work you’ve planned on completing that day. Always think ahead and write down how much time you’ll need for a certain task. This will come in handy when you have a couple of minutes between feeding your child and making dinner, and you can always squeeze in some work in the meantime.
Ask for help
You may think you’ll be able to work and take care of your baby at the same time, but what are you going to do if your child just doesn’t want to fall asleep? If you don’t want to take your child to a daycare, you can hire a nanny to help you for a few hours.
An even better idea is finding a support group for working moms and organize a daycare at your own house. This will help you save a ton of money in the long run and put your kid in a pleasant environment with other children. Don’t hesitate to ask your friends, family and, especially, partner for help and see if they can take care of your child for a couple of hours, giving you a chance to focus on your work.
Being a mom can be stressful as it demands your full attention, but constantly being around your child means you have to get properly organized in order to get things done. If you don’t want to leave your child at a daycare or hire a nanny, you’re in for a busy schedule, so be prepared to give it all you got if you want things to run smoothly.
