It’s All In The Family

Posted by Kate L McCarthy on October 26, 2015

Balancing a home business and family can be challenging to say the least, especially as a Mumpreneur who is juggling it! Finding the right balance between work, business and family life feels like a real science and we can sometimes feel overwhelmed and frustrated in this process.

So what is the secret to achieving a balance and spending quality time with your family?

Many working mums are quitting their jobs and starting home based businesses as the alternative to the office regime. Working from home certainly brings you closer to your family, and can bring about life balance.

But one important thing has to be considered and that is a well-organised plan and a consistent approach in order to make both the business end and the family end to meet harmoniously. Many a mum has come unstuck when chewing off too much without an action plan in place. This doesn’t have to be something that resembles a written business plan, otherwise I would never have done it!

Find the process that suits you. Are you a list person, do you prefer to write it up on a board, talk about it with everyone involved first or is there another way that would keep you on track?

Set up boundaries making priorities clear. We want to eliminate any clashes between business and family, whereby in most cases, if there isn’t proper planning the family will be a distraction to the business.

So what would you look at to make this happen?

What time frame can you set aside for your business? How many hours a day; which days suit? This is time that you are solely focused on growing your business. Now we have little people around, our snippets of time are precious and I am sure you’ll agree that we tend to be more efficient and focused because we know we have an end time.

If you have a spouse will they be involved in the business or is this solely your venture? Are they supportive of you taking this journey? Will you be able to work at the time you want or will you fit in around commitments? Can you work while the kids are home or do you need look at business and non-business time frames where your spouse or a sitter/daycare/school can care for the kids? Division of labour, if available, is very effective in bringing success to your business, makes sure you are on the same page though. Many an hour of work in this house has been done during the kids day naps or after the kids are in bed for the night due to my husband’s work commitments!!

Consider options by involving your children. If your business lends itself to this, it is a great idea that will help divide tasks or engage them actively into the business. As a home working mum, you may not have all the time to take care of the young ones and still monitor the business.

Dependent on ages, involving your children or having their help with babysitting will certainly give you some space and time to put focus on business progress. Are your children able to help with preparing stuffing envelopes, arranging paper work and files, preparing dinner, cleaning up around the house etc. This can offload a big chunk of what you could not have done without their help. Take the time to talk to your family and have them understand what you want to achieve in your business and the importance of their role in it.

Love this site. Sparkplugging.com look at 94 Ways to Keep Kids Busy for the Work at Home Parent.

Working from home and observing some simple rules will lead to a more balanced life of family and work. This will give you more freedom and happiness as you get more time to spend with your family and get a reliable income doing what you love from home. The business will continue to grow and you will reap the benefits in due time and secure your future.