The number of women deciding to leave their jobs to not only raise their children but also to earn a living as a work at home mum is rising. The decision is not one they take lightly as they are trying to carve out a new career and bring in an income.
For the transition from working woman to work at home mum to be successful, there are certain qualities that are needed. These qualities are essential to ensuring that the new work at home venture will have the greatest chance of success.
So what are the essential qualities of a successful work at home mum?
Organisation: any woman who decides to juggle motherhood with working at home needs to be organised. This organisation needs to cover both home and work, ensuring that a work/life balance is created and maintained. Ensuring that the home is organised will reflect on how the work at home business is managed.
Set business hours and ensure that everyone, including family and friends, knows exactly what they are.
An office space with storage for supplies, equipment and other business related materials, will ensure that searching for invoices or files never occurs.
Planning: this is tied very closely to organisation and ensures that both home and work are organised. Meal plans, chore plans and family/daily plans are key components. Having these in place and visible will ensure that all family members are aware of schedules andresponsibilities. This should avoid the no clothes for work or school scenario as well as washing piles and empty food cupboards.
Self-motivation: being a WAHM requires the ability to self-motivate. Without colleagues or a manager on-site it can be difficult to settle down to work quickly. Prioritising tasks will be down to the WAHM unless there is a client who has set the schedule. Having organisation and planning dealt with and running smoothly will ensure that self-motivation is less of a problem due to the fact that the business is already running well.
Time management: this can be a problem for all workers but for WAHMs it can be a tricky issue that needs handling as a matter of priority. How time is actually managed will depend on the niche and industry that the WAHM is working in.
Having set work hours is a great place to start. Knowing that there are fixed hours to complete the work each day is a motivator in itself.
A day planner with a list of the tasks to be completed each day and week, together with any delivery or completion schedule is crucial. Breaking tasks down into small steps can help.
The decision to become a work at home mum is never taken lightly. It involves a good deal of thought, planning and discussion with family members. However, careful planning and organisation are crucial to preparing the foundations of a successful business that will bring in an income and allow mothers to be at home for their families full-time.
