09 Nov The Work From Home Juggle

Working from home has long been the dream for many and in the past couple of years, that “dream” has come true but the reality of managing work and home can be a lot harder than first thought. I’ve had one of “those” weeks, this week. In the past week, it’s been school holidays for Miss 10 and we’ve had Mr 1 unwell and in hospital. But surprise! No change to our workloads. It can be really tough to not only fit everything in, but prioritise what needs to be done and when. Prioritising will be a little different for everyone but there are a few things that will work for every working parent but ultimately, it all comes down to being organised.

Be on top of your emails

Staying on top of your emails can be a challenge but it is the easiest way of knowing just where you stand with your workload. There will always be the routine things that need to be done, but it’s the emails that bring in those last minute, urgent requests.

Project Management

Don’t let anything slip through those crazy cracks that tend to constantly appear out of nowhere! If your business isn’t big enough to warrant a project management system, a simple to do list works the same way. Always write your to do list the night before so that it’s ready to go as soon as you sit down to it in the morning. This is also important as emergencies always seem to happen during the night to catch you unaware. By doing your list the night before, you can start your day by prioritising what needs to be done first and then work backwards from there.

Notify your team and clients

Occasionally, you will be unexpectedly wiped off your feet and away from your computer, in these instances it’s important to let your team (or clients) know that you won’t be able to respond to emails or messages as quickly as you normally would. At the end of the day, sickness happens and time off simply can’t be avoided. Let your team know what’s happening by dropping a quick message into your communication system (because you have one of those!) and then pop an auto-responder on your inbox to reply to any new emails.

Ask for Help

Most importantly though is if you need help, ask for it. As a business owner (and parent) we’re often too proud to ask for help but sometimes you just need to swallow your pride and admit that you can’t be everything to everyone or be in more than one place at a time. Learn to say no. If your workload is becoming too big for only one person, look at bringing on help and outsourcing what you can – this goes for both work and home. If your budget allows, hire a gardener or cleaner or perhaps put your child in care for an extra day. A virtual assistant can help look after many areas of your business, including responding to emails and customer enquiries which may be exactly what you need. It’s these things that free your time and minimise your stress, leaving you to concentrate on what matters most at the time. If you’re new to outsourcing, check out my Frequently Asked Questions page or simply contact me and we can chat about how virtual assistance or online business management can work for you and your business.