Work at home moms, or WAHM as we like to be known, don’t have it easy! In fact, while it may seem like it’s all roses and rainbows being able to work in your PJs, and stop to check on the kids any time you want, there are some things about being a WAHM that can be incredibly annoying. To find out what they are, and how to deal with them read on.
Not being able to shut off.
When you work at home, you don’t get that work-life/home -life delineation that everyone else does. What this means is that there is no sighing and shrugging off the stresses of the day when you come through the door in at night. In fact, it can be tough to shut off at all, with many of us being tempted to check our phones and laptops for emails all through the evening.
Tempted to check your email in the evening? Don’t!
Happily, there is something that you can do to combat this, and it’s setting your gym time for the end of the day. Then you will need to leave the house to, and it will signal to your mind and body that it’s the end of work time for each day. It will also help you have some me time and decompress, so it truly is a valuable activity.
Not being taken seriously.
Next, sometimes as WAHM, it can be hard to get the recognition that we deserve. In fact, some folks seem to think what we do is more of a hobby than a serious job or business.
In particular, moms that have carved out a niche for themselves and set up their own business can fall prey to this, and when you have worked your heart out on something it can be soul destroying for people to devalue it in this way.
Of course, there are several ways of dealing with this. One is to ignore them because if they aren’t directly related to your business, it doesn’t matter what they think anyway! The other is get a business qualification like an online MBA from a recognized university. Not to impress Karen down the road, but to give you that extra confidence and gravitas when dealing with clients, so they have no choice but to take you seriously.
Taking care of sick kids and working.
Ask any WAHM what one of the most challenging things about their life is, and I guarantee you it will be the fact that they have to be a nurse to their sick kids when they are off of school, and still get a full day’s work done!
In fact, this situation isn’t only frustrating but exhausting as well. Of course, WAHM also know the solution to this, and it’s to adjust their workload to reflect their additional responsibilities, just like they would do if they were in a job outside of the home, and had to look after a sick child.
Of course, it’s not easy when you have a list as long as your arm of tasks to complete, but you could try using the Eisenhower matrix to help you pick off just the key priorities, without exhausting yourself for the next day.
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