Children have a way of reminding us of many things. As a matter of fact a little two year old with their magical smile can have grandmas and dads and moms playing as if they were kids again.Those beautiful faces can bring a smile out of you just when you thought there were none left. And don't children have a way of getting you to do things you forgot you were able to do? Why they can get you to do things no other member of your family could dream of.
Working from home has many perks. One of those is being able to share some of your time with your children and grandchildren, sometimes even great grand children. But these same perks can present challenges you need to work through.
Don't worry. These challenges are easier to fix than you might think. Here are a few simple solutions for remaining productive in your home office while you still enjoy the perks.
Five Easy Steps For Getting The Most From Your Home Office And Enjoy Your Toddler Too!
1. Keep Organized - This is the first thing you need to do when working from home. Have those tools you will need right at your finger tips.
Finding tools to help you get organized doesn't have to cost an arm or even a leg, either. For instance, I found a cool little file caddy on wheels that holds all my important files right at my finger tips as well as a place for media and a shelf underneath.
And it was only $20.00. So keep your eyes open as you shop. Isn't it cool how things appear as you need them?
If you want to read more check out this article ... Getting Organized where I go into more detail about the importance of organization in your home office.
2. Pick Your Daily Tasks - Lists are wonderful things. They help you pinpoint what is really important to you. So make a list of all you want to accomplish in a day or a week. Put that list in an order of importance.
This is one of those steps you can do while watching those fun TV Programs or movies that your two year old so loves. A simple pen or pencil and paper is all you need. Well it might help to tag your brain along for the ride:)
3. Schedule Your Time - Now that you have your list you'll need to pick a good quiet time for accomplishing those tasks. If your work from home involves getting online or having an online business, you know you need to make the best use of your time for getting those important tasks completed.
It is amazing how quickly we learn to stop wasting time frittering life away at answering emails or playing games. Your ability to schedule becomes paramount when that two year old comes popping her head in while you are in the middle of typing that important article you wanted out today.
4. Enjoy Those Breaks - Yes you heard me right. After all that is why you decided to do the work you love from home, isn't it? So don't get so tied to a schedule that you forget to enjoy the time you have with those little ones. Don't worry, they seem to know just when it's time for grandma to take a break. You might be in the middle of that great novel. But that's what they made the save button for, right?
And you never know when play time just might bring that story to a better ending after all. One thing is certain, the time you spend laughing and enjoying your toddler is time well spent. You will feel refreshed and ready to go.5. Close The Door - Last night this important task became very evident.
Have you ever been so engrossed in your work that the world around you kind of disappears? Well I've been accused of that one on more than one occasion. With a toddler in the background I do have on my peripheral vision alert,though.
And from that vision I noted as Savannah, my two year old granddaughter, made her way through my jungle of possessions. This was a feat all by itself, let me tell you.
In what seemed like seconds, she was standing next to me on top of my rolling file caddy, laughing and reaching for the top of my printer. Full of giggles I couldn't help but laugh, as I called mommy to share in this little one's accomplishment.
But all enjoyment aside, I realized that when sitting down for my desired hour of work, it might be a good idea to close the door to my work room. She can't quite reach the knob to open it yet. There has to be some time to work:)
I would like to express a special thanks to Mikki Hogan, owner and founder of www.theallergyspot.com. She happens to be just one of my beautiful children who also works online from home while taking care of a very full house of kids and pets. She has mastered the art of that scheduling and picking tasks I talk about. I hope one day to be as good at it as she is.
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