Editorial Team
Freelancing while raising a family
To start every morning with the right foot, you need to take your pyjamas off and do your self-care steps, whatever they are. Getting ready to work from home may not seem too important but it really can increase our self-esteem. This is your way of telling your mind and body that you care for yourself. In order to take care of family and work, you first need to care for yourself.
It can be a challenge in many ways when you have a little person completely dependent on you, especially when you also love your career and need to manage family time, work from home, and household duties, such as meals, cleaning, and anything else that may arise in day-to-day life.
For freelancing mothers – and pretty much everyone else working from home –, planning your days and weeks in advance is key. When you plan your routine, you consequentially improve your quality of life at work and at home. Since freelancers often have the freedom to organize their work hours, having the right time for everything you do, including mom time, is the secret of success.
Flexible workload
If your kid wakes up at 8 am, for example, and you need to work eight hours a day, you can leave the bed around 5 am and work for around three hours. Parents can really improve their productivity by getting the most out of their kids’ sleep time. If she or he sleeps two hours during the day, you also can take advantage of that to work during their nap time. Then, at the end of the day, if the kid goes to bed at 7 pm, you would only need to work three more hours.
That is why it is so important to have a realistic routine. By knowing all your tasks from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed, you can optimize and better organize your day in a way you can be more productive at work while having time to spend with your family.
Little helpers
For cooking and cleaning, a great tip is to ask for help. My 5-year-old daughter loves even to season the food. You can call your kid or kids when you need to wash some clothes, unload the dishwasher (just be careful with utensils and cutlery), and use your creativity to innovate with your routine at home, giving them some “helper activities”. Here’s a good article about that.
In my house, if someone makes a mess, that person needs to clean it. The same with toys, clothes, liquids, and food. This simple action can change and improve the kid’s behaviour, since it gives them a sense of responsibility.
For a freelancing mom, have a little helper at home is great because it will save some minutes here and there, which makes a huge difference at the end of the day. These precious minutes could provide you with some time for extra tasks. And we know it’s always possible to check or reply a quick email during these free times.
Love and relationships
And last but not least, marriage and love life. Besides the kids, your love life also needs your attention, time and care.
The challenge of the freelancer mom and housekeeper is having energy after a full workday. If your week has been exhaustive, a good idea is to choose at least one day (like Friday or Saturday) to make a nice dinner, drink wine and have some quality time with your partner.
Planner
Ok, but how to remember everything? Having a planner, whether paper or digital, it’s the perfect investment for anyone, not just freelancing moms. We are all humans and it’s almost impossible to remember all we need to do, especially when you have things planned days or months ahead, such as meetings, appointments, gym, trips, and even the grocery list. For dads, that is also a great match since it’s easier to share tasks and make sure no one will be overloaded.
If you plan ahead and set your priorities, it’s possible to do everything you need. Always remember each day is 24 hours long. If you are a freelancer, wife, mom, and housekeeper all at the same time, a planner will help you define your priorities and organize your days.
About the author
Nicole Lyka is a writer for Rank-it.ca, a product review and comparison site that helps buyers find the best version of what they’re looking for.