www.volusiaparent.com / September 2016 • 11 Take Chore Breaks. Just because your business is 4 booming, doesn't mean the dishes will do themselves. Why not do little chores between business tasks to take mental and physical breaks from your computer throughout the day? I've had some my best business inspirations while doing the dishes, sorting the laundry or driving around town doing errands. There is no better feeling than sitting back down to work feeling inspired. A tidy, live-in home, uplifts the whole family. Eat Lunch In The Kitchen. You may be tempted to scarf 5 a sandwich while catching up on Facebook but try to resist. You will feel happier and digest your food better, if you sit down at the kitchen table and eat lunch like a civilized person. Why not turn on some upbeat music or listen to an inspirational talk? You might want to tackle another quick chore or take a walk around the yard to get some fresh air and Vitamin D before you sit back down. However you spend your lunch break, try to make it more refreshing. Pack A Mobile Office Bag. With all of the shuttling around kids often need, it makes sense to put your car 6 in park and call it your mobile office. But working on the go can be difficult unless you are prepared. You may not be able to perform all of your duties on the fly, but consider what you could do. Even simple goal setting or catching up on reading in your field can be a productive use of time in the carpool line, the waiting room, or on the side of the playing field. So keep a mobile office bag packed and ready to grab by the door for some constructive away-from-your-desk time. Keep Life Balanced. When you work and your spouse works, or if you are a working single parent, you won't be able to keep up with all those other parents who make volunteering their full time job. The more you can accept the limitations of balancing parenting and work, the happier your whole family will feel. Enjoy your work. Take pride in it. Share your professional strides with your family just as you listen to their accomplishments. Contribute how and where you can outside of work and family, but never give so much that you start to lose your balance. Remember that your family's happiness is built on your good health and positive attitude. Dos & Don'ts If You Have Young Children At Home If you are working part-time with children at home and at school, your schedule is going to be fairly hectic no matter what. Here are a few tips to help working navigate these tricky years. Be Realistic, Don't Overcommit. If your income is needed, then work has to be a priority. Don't commit to anything unless you know you have time in your schedule. Get used to saying, "I'm sorry I can't commit to that." Then offer what you can do. Baby-step, Don't Multi-task. Trying to do many things at once often lowers the quality of all results. So rather than multi-task, squeeze in baby-steps here and there until single tasks get done. Then repeat. You'll get more done, faster and better this way. Plan For Success, Don't Hope For It. Trying to do more than you can reasonably accomplish each week will only lead to frustration and disappointment. Set realistic goals and reach them. You'll get faster and more efficient the more you focus and keep tasks simple. Then you will naturally become faster and more productive over time. Consider Childcare, Don't Undervalue Alone Time. If you can't get your work done each week, don't be afraid to research your childcare options. Even part-time childcare or a childcare co-op with another working parent might be just what you need to reach your weekly goals. When To Expand Your Work Hours Parents who work at home often need to think about the calendar creatively in order to squeeze in enough hours to make a workweek. The best opportunities to expand your work hours are whenever you have more focused, alone time available to you. This often happens seasonally, so keep an eye out for those transitional times of year when outside commitments typically gobble up precious work time. Worst Times For Growth Typical busier-than-usual times for parents include back-to-school time, holiday time, any school vacations, and the end of the school year. Expect work interruptions during these times. Best Times For Growth When your kids are in school part or full time is your best opportunity for expanding work hours and getting more done. Get into a weekly rhythm and then make the most of the time you have. 7
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