How To Reduce Stress as a Work From Home Mom

Working from home enables you to spend more time with your family, but it can be stressful at times. It's not always easy to separate work responsibilities from your home life. However, you can take steps to reduce the stress without sacrificing family time or work commitments. Here are ways to keep the pressure down and enjoy your work-from-home lifestyle.

Know Who To Call When You Need Help

Emergencies such as computer issues, printer malfunctions, and other technical problems are all too common when you're working from home. If your equipment breaks down, who will fix it?

When having emergencies such as plumbing, electrical, or power issues, who do you call? Note that such troubles can hamper your productivity, comfort, and even the safety of the ones you love.

Find a service provider that will provide excellent customer support and top-notch services for your needs. For instance, an emergency electrician is helpful when you need assistance quickly so you can get back to work in no time.

Other than that, hire nannies occasionally, ask loved ones to help take care of the kids or enroll them in daycare some days of the week to get all your work done. That way, you can keep work and home separate, focus on important tasks, have some time alone, and not burn out.

Have a System for Everything

Haphazard filing, piles of paperwork, and stacks of books can make your home office look like a mess. Have a tracking system enabling you to find what you're looking for and avoid the stress of not working when you need to.

You'll spend less time looking for things and increase your productivity. Ensure other parts of the house are orderly, everything is in its correct position, and declutter often.

Keep It Clean

It's tempting to let the cleaning slide if you live and work in one area, but a tidy desk will help you work better. Note that a clean environment enables you to relax. Plan when to have a deep cleaning of the entire house and plan easy to handle everyday cleaning routines that involve the whole family.

When you are too busy to take care of everything, hire a professional. You will not only free up time to handle other demanding tasks, but you will also have more time to relax with family.

Protect Your Schedule

Your work-from-home setup should be business-oriented and separate from your home life. You can accomplish this with a dedicated workspace that's not in your living room or bedroom.

Set a strict schedule for attending to house chores, spending time with the kids, eating, and sleeping. Don't be tempted to handle office tasks at the dining table or reply to emails when it's time to bond with the family.

Avoid Distractions

Working from home can be difficult, especially when people constantly stop by your house. While you may want the company, family members and friends may not realize when you're focusing on work commitments.

If you need to focus on a project, politely ask your family members to give you privacy until the task is done. Let the children know you can give them your attention after completing some work. Avoid phone distractions and the temptation to check out social media platforms when it's time to work.

Create Me Time

Working from home can be overwhelming, especially with so many tasks to complete every day. Take some time for yourself every day, even if it's just 15 minutes. During “me time,” opt for relaxing activities, do something to de-stress like yoga, or listen to calming music. Taking time for yourself will keep you refreshed for the rest of the day.

Additionally, exercise regularly, meditate, and go out often with friends to socialize. Walking in the park or visiting the local coffee shop are excellent activities for catching up with friends, reconnecting with nature, and relaxing.

Keep a Working System

These are just some things you can do to reduce stress when working from home. Have a system in place and know how to organize everything. Protect your schedule, and know when it's time to relax. Most importantly, don't let work commitments take over family time.

Can you share any tips for dealing with stress while working from home with us?