Pulling Double Duty
Raising children and building a business isn’t impossible.
In fact, it’s very doable … proven by the millions of moms and dads who are currently doing business online and raising small and school-aged children.
The beginning is where the most doubts, “that you can’t,” will surface.
I know they did for me.
After the birth of my grandson, Damien, my office was turned into a daycare center complete with a playpen, diapers, toys, a swing, and so on and so on. I’d say up until he turned 12 months, or maybe even 18 months, working alongside a child wasn’t too tricky.
Just before the age of two, however, everything changed.
My office turned into an all-out jungle gym … even my bookcase wasn’t off limits, as you can see from the photo.
Children have no comprehension of boundaries, so piggybacking an office off the end of a living room is an excellent way of combining both business and pleasure (family gatherings, television). Still, TO A SMALL CHILD, your desk, office chair, pens, paper, scissors, telephone, computer, office machinery, paperclips, books, speakers, stapler, lamp, mouse, and keypad (phew, that’s a huge list!) become playthings real quick.
This was a hard lesson I learned quickly.
Some business objects can be dangerous, too, so quarantining your office is not only a part of staying sane, it’s vital health and safety requirements for the little tykes.
Simply leaping off of an office chair can cause a small child serious harm, making it critical to separate your office from the rest of your child’s living and playing space. Taking this added step will not only benefit you but also significantly benefit your child.
Several options are available to you when juggling children and clients — all while holding onto your sanity! Planning the logistics of children, clients, and client projects takes creativity and commitment.
What I’m suggesting below is relative to small children — perhaps those not old enough to be in school. Obviously, when you have school-aged children, meaning an empty house during the day, working out your daily schedule is no different than when you worked outside the home.
Children need and love attention, no mystery there. But when a parent’s attention is diverted to answering a phone call, for example, a child tends to shift toward the person holding the phone (the parent).
The child suddenly has a pressing question or suddenly needs a play partner, and must draw your attention away from whatever it is you’re doing.
Psychiatrists say if a child doesn’t get positive attention, he or she will act to solicit negative attention.
With that said, I strongly suggest setting up your business to accommodate your child or children’s needs — and I have seven main tips to help you do just that.
7 Tips to Help You Transition to Working Alongside Children
1. Utilize baby gates and ensure enough stimulants (e.g., toys, entertainment) are available for the child.
For example, make special movies or video games available as a treat during scheduled client appointments or callback times.
Some children will sit like “church mice” watching a movie, yet others don’t have the same attention span. Figure out what will work best for you and your child.
2. Schedule client visits only in the evenings, when a spouse or older sibling can watch small children.
This setup can be a win-win situation for you and your clients.
The timeframe suits you and can work well for clients with hectic daytime work schedules as well.
3. Take full advantage of afternoon naps.
Naptimes can be wonderful windows of free time for client consultations, returning phone calls, and completing pending projects.
Children oftentimes nap between 1-3 hours, so plan on scheduling client appointments within that timeframe.
Leave room for error, meaning if your son typically goes down for a nap at 2:00, schedule phone consults to start at 3:00. This way, you’re covered should you be off your schedule that day, or maybe your son doesn’t exactly want to take a nap on queue.
4. Utilize live chat software through your website, giving you the ability to communicate with prospects and clients instantly.
Software such as LiveChat and BoldChat can help you speak with prospects and clients, even amid the chaos in your office. The prospect or client is none the wiser should you have a crying child in your ear.
5. Let your answering machine pull some of the weight.
No one says you need to answer all incoming calls.
If you prefer email correspondence, record a phone message asking callers to include their email address in their message. This way, you can respond to callers without actually speaking.
A perfect solution for those who have difficulty finding quiet times to return phone calls.
6. Use a cordless phone or cell phone to offer you the ability to walk outside or into a quiet area of the house when answering calls.
I’ve conducted countless phone consults while sitting on a toilet (lid down, of course!) or leaning up against my dryer in the laundry room.
7. Work in intervals.
Answering email, 15 minutes here and 15 minutes there, is perfectly fine when juggling work and family.
The benefit of working at home is the ability to set your work schedule alongside your home life, so shifting between personal and professional to-dos will become part of your new workday.
Which Office Environment is Right For You?
Chances are you’ve already pondered this subject, and may already have a solution in mind.
When I started my business back in 1999, my decision to remain home-based was primarily based on my financial situation. I also wasn’t sure how quickly my business would turn a profit or sustain me financially, so I wanted to avoid the economic burden of an office lease.
