We are living in a new age very different than the one we were raised in. The average American family has not been able to survive on less than 2 incomes for the last 2 decades, which means in a double parent home, both parents are needed to bring in an income in most cases. However, a recent shift in the paradigm of our society suggests that this generation of parents wants to be more involved in their children’s lives, and given the choice, between career and house parent, the choice would be to stay at home. The solution? Bringing the career home.

Easier said than done. Running a business and raising kids is like balancing two full careers, complete with overtime. Multi-tasking may be what moms do best, but there is a limit to how thin we can spread ourselves without risking productivity, not to mention our sanity. We are not the only ones affected by becoming overworked. Our kids are affected by the stress as well as the feeling that they always have to share mommy with another important email or phone call.

Its no wonder our children feel the need to act out and demand our attention. In these situations, we need to ask ourselves if our choice to work at home has really made a more positive impact on our family’s life, or if weened to re-evaluate our ultimate end result. In most cases, working at home can be an ideal fit for most families, and all it takes is a few adjustments to streamline the overload. Here are some quick tips for balancing your home business with your family time… in a way that keeps mommy productive and the kids happy.

1. YOU ARE THE BOSS. If you spent the majority of your career in the corporate world, you are most likely still operating as if you have to report to someone higher up. Old habits die hard, and unlearning the pace of Corporate America is no easy task. The good news is that as the new head honcho in town, you don’t have to work at a pace that no longer applies to you or your double career. By simply reassessing your work load and your schedule, you will most likely find a method that works. Do what you can to remind yourself that you can decide to run your business any way you please.

2. CREATE A SCHEDULE AND STICK TO IT. There is a misconception that self-employed parents have more flexible time than others. Unfortunately, that assumption is a quick path to overwhelm. The solution is as simple as creating an organized timetable of your day and assigning daily tasks to appropriate time frames. For example, when your children are at home or out of school you should be in full Mommy Mode and not allow yourself to take unschedule phone calls, or become distracted by emails and texts. After that, schedule work time during the hours that you know you can count on getting some solid work completed without interruption, such as while the kids are at school, after they have gone to bed, or when another caretaker (such as your spouse) can take over the parenting duties. Once you have a good schedule in place, follow a very strict policy only to work at your alloted work times. Attempting to do both at the same time will only result in resentment and eventual burnout.

3. CREATE POLICIES AND ENFORCE THEM. As the boss, only you know what will work best for you and your family. Be the leader that your family is looking to and create order out of the chaos. The greatest leaders are not micro-managers, but instead spend the majority of their time delegating important tasks to a team that they have faith in. Great leaders know how to inspire their team to operate at their full potential without fear tactics or threats. There is no reason you can’t apply the same leadership techniques to running your family. Most importantly, make sure to hold yourself accountable by following your own policies. if the work day ends at 11pm, it is important to “clock out” at that time each evening. As tempting as it is to stay up late to catch up on work tasks when the rest of the world has gone to sleep, resist the urge. Working past your allotted time schedule will wear down your engine faster than you can say “break down.”

4. DO BUSINESS WITH OTHER PARENT ENTREPRENEURS. No one will be more understanding of your unconventional work policies than another self-employed parent. Not only will they empathize with your situation, they will appreciate your support in their businesses as well. More importantly, working with other parents will give you less of a reason to have to explain yourself and your work policies. In addition, doing business with other moms and dads means that you can create your own rules and work in just about any environment. When was the last time you held a meeting on a playground? This may not have been appropriate business etiquette in the corporate world, but in the home based business world? Anything goes.

5. RELISH IN YOUR FREEDOM. The choice to work at home is a trade-off in many respects and you should know that going in. It is not unlikely that choosing to be self-employed will result in a higher work load, for a fraction of the paycheck. However, a higher paycheck was most likely not the reason we made the decision to come home in the first place. Don’t lose site of what you have ultimately gained by becoming your own boss: FREEDOM. Your new career provides for you in other ways such as allowing you to be 100% engaged with your family without interruption. All you have to do is spend 5 minutes watching your child perform a silly sketch -fully rehearsed and prepared for no one other than you -to remember why being your own boss is truly priceless. Feel like blowing off work to make a fort in the living room? No one will fire you, I guarantee it.

Work/Life Balance Parent Enthusiast Ally Loprete is the Founder of OurMilkMoney.com, a nationwide online business directory of self-employed parents, and the host of This Little Parent Stayed Home, a live weekly radio show on The Toginet Radio Network, also available on iTunes. Ally is on a mission to help other’s deal with the sometimes overwhelming prospect of leaving a full time job to start a new business, while running a full time household and raising kids. Private coaching is available at www.thislittleparent.info.

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