Being a freelancer and a mom — I get to work from home, spend time with my baba, and hit those deadlines in my pajamies once in a blue moon.
However, as with all things in life, there’s ALWAYS a pro and a con; and let me tell you — working from home, with a baby … is NO walk in the park.
Being a wife, a mom, a housekeeper, and a dinner-making-maestro is still a thang as well; so here’s what I do (or at least TRY to do) to preserve my sanity — maybs it can help you too.
Being a Freelancer and a mom: The ROUTINE
Oh my goodness, I cannot stress this enough. You need to TRY and wake up at a certain time, feed your baby at a certain time, shower at a certain time, have them nap at a certain time and the list goes on.
SET 👏 A 👏 TIME 👏.
The ProspecT Of OVERTIME
The time of wrapping up your work before or at 5pm is long gone. Being a freelancer and a mom, you WILL lose time during the day due to feedings, grocery shopping or maybe catching up on some zzz’s (depending on the kind of night you had).
So playing catch-up after COB is in the cards. Embrace it — it is cool, it is normal, it will not be an everyday thing. Just roll with it and make sure your work gets done.
KNOW WHEN TO STOP AND SAY NO
Keeping the fine line between being a freelancer and a mom is rough.
You need to know when to say NO. I recently came across this brilliant quote — “free time shouldn’t be confused with availability”. Ain’t that the truth.
During those work hours and days though, when you are being paid — be a master at balancing chores. Again, having a schedule does wonders.
CREATE A WORKSPACE
Let’s get real, having a space clear of pacifiers, bottles, toys, the lot — goes SUCH a long way in helping you focus.
BYE-BYE SOCIAL MEDIA
On days when work needs to be done — DON NOT even THINK about opening your social media. You know why — just do not. As working moms, we have a million interruptions happening pet day already, social media does not have to be one of them.
MAKE THE MOST OF MOTHERHOOD
When feeding your baba, DON’T check your mails. When changing those diapers, DON’T answer your phone. The way I see it, making sure my baba is calm and happy is crucial. You don’t have to multitask during those moments … hmm kay.
It’s really-eally not a sin to take 5 extra minutes to be a mom, because you ARE a mom and that is your #1 job. Besides, you’ll mos catch up those 5mins later.
So just relax.
MAKE THE MOST OF THAT 2024 TECHNOLOGY
No time for queues?
Order online!
IT’S AS SIMPLE AS THAT.
Be it clothes, food or takeout, when in a crunch — GO ONLINE to SHOP ONLINE. Balancing motherhood and work is difficult enough — don’t try to squeeze a long line of people on your way to the till into the mix too.
SLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP
I think we can all agree, when baba sleeps, we tend to scroll those virtual pages of Facebook. As important as relaxation is … so is sleep. Be sure to get some.
To CONCLude
Being a wife, a mom, a worker, a friend, a housekeeper, the lot is a balancing act like no other. HOWEVER it IS doable. NEVER sell yourself short — you’re a freakin’ superhero. Always remember that.