Work at Home Moms

The current pandemic may increase the number of work at home moms around the world, as it forces those working in offices to work from home. During this pandemic, it is hard for mothers to maintain a balance between office work and their households. On the bright side, they no longer have to pay for expensive daycares.

As a mother, you have your duties toward your children and certain responsibilities at home. You are a chef, inventory manager, nurse, accountant, counselor, chauffeur, and much more. You have to become all that for your children. But one cannot deny the fact that you have to earn to eat and pay your bills.

Without a doubt, it is hard to stay productive and work efficiently at home as a mother. Here are a few tips to help you stay productive while working from home.

How to Be Productive

Productivity translates to performance in office work. Most of the mothers find it pretty hard, but all of them can stay productive if they follow these simple tips.

1. Wake up early

You should to start your day before 8 am. It might sound impossible or challenging, but once you make it a habit, it will become easier. When you wake up before your children and other family members, you can organize important things and plan your tasks accordingly. There will be enough time for you to stay in peace and enjoy your morning tea without any stress.

2. Begin with the hardest task

Start your work with the hardest task so you won’t stress about it later. When you have only one task, which is the hardest one, do it first without delaying it further. Accomplishing this task will make you feel good for the rest of your day.

3. Prepare a to-do list before the night ends

Have a look at your schedule and make a to-do list and work according to that list. When you follow your to-do list, you will be able to complete every chore before the day ends. This list will also reduce your stress for the following day.

4. Spend time with family

During your office work and household chores, you might forget to spend time with your family. So, take out some time at least once a week to plan an activity with your family. You can mark it on your family calendar to make sure that everyone is in place on that day.

5. Plan your weekly meal

Weekly or monthly grocery shopping is necessary, but during this pandemic, try not to go out unnecessarily. You can plan your weekly meal every Sunday afternoon and check if the required items are available or not; this will save you a lot of time.

6. Design Your Office for Productivity

Everything in your home office should be shouting productivity. Keep a chair that’s not just comfortable but keeps you in an upright position while working. Adjust the height of your chair so you don’t have to bend your wrists while typing. Don’t make things crammed in a small space. Set up your office in such a way that you are facing the wall if you want to avoid distractions.

Pay Attention to Your Health

Your routine during the COVID-19 outbreak is different from usual, as there is even more workload than before. All this work and stress can cause depression, PTSD, and anxiety. These are the most common mental health conditions found in mothers. Unfortunately, most of you are so busy in your daily chores and office work that you neglect clear symptoms of these conditions in you. Take a look at the following symptoms to know which condition is affecting your health.

1. Depression

You have to analyze and observe your symptoms by yourself before it gets worst. It would be better to consult with an expert because their understanding is better than others. They can guide you and examine your condition to see if your symptoms are an issue or not. Here are some of the most common symptoms of depression.

• Poor sleeping pattern
• Feeling guilty over the past or any recent incidents
• Struggling to interact with others
• Irritation
• Low energy
• Suicidal feelings
• Poor eating habits (you might be eating more than usual, or you may feel less hungry)

2. Anxiety

Anxiety and depression are pretty much the same because you might have them both at the same time. Anxiety can affect your routine and brain function. There will be some occasions when you feel anxious; it can become a barrier to an enjoyable life and cause problems with your parenting skills. To keep your family away from suffering, you should get professional help if you have any symptoms. Some symptoms to identify anxiety are as follows.

• Over-thinking
• Restlessness
• Unable to concentrate
• Difficulty in breathing
• Body pains, aches, and muscle tension
• Insomnia
• Sweaty or cold feet and hands

3. PTSD

PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is a common mental health issue in mothers. This health condition generally occurs when you have experienced any traumatic event in your past. PTSD is also a sort of anxiety disorder. Here are the symptoms you may have if you have PTSD.

• Unable to sleep
• Hyper-vigilance
• Intense fear
• Nightmare or flashbacks of your trauma
• Mood swings
• Lack of feelings

You Can Take Care of Your Babies and Work from Home

Mothers with newborn babies or toddlers are under more stress. It is quite hard for them to balance their office work and households with babies who are younger than one year. If you are in this boat, you need to change your routine, but do not sacrifice your health. A healthy mother means a healthy and happy baby. Following are a few tips you can involve in your routine to make things easier.

1.     Take advantage of multiple naps

Babies under one are more likely to sleep every two or three hours. You can utilize that time in planning your day and completing your entire office work. You can complete tasks, such as vacuuming, cleaning bed sheet changing, and many more while your baby is asleep.

2.     Use technology to do your work

Who could need working robots more than mothers with young babies. Use video calls and conferences to explain or understand things faster. Typing things out extends the time it takes to explain or learn something. Additionally, you can now use robot vacuum cleaners for vacuuming the house. If you fear waking the baby up with the clicking of your keyboard, put the baby in a different room. Use baby monitors so you know when your baby has woken up.

Final Thoughts

Being a mother is not easy; you have responsibilities toward your children, households, and other family members. Others might not empathize with your situation and stress level during the outbreak of COVID-19, so you have to take care of yourself. Keep observing your health condition and plan your daily tasks before going to bed. This will help you avoid many health issues.