It’s back to school time. How will this affect your work at home? For some parents it means more time to focus on work while their children are at school. For those that homeschool it can mean the same. Their children are busy with school work and the parent can be more attuned to their own tasks.

But for some parents back to school can mean less time for themselves. Some of us volunteer at their children’s schools. Some need to focus on children who are entering school for the first time, going to new schools or having problems at school. Some need to teach and plan lessons for their children.

So how do we stay on top of things for our work at home businesses? Even if we feel we’ll have extra time we know that emergencies will come up, a sick child, a forgotten report, homework issues, etc. We need to remain vigilant about staying productive and organized throughout these times.

One thing that I do when my daughter goes back to school is I get myself ready before I wake her up. I shower, dress, etc. This way I’m ready to start my day even before she is. If I don’t stay at her school to volunteer I can then get to work at home. It gives me a feeling of motivation too.

Another thing I do is help her prepare the night before for school. This way she is learning about being organized and the mornings go much more smoothly. No one wants to start the day off with yelling and rushing.

When I begin my work day I am sure to continue to use my planner, my timer and at least in the beginning of the school year, set an alarm clock to remind me to pick up my daughter from school. I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve been so busy once before that I lost track of time until the school office called me. So I’m sure not to let that happen again!

Staying on a schedule, knowing that emergencies may come up and leaving time for school related activities will help us remain productive.

Tags: back to school

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