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Working at Home for the First -Time? You'll Need the Basics of All Working Parents

Guest post by: Rebecca Garland

Article Overview: Anyone with a home office needs an arsenal of tools and tricks of the trade. Parents, however, need more than the basic office supplies. They need plenty of other essentials as well to balance their obligations to family and professional lives. The needs of each individual and family can vary, but for those parents considering making a go of it at home, here are some of the bare essentials you'll need to get started.

Working at Home for the First -Time? You'll Need the Basics of All Working Parents

Anyone with a home office needs an arsenal of tools and tricks of the trade. Parents, however, need more than the basic office supplies. They need plenty of other essentials as well to balance their obligations to family and professional lives. The needs of each individual and family can vary, but for those parents considering making a go of it at home, here are some of the bare essentials you'll need to get started. Your Very Own Computer

If you're sharing a computer with the rest of the family, not only are you going to have territory issues, you're going to risk losing files and you'll likely wind up with family members "accidentally" closing out half-finished emails to play their games. I've had more than a few smiling faces and keyboard chatter of three-year-olds sent to clients via IM and I have two of my very own computers.

If your budget can stretch, find a way to get your own computer and let the rest of the family fight over the other one - taking a business seriously means taking your equipment and work space seriously as well.

iPhone or Any Other Smart Phone

Personally, I believe in the iPhone - or I did until the recent decision by AT&T to do away with the unlimited media plans, but there are other phones that would work as well to check emails, respond to clients, chat and check various things online while playing parent. You might be forced to sit in the playroom to break up fights over Thomas and the other engines, but you can still check emails and even send basic responses to clients without being tied to your computer. The smart phone is also very useful in many capacities for busy working parents. You can pull it out to make grocery or article distribution lists in drop-off and pick-up lines as well as baseball and soccer practices.

Bulletin Boards and Boxes

I have a few bulletin boards and file boxes that I keep high off the ground - out of the reach of little hands. I throw any important receipts and papers to deal with up high on the board next to birthday party invitations. Papers and other items are tossed into a special basket to await a day of filing. I've started filing on a night off working when I'm watching a movie and stick things in folders to try and keep the home universe in order. Leaving anything down low, particularly on a desk where it can be mistaken for a coloring sheet, is putting it at risk of scribbles and very carefully constructed capital letters preschoolers specialize in.

Caffeine

Unless you're lucky enough to get plenty of sleep (and I secretly loathe you for it), you'll need caffeine or another form of energy in some form. Tea, coffee and soft drinks all work wonders when you're ready to fall on the floor and sleep instead of crawl into the chair and work. Take a five minute coffee break before starting work to remove the fog and clear up that creative vision.

Gum

This one is truly a personal addiction, but life with work and children at home is stressful and I have the waistline to prove it. There can be a powerful temptation to munch while working or to take breaks from long projects. Whenever I take a break or feel like I need a reward for hard work, I grab a portable reward usually in the form of the cookies I baked that evening for the PreK holiday party tomorrow.

When temptation calls, a frequent occurrence at least for this working mom, pop some gum in your mouth. An alternative is brushing your teeth, but I find gum keeps my mouth busy and my mind nicely en pointe for a while, especially when I opt for the bold peppermint flavor.

A Baby Monitor

If your children will still allow you to put a monitor in their rooms, do it. Or if you can't get away with their rooms, find a spot near the top of the stairs that you can stash a baby monitor. The goal here is to not keep an ear upstairs or down the hall. The monitor is going to do the work for you by amplifying any sounds you need to respond to. If you're straining to hear every sound at the top of the stairs, you're not being as productive as possible in the short amount of time you have.

With a monitor buzzing off to your side, you can relax knowing that every cough, sneeze, wheeze, bad dream, deep breath and attempt to sneak out will be known to you the second it occurs. And until it does, you can work with a mind free of distractions.

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Article Tags: arsenal, bare essentials, basic office supplies, freelancingworking parents, professional lives, work at home mom, working at home, working from home, working parents



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