How To Work from Home Without Sacrificing Family Time
By: Gwen Payne with Invisible Moms
Being a stay-at-home parent is a rewarding experience, but it often comes with many financial challenges, especially if you’re a single parent that has to stay home to care for a child with special needs or health concerns. You may wonder how to work from home without sacrificing family time. Fortunately, there are ways for stay-at-home parents to earn extra money, and you won’t have to give up your primary parenting duties to do it.
Today, SPARC Hope Single Parent Resource Center shares information on how to earn an income and navigate common work-from-home challenges.
Work From Home
Working from home is one of the best options for stay-at-home parents hoping to earn extra money. There are many companies that offer remote work – this has been more popular since the beginning of the pandemic – that allow parents to work from the comfort of home. Working at home as a data entry specialist, customer service representative, or virtual assistant is a great way to save time on a daily commute while working around your child’s schedule.
E-Commerce
Selling online is another great option for parents, and you don’t even have to have an inventory in hand to do it. There are many benefits to running an online commerce shop, but you also have to be aware of the risk. According to tech site ZDNet, there are many tools out there that allow cyber criminals to access and/or destroy your site in minutes. If you opt for an e-commerce shop, make sure that you look for tools that give you massive time efficiencies and that prioritize security. Look for a program that relies on multi-factor authentication, strong encryption, and other measures. And if you take on employees, make sure that they receive training on everything from breach prevention and security best practices.
Other Entrepreneurship
If you’re not interested in e-commerce, there are still plenty of other options for stay-home, single parents. Consider starting a business utilizing the skills and interests you already have. You might, for example, do photography, design websites, use your skills as a graphic designer, or even babysit. If you choose the latter, make sure that you’re fully aware of all the rules and regulations that go with offering home childcare – the Commonwealth of Kentucky offers more information.
Setting Boundaries
Maintaining a work/life balance is crucial for parents, especially those of us that don’t have the support of a partner. Raising a child alone is already a challenge, and then balancing work, and your parental responsibilities on top is doubly so. However, if you learn how to set boundaries with yourself and your job early on, you’ll enjoy stability in both. Start by designating the times of day that you work, and clock out on time. While U.S. News & World Report asserts that there are certain times when it’s completely okay to turn your attention elsewhere, the last thing you want is for your children to feel like you put work ahead of them.
Self-Care
Finally, no matter what you choose to do, make time for self-care. This could be something as simple as taking a walk each day or trying out a new recipe once each week. When you focus on something that helps you feel like the best version of yourself, you can easily segue in and out of parenthood/work responsibilities with a clear head and a positive outlook.
As a single parent, you’re not alone. Around a quarter of all households in the US are headed up by one adult. While this knowledge might not put food on your table or pay the light bill, it should give you perspective that your struggle is not one you can’t overcome. From starting a secure e-commerce business to babysitting and finding balance, it’s possible to work from home, raise your children, and live your best life.
Contact SPARC Hope if you need assistance or want to get involved.
By: Gwen Payne with Invisible Moms
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Check out some of our other blog posts here, for tips and tricks for single parents, budget hacks, inspiration and more information about what we do here at SPARC Hope.