Why I Work From Home
As a first time mother at age 40, I have experienced the trials and tribulations and the guilt associated with going back to work after maternity leave. I have suffered crises of confidence, have undergone career changes and even today, I am still managing my way through the ups and downs of combining motherhood with my dream job(s) working from home.
Throughout my working life I have always been highly motivated and career driven. I had the expectations that after the birth of my daughter Keely, I would return to the workforce full time when she was 4 months old to my job as a Personal Assistant and that she would go to family day care.
My attitude and expectations to life certainly changed for me after a traumatic birth experience, a long recovery, feeding and sleeping problems, surviving on 2 hours sleep a night and after 12 months of enduring post natal depression and finally having the courage to ask for help.
When Keely was 18 months old I started to twiddle my thumbs in boredom looking for a job that I could do working from home but finding a legitimate work from home job was no small feat. Looking on the Internet I found plenty of scams, rip-off merchants and money launderers that just want to take your money and run, giving false promises with get rich quick schemes. There was no way in the world I wanted to go back to normal full time work outside the home.
Well guess what? I consider myself extremely fortunate to be in a position where I have found my perfect dream job(s). I work two part time jobs from my home office in the Lower Blue Mountains. “What do you do?” I hear you ask… Well, I am a Corporate Travel Coordinator for a large Sydney IT company and I am a Business Account Manager for Home Workforce - an online job board specializing in work at home jobs. I just love it. Both companies support me working from home and provide me with all the tools and resources that I need to work effectively and efficiently. They understand about flexibility and family. I love working from home and I am passionate about promoting this to others.
A typical week for me is I currently work 35 hours a week during the day while my daughter attends family day care just up the road for 4 days a week. Nanna comes to my house on Fridays and takes my fast moving and demanding 2 year old to the park and out for a babycino so I can at least make a few phone calls in peace and quiet when they are gone. It is a perfect scenario which works really well for us as a family.
My daily schedule is I work two part time jobs for my employer companies from 9am to 5pm and in the evenings I work for myself for 3 to 4 hours an evening as a WAHM (Work At Home Mum) Internet Marketer, often getting to bed as late as 1am. Within this time there are household chores, dinners, bath, play, bedtime stories to be read and quality time with your partner.
It’s hard work but despite this busy and challenging balancing act I absolutely love working from home. The tax advantages are great, as I am able to claim on utility costs and office equipment. I am also able to work around a flexible timetable and devote more time to my family. I do not have a daily commute saving myself 3 hours a day travel time to the CBD. I like to work autonomously and being my own boss, I have no office politics and distractions. I am saving money, by not spending a fortune on petrol, parking, café lunches or a corporate wardrobe. I am totally stress-free. I have time to play with my daughter in the mornings and to read books with her. We can have a relaxed breakfast together, we can go for a walk to the shops or the park, I can do a load of washing and still have time to kill before starting work at 9am.
However, I still face the same challenges and questions as every working parent. Do I bring in enough money to contribute to the household? Will I find the time to clean the house, make dinner and do the grocery shopping? Can I meet my work deadlines? It is so easy to feel overwhelmed and lose focus. Losing focus and stressing over the small stuff will cause you grief and you will take no action.
Continued in Part Two: Work From Home Success
- Leah
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08/02/09
Why I Work From Home
08/02/09
Work From Home Success