Working from home always sounds ideal. Taking calls in bed, lounging on the couch to answer emails, or conducting meetings in sweatpants is so much more appealing than sitting in a stuffy office. In fact, it's fast becoming the norm for many Americans. In 2010, the US Census Bureau reported that over 13 million Americans worked from home at least once a week, a 35 percent increase from the last decade; and from what I've seen, it's only grown since then. But as a work-at-home mom (WAHM) myself, I can tell you that as great as it is to have flexibility with your work life, most days, it's a total struggle, too.
Yes, I can take meetings in my pajamas. But I sometimes also have to wrangle myself out of a chokehold hug while in the middle of a conference call. I get to run over to my kids' school for performances and parties, but I also have to furiously type out emails while I sit parked in the school pickup lane.
You're constantly juggling your home and work lives when you're a WAHM and inevitably, the poopie diaper hits the fan just when you're about to get on an important call. That isn't to say that it's impossible. On the contrary, working from home is incredibly gratifying and manageable, you just need to find strategies that work for you to keep all the balls in the air. Here are mine: