Monday, December 17, 2007

Getting work done during the holidays.


It's hard to believe that Christmas is right around the corner. It always sneaks up on me. Trying to prepare for the holidays and maintain a work "schedule" can be difficult this time of year. I get most of my work and errands done in the morning when my kids are in school. Of course this time of year there are many more errands to do than usual so I find myself spending the entire morning on those, which means I have to work in the afternoon/evenings. I think most of my holiday errands are behind me so right now I am trying to get as much work completed before the end of the week so that I can take some time off during Christmas and New Years to spend with my out of town relatives.
I will be spending most of today on A&R Wholesale. They are the main client I have done work for since I began freelance work for SavvyDog Design. One thing that makes this job easy is that the clients are amazing. This client imparticular has a great product, a walk-in tub by Safety Tubs, and a great way of running their company. I like doing work for a company that takes pride in what they do and has a product that I can stand behind. As a matter of fact, my mother keeps asking me about them because she wants a walk in tub for herself. I told her that they are primarily for the elderly and disabled, however she thinks of them as more of a "luxury" item. I guess she is right, they do have a lot of features that make them "spa-like". I suppose I had better keep that in mind when talking to this client about target markets. :)
Hopefully my kids will cooperate this week so that I am able to get my work and errands done and then I can enjoy the holidays. I wish everyone, friends and family and those strangers who may read my blog, a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

A mom with a blog...and a job.

Who knew I would someday have my own blog. Not me. Chasing kids around, keeping up the house, and managing my freelance responsibilities keeps me busy enough. Lucky for me my work with SavvyDog Design has opened up a whole new slew of options, ideas and knowledge that have now offered me the opportunity to start my own blog. It may not be a good blog- yet! I am sure it will be in no time, with help from those of you who know all about blogging and about being a work at home mom.
Today I spent hours and hours online learning all about blogs. Wow, there are a lot of great blogs out there, and a lot of bad ones. I can't believe how much information and advice there is on how to have a successful blog and how to really mess it up. Hopefully I am taking advice from the right people.
I look forward to hearing from those of you who can add knowledge, help and just plain old good advice to me so that this blog can be a great resource for all work at home moms (and dads).
In the meantime, I found this great forum for people who work at home. Seems to be very resourceful.

Monday, December 10, 2007

How to find the time.

I have worked at home for almost eight years now and the question has always been- How can I find the time? Lucky for me in those eight years I have always been able to work part-time, otherwise the answer to that question would have always been- I can't! However working part-time for some companies still made it nearly impossible because I was held to a set schedule, over time there was no flexibility with time off and schedule changes, and they were constantly changing my schedule and then wanted to force me to work full time. These companies always boast about being flexible and talk about how working for them allows you to be with your family while still being able to work and bring in an income which is why I accepted positions with them, however they seem to be all talk and no action. As we all know "actions speak louder than words".
Stay at home mom's know, our schedule revolves around our children. It is nearly impossible to try to force your families' schedule around work and other things.
Today I do freelance work, part-time for a web design/outsource marketing organization called SavvyDog Design. Fortunately, the way the company is set up, I can answer that question with- Very easily! They are a 100% virtual company, and their basic model is individual accountability and teamwork vs. micro-management and corporate bologna. Loving what I do also plays a big part in my finding time to do my work. I make time because I enjoy it.
So in essence, how to find the time to work from home comes down to two things- First, finding the company/organization that's modeled to fit the needs of your family and second finding something you enjoy doing. Good luck in your endeavors!