Balancing Work and Kid Noise

Some WAHMs choose to put their kids in daycare even if they are working from home in order to increase productivity while they work. This makes sense, because kids can be distracting. Unfortunately, I don’t have that kind of luxury or opportunity. Plus, I don’t know how I feel about my kids being with strangers all day. So my toddlers are right here with me, all day, no matter what my deadline is, no matter how much work there is to be done. The biggest snag to having my toddlers at home with me is that unless I put them into some science-fiction cone of silence, they’re going to make noise unexpectedly.

When they were babies I could take client calls and do all sorts of things involving the phone. But now that those unexpected noises pop up, I find that client calls are something I cannot manage without seeming totally unprofessional.

Here are some things you can do with your kids to ensure you are getting done what you need to do.

• Only take/make professional calls during naptime. Try and do this as soon as possible so you don’t have a child wake up in the middle of your call.
• Communicate via e-mail. Some clients insist on phone time, some clients are happy to use e-mail exclusively. The plus side to e-mail is that you will always have written instructions to fall back on. When you take notes on a phone call there is always the chance of “he said, she said” and the client can say, “I never said that.” E-mail keeps you protected.
• Consider a different WAHM career path. A party plan you can do on nights and weekends, or freelance writing and blogging are only two examples. Something where you don’t have to be on the phone.
• A customer service telecommute job that is text only. LivePerson is one such company that does this. So is LiveSalesStaff. When you are using a program like an Instant Messenger to help people it doesn’t matter how loud the kids get. No one can hear them but you.

If you’re looking for another opportunity that isn’t listed above, scan the WAHM.com forums. There is a wealth of information on so many companies and different ways to work from home you will be amazed if you haven’t started searching yet! Some require phone contact and some don’t. There is something for everyone and the joy of WAHM.com is that you can find out what the job is really like before you ever apply.

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About Jennifer

Jennifer Gniadecki has been a WAHM for over four years. She has been a Virtual Assistant, an Internet Marketer, and a graphic designer… but her one true love is writing and that is what she’s settled in to do for the long haul. She is a freelance writer and blogger and her work has been featured on Reuters.com as well as the Chicago Sun Times Online. You can find her mommyblog at http://www.beyondmom.com