The time has never been better to consider bringing the office home!  For working mums who struggle to find a balance between their work and family lives, many find the solution lies in setting out the welcome mat to their home offices.  It’s not an easy decision, by any means, especially when the line between work and home life grows blurry.  There’s also the initial cost of start-up, and the negotiation of new roles and new boundaries to consider.  Yet, while drawbacks exist, the advantages of working from home may far outweigh the risks when you draw up a cost-benefit analysis!  If being a work at home mum appeals to you, but you’re not sure how to make the transition, professional coaching can provide the guidance and support you need to set the changes in motion.  In the meantime, here are the five reasons you should consider being a work at home mum:

1. Reduce stress.  If you’re making the change from working outside the home, you’ll be pleased to discover how many stress factors fly out the window!  By losing the commute, you’ll lower your fuel or transit costs, ditch dangerous road ragers, and gain an extra hour a day.  Getting out of the office also means you’ll be escaping dreaded office politics and water cooler gossip.  And, if you find you’re feeling a little tense at home, you can savour a bowl of your favourite fudge ice cream while checking email and no one will know the better!  Best of all, as a work at home mum, you’ll know exactly where your kids are and what they’re doing.  Sure, they may be underfoot when you least desire, but at least you’ll have peace of mind when you’re not worrying about checking references on babysitters or daycares.  

2. Spend less, save more.  Not only will you not have to worry about finding good care for your children, you’ll save on your monthly expenses!  Working from home will save you money on everything from childcare to the daily commute, office lunches, and clothing.  A quick web search will also point you in the direction of fabulous money-saving tips that really add up!  Perking your own brew alone can save up to $3 a beverage.  Working from home will let you make more and better decisions about how to allocate your hard-earned money.

3. Telecommute while feeding the baby.  Perhaps the most enticing aspect of the work at home experience is the ability to set your own schedule.  Even if you’re working for someone, you’ll have the flexibility of setting your own hours, environment, and agenda, giving you the freedom to better negotiate your responsibilities and aspirations.  Having the leeway to determine your own pace and hours means you’ll have it easier when it comes to fitting exercise, appointments, or deliveries in to your day.  

4. The time is right.  With the rise of social networking sites, accessible laptops, and telecommunications software, it’s no longer necessary to work from the office.   Changing technologies offer mums new opportunities to maintain at-distance contact with their employers or start up a home-based business.  Mumpreneurs are quickly gaining currency in the business world while “E-lancers” contract out their services via online freelancing sites.  With studies showing that work from home employment raises productivity, many companies are catching on and rolling out telecommuting policies that see the potential of an increased bottom line.  Check with your company to make the switch!

5. Watch your kids grow.  For busy working mums, the chance to spend more time with their partners and children is invaluable.  Taking late meetings or traffic jams out of the daily equation means you’ll be able to enjoy the simple things with your family—dinners at the kitchen table or lunch hour trips to the playground.  And with your home office set up, online coaching to help you become a work at home success is easy and accessible! 

Why not consider giving yourself the home team advantage? 


National Work-Life Week: Free Call  for Working Parents with Amanda:
The Seven Habits of Highly Resilient Parents: How to Balance Work and Life in the Down Economy 

Join me on my upcoing free virtual seminar in celebration of National Work-Life week s7th September to 1st October,  in which I'll show you 7 habits to increase your resilience, create coping strategies and enjoy your life as a working parent, whatever the economic “weather” outside! All registrants will be able to access the recording following the call. Register here!