The Work It, Mom! Blog
with Nataly
Hi, I am Nataly and I am the co-founder of Work It, Mom!
I write the daily Work It, Mom! Blog where I talk about issues affecting working moms, goings on in our Work It, Mom! community, new site features, updates,and contests. I also share my own juggle between work and family and love to see members jump in with comments. Come and visit often!
Nataly's profile on Work It, Mom!
As I’ve written before on this blog, I’ve recently quit my bill-paying job (which is the nicer of all adjectives that I’ve used to describe it) to devote all my time end energy to building up Work It, Mom! We also just moved from New York to Boston (yes, I am still in denial). So for the past week I’ve been working from home, while juggling a nutty schedule of babysitters and grandparents to help us take care of our daughter until she starts daycare in a few weeks. About a 100 different blog post ideas have come out of this period of complete insanity, but today I am thinking about this: How do you leave work at work when you work from home?
“Leave your job worries and thoughts at the door,” is advice I’ve read a lot in articles that offer strategies for working moms to better juggle work and family. But what if there is no door that separates work and home? What if you just had a horribly-upsetting-and-annoying call with a client/colleague/supplier/investor and now you have to give your kids a bath? You’re fuming, your face is red, your mind is buzzing with stress (yes, I am describing a situation in which I found myself this afternoon) and here are your kids, smiling at you and wanting you to be a fun-happy-ready-to-play mom. How do you release the work part of you to be a mom to them?
I’d love to hear some ideas from those of you who have or do work from home, either some or all of the time. Are there ways you’ve found to deal with this lack of boundaries? Or is this a necessary evil that you just learn to live with and which means that, from time to time, you’re less of a fun-happy-ready-to-play mom?
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This is something that’s been on my mind to turn into a post… will see what I can come up with, and will be checking back to see what others have to say.
Mir | June 1st, 2007 at 7:35 pm
This really did happen today and it was my first experience - I know I am lucky that this is the first time since my daughter was born. The call I was on was really, really infuriating and when I got off, I was ready to punch something… just as my daughter ran up to me and showed me her latest drawing masterpiece. Part of me was like, phew, ok, life perspective. The other part of me was in total inner spin - I could not focus on her or my work or much else. You’ve been at this much longer so I can’t wait to read your post!
Nataly | June 1st, 2007 at 7:47 pm
I’m still working on this one. I know I need to do better when my daughter asks me if I love my computer more than her!
PunditMom | June 2nd, 2007 at 11:31 am
I have a tidbit for your, PunditMom, that’s somewhat related.
Yesterday my daughter found some photos of herself from when she was very little - there is one of her sitting at the computer, playing with the keyboard. She looks at it and says to me: “Mommy, look, little Mia is working, just like mommy!”
Don’t know if that’s a
or a 
Nataly | June 3rd, 2007 at 12:47 pm
Nataly, it is sooo difficult sometimes to separate work from home when they are both the same place. I have worked from home for almost 14 years now, and the only way I have found to cope is to switch off the computer (well, most days), clear off my desk, and physically close the door (that only works because I have a room all to myself.)
I also find it easier if I don’t handle the messy things (like horrible calls from clients, or nasty emails) when the children are in the house and wanting my attention. If I handle them when they are out, then I have time to process the stress, scream and rant and cry if I want, and then tidy myself up for when the kids and hubby return. Otherwise I’d go insane!
The other thing I have found to be my biggest aid in the balancing war (and yes, it IS war some days) is voicemail. Leave me a message. I’ll answer when I can, when the kids are under control or out. Especially the yucky callers (hmmm, did I forget to phone you back? Sorry, some problems with the phone..)
Karen Wallace | June 5th, 2007 at 1:45 am