More and more moms are looking to stay at home and be able to spend as much time possible with their kids. The challenge is that many of these mom need to work to provide some or all of the income to support their family.

Today, companies are aware of this trend and are doing all they can to accommodate mothers who want to provide high quality work, but you also need flexible schedules be able to not come into an office or other  business center regularly. Additionally, there are great businesses that mothers can start at home that allow her to generate income and still have time for the kids.

Work-at-home moms are usually advised to start work after the kids are old enough to go to the daycare or school, because before this age kids are very unpredictable and demand lots of time. So if your child is out of the house for 6 or more hours during the day, you can put in the time to generate good money for yourself. The key is to make sure that you do a few things to help you be as efficient and effective as possible.

Make Yourself an Office Area

You should set up a dedicated area in your home for you to work. If you have a separate room that you can make an office this is best. If not find a space where you can put your business things and they will stay there.

This approach will allow you to separate your home life and your business life. In this office area of your home you should place all of the things you need to perform your job duties. This would include purchasing office furniture. If you are on a tight budget like most moms tend to be, and you live in the UK, the perfect place for you to shop for office furniture is Furniture at Work. The company provides hundreds of choices of high-quality, low price office furniture including chairs, desks, tables, file cabinets, and shelving. You can set up your entire office without breaking your bank.

Set Your Work Hours

One of the biggest frustrations for work-at-home moms is there inability to set specific work hours. However if they examine what the problem is, it is usually that they have expectations that don’t fit within the actual hours that they have available. In other words, be realistic about the time that you have available to work. If your child will be out of the house between the hours of 8 a.m. And 2 p.m., make sure that you wind down your work at 1 p.m., so that you do not find yourself needing extra time after 2 pm. This will only lead to frustration and both your work and your home life will suffer. Instead, keep your work hours during the hours that you have available to work.

Do Not Work Weekends

Work-at-home moms need to be able to divide work hours from time needed with the family. You should limit your work hours to the time you have available during the week, and save your weekends for time with the family. This might be difficult in the beginning, particularly if you have a lot of work to get done, but in the long run you’ll find that it works out much better. You’ll be able to give your full focus to your work, and then fully focus on your family when you need.

Finally, expect that there will be an adjustment period when you become a work-at-home mom. Getting into the groove of things won’t be automatic, but it will get easier over time.