So today was the first day of my work-at-home part-time schedule. My new work schedule is very similar to some of my other co-workers (including Sara and Cara of this very blog!), where I still work 30 hours a week. I work M-W in the office, Thursday at home, and I have Friday off.
The first day of working from home was an interesting one. My dreams of Owen kicking and rolling on the ground beside me, cooing and entertaining himself while I worked at my desk didn’t quite come true.
The day was half over, and I felt like I ran a marathon.
Between calling in to meetings, returning emails, writing concepts, feeding, changing, and putting O down for naps (plus, letting out my crazy dog 3289423 times), I felt myself counting down the hours until 5 o’clock, so I could log off from work and finally get to actually spend time with Owen.
Since I logged on at 8 am to start my “work” part of my work day, when 4:30 rolled around I got down on the floor to roll around with my son. We got to spend a few hours together playing before his bedtime, instead of riding in a car home from work and daycare.
And for those blissful two hours, it was worth it.
Cara and Sara can probably speak better to the craziness of doing your job at home with a baby. But I am just glad you had those blissful hours with your boy! And hopefully, once you start getting into the swing of working at home, you’ll be able to enjoy your situation even more. Have a great Friday off!
I usually feel the most stressed out the days I work from home. But, it’s definitely worth it. Yes, not doing the communute to and from work is so nice. I try to get a lot of my work done between 4 am – 8 am on Thursdays and/or Fridays. It sounds nuts. But, I’m just too distracted to write during the normal working hours, when my kids are up and about. Just trying to be attentive with emails and phone calls throughout the day is enough.
Hope you had a great Friday off!
Hey! It’s Sara! I haven’t updated yet because I’m a mess with lots of family in town and I’m not on my work email to get Susan’s invite, and… yeah. I haven’t done it yet. (Can you tell I’ve got the guilt thing going on?)
But I wanted to say that I sooo relate. In a meeting a week or so ago, an account person (jokingly) implied that I was watching soaps while I worked from home. Uhhhh… come and try it sometime, bucko! Especially with a 2 1/2-year-old who recognizes when I’m not giving her my attention and decides to behave like a 2 1/2-year-old. Some days, when I know I have a lot to do from hom, I still send her to the sitter. But I still prefer it, because I get the flexibility of letting her ease into the morning instead of rushing her out the door, and I can pick her up early, too.
In general, though, I try to get the majority of my “at home” hours in Sunday and Monday evenings. On an ideal week, my work is already done, and all I have to do is put out fires. Of course, there can be a lot of fires at our office!
Working from home is a challenge, but I’m grateful to have the option!
working from home can definitely be a challenge but it’s one of those things you do because the payoff is so worth it. i’ve been a WFH mom for almost two years, more full time than PT, with two boys (5 and 18mos) and i can’t imagine my life being any different. i’ll stay up to the wee hours if it means i can put my baby down for his nap and pick his brother up from school. just remember it’s a transition and like all else, it takes time and tweaking to figure it out:)