How to Work From Home and Still Be a Great Mom - Salum Awadh
Six pieces of advice for mompreneurs.
SA wrote this guest post for Atoms & Bits. I've added Kuduishe Kisowile's perspective on housewives at the end. Karibu!
Starting and running a successful business has nothing to do with your gender, history, tribe, skin color, or even your motherhood status.
A woman who has become a mother can still fly high with her business, which she has been running since she became a mother. There is a ton of evidence on this, but on the other side of the same coin, there are women who stopped running their businesses soon after they became mothers. They complain of stress, demands, and time.
One of the best ways for such mothers, or "mompreneurs," is to run their businesses and work from home. This will give you an environment to run both shows in parallel. However, it is not easy either. Today, we look at a few tips for mothers who work from home.
1. Have time for yourself.
It is common that when a mother takes care of her family and her business at the same time, which is doing two full-time jobs, you can easily forget about yourself. Set aside at least one day a week and put the business off; no phone calls, no meetings, no laptops. Just have a complete day off and take care of yourself, of course, next to your family.
2. Say no to business too.
It is quite common that many mothers simply say no to their kids on various occasions, but they hardly say no when it comes to business. This is very important because if you keep on saying yes to every business call or opportunity, you will end up running your business 24/7, which poses a risk of failing to take care of your family. Remember, saying yes to every business opportunity does not guarantee your success.
3. Have a maid at home.
I understand this is not even a tip; the majority, if not all, of women have a housemaid at home that helps them with various house chores. This is important, and that's why I have to over-emphasize it here. The maid will help to free up your household time so that you can focus on your family and business without feeling guilty about failing to attend to your husband and your kids.
4. Learn to delegate.
As I said, running your business and taking care of your family are two full-time jobs, so you need to learn how to delegate. You can work out a compromise agreement with your husband on how he can either help with your kids' duties or run the business.
Make sure that the maid is tasked with all the duties that will not make your husband unhappy while at the same time giving you enough time to handle your business.
5. Stay healthy.
Remember that taking care of your family and business, as I said, can compromise your time to take care of yourself at the same time. You need to stay healthy all the time for yourself, your husband, your kids, and your business. Your schedule is tight, and your energy is always needed. eded. So take your time to take care of your health and be happy.
6. Treat your home office like a real corporate office.
Most mothers fail to work from home because they fail to create a proper working environment at home. How could you be working from the kitchen? or sitting room? Create an environment conducive to your work, even if you live in a small house. Buy a chair and a table, and create a working space that transforms your mind when sitting on that chair. Set working hours that your family can easily fit into your working hours and space boundaries.
These are some of the long lists of tips for mompreneurs, but do not forget that your family always comes first, no matter what. Discuss your business goals with your husband and see how he can support you.
Mompreneurship isn't for everyone
Some mothers love domestic work. In her op-ed for The Chanzo, medical doctor Kuduishe “Kudu” Kisowile argues that housewives are not "goalkeepers," a term commonly used in Tanzania to describe women who are stay-at-home mothers and do not have paid employment.
“If a woman does absolutely nothing and just sits around, then perhaps she could be considered a 'goalkeeper,’” Ms. Kisowile explains. “But if a woman cooks, washes, cleans, and ensures other family members are living well, eating, wearing clean clothes, and going to work every day,” Kuduishe continues, “then she, by any standard, is not a 'goalkeeper' woman.” They are critical pillars of social and economic development worldwide.
Housewives have also played a significant role in Tanzania’s history. According to Kudu, women's rights activists, such as Bibi Titi Mohamed and Tatu Binti Mzee, were housewives.
“We read that Bibi Titi was a singer of ngoma. And many of the women she influenced used their husbands’ money to contribute to the TANU party, which led to Tanganyika’s struggle for independence.”
TANU women worked tirelessly to fight for the rights of women. Many more have followed in their footsteps, and we should not encourage today's girls to view ‘work-from-home mom' as their final label. Paid or self-employment is not the only path to success for women.
Kuduishe acknowledged, “I learned and accepted that office work or entrepreneurship is just as equal to work in agriculture, animal husbandry, or at home.”
So, please, find work that works for you.