Top Ten Ideas for Working at Home

This is a post I created for a board I am a moderator for. I thought it may be helpful for someone who is looking for a job working from home. 

One of the best pieces of advice I received from another mom when I first started looking for a work at home job was to find out what I was passionate about. It took me quite a few tries to discover what I really was passionate about. I thought about starting my own scrapbooking business, but it never really played out. I looked around at a bunch of online jobs, found a lot of scams, and found some that were interesting.

Finally, I found writing. At first, it seemed like a lot of work and not something I could do for a living. Then, I realized that I people would actually pay me to write for them. Not everyone can create medical articles that are informative and interesting. Not everyone can create marketing copy that captures a customer's interest. I am constantly learning new things, and building my skills. Yet, I have found something that I can do from home that I truly enjoy (most of the time.) Of course, there are always assignments or projects that end up taking much longer than I anticipated, or end up being a lot of work. The fact that people actually pay me, and even come back requesting more work still surprises me. For the most part, I have found something that I am passionate about--sharing knowledge and information with words.

You need to be confident in your abilities and find the thing that you are passionate about. You may not always find something that you are truly passionate about at first, and that is OK. Explore the possibilities and discover the things you can do. You need to find something that you can do, and that you do well. Do you want a "job" or do you want to do something that you truly enjoy?

Top Ten Ideas for Working at Home

Do you enjoy writing on a blog? Are you interested in medicine, parenting, heath, emotional disorders, etc..? Can you create an article on these topics? If so, there are people that will pay you to write these articles. You can also find jobs writing on forums as a forum poster.

Do you enjoy helping other people? Do you like the customer service industry? You can work for online chat and telephone customer service companies.

Are you good at multitasking? You could be someone's virtual assistant.

Are you an excellent typist? A transcription company may be a good fit for you.

Are you creative? Do you sew? Create your own designs and sell them on etsy or ebay.

Are you an artist? There are people who will pay you to illustrate books for them, or create business cards and brochures.

Do you like photography? You can start your own photography business.

Can you do web design? You could build websites for companies.

Do you like to sell things and have parties in your home? Maybe you would like to be a consultant for a well-known company. There are consultant jobs for everything, including religious items, toys, candles, cosmetics and food items.

Do you have room in your home for more children during the day? Do you enjoy babysitting? You could start your own in home daycare. This option should be explored fully before going through with it, as there are certain regulations on how many children you can have and certifications you may need to do this legally.

These jobs all take work. Not one of them will be easy. But if you find one that you truly enjoy, then the training and work will be worth it to you.

Do you want more information about any of these ideas? Do you have ideas of your own?

Do you have a top ten list to share? Link up at ohAmanda.

Organization When You're a Mom

I know organization is important, for moms who stay at home, work from home, or work outside the home. There are so many things that need to be done, but the days can get hectic if you don't have a schedule or plan in place. I know a lot of moms that stay at home who do more than I ever did when I was working, and I know moms that work outside the home that have to try and get everything done around their work schedules. I am now in a place where I am able to work from home, which is a wonderful opportunity, but it can get overwhelming. I don't like being glued to the computer all day, but I know I need to get work done. I am trying to do preschool with my girls, but it is difficult to stick to the schedule.
I created a schedule and have papers hanging all around my desk. It is cluttered and I often get distracted, especially when I have a lot of work to do or have things I need to do around the house. I have been browsing through online stores that sell planners, to see if there is anything that catches my eye. I like to be able to look at things on a calendar or piece of paper, versus using an online planner or the one on my phone.

So, my first step to becoming organizing is to redo my schedule. I was updating it weekly, but I couldn't even stick to the schedule of updating a schedule. This is my current way to try and stay organized, but it clutters the kitchen walls and is not as effective as I would like. I have papers up that relate to things with my son's school (lunch menus, days off), as well as charts for cleaning, important dates, and a detailed plan for every day.

I found a few great sites that offer free planner printables that I may use at some point.

MomAgenda Printables

MommyTracked Printables

The Household Planner Printables 

Printable Calendars with different designs

For right now, I am using some planners that are available on my desktop. I am still hoping to buy one of those beautiful mommy planners. Mom Agenda has planners for sale that look wonderful. I love the blue one and the one with a zebra design.

Do you use a daily planner? How do you stay organized?

Managing My Time

As a mom who works from home, I am finding it increasing difficult to manage my time. I am a freelance writer, a college student, a wife, and a mother. I also spend my time working as a maid, cook, referee, teacher, personal assistant, dry cleaner, and the list goes on. I love my children, and I want to do what is best for them. Yet, I find that my time management skills are lacking. I have started a weekly chore chart and schedule, in hopes it will help me become more effective at managing my time. So far, I am having trouble sticking to the schedule. Who can plan for days when the little one needs to nurse all day? Who plans for days when you realize the meat you bought for dinner has gone bad, and now you need to make an extra trip to the grocery store? This post is short, mostly because I should be doing something else right now, like working on mountains of laundry, finishing articles for a client, making breakfast, or studying for a Psychology exam.  So, how do other moms find the time to do all of the things they need to do? Any advice?