Finding You Work/Life Balance

With three busy kiddos running around, I have contantly struggled with finding the appropriate work/life balance that works best for my family.  I've been blessed to work from home for an employer and for myself but each has lead me to go set new priorities and new schedules as the children's activities and list comittments grow. 

So there are a few things that have helped my carve out time w/the kiddos, and help set priorities in my daily schedule.

• Try and work when kids are occupied elsewhere! Being the primary caregiver and working from home, we decided to spare ourselves the expense and forego daycare. I try & get stuff done while my older kids are in school, at practice, at play dates and while my youngest naps. I even worked out trading off kids with a friend when I have conference calls & meetings to conduct. When I had an employer, I tried to work around my husband's schedule, so I could get quality uninterrupted hours in. It was imperative to have the attention that I could pay directly to my work so that I could give undivided attention to my kiddos later!
• Combine your family & work calendars in your phone, or digital organizer. This will help you avoid conflicts like scheduling an important meeting when you are supposed to be driving the kids to practice.
• Use a separate computer for your business! There's nothing worse than the kids potentially erasing an important file, or letting a virus in during a websurfing session.
• Set up a business line. I started out using my cell phone, and it was a great savings on long distance calls, but I eventually learned that my house doesn't provide the best reception.  In order to portray a business setting, you must avoid crying babies, barking dogs, and kids answering the phone! If you set up a separate line, you can teach your kids to not answer that phone.
• Set a schedule and stick to it. If you plan to work till noon every day it will save you future headaches if you know to never book anything before 12. Working from home grants you flexibility, but opens the door to conflict if you don't set specific times up for work.

So please share what works for you. Blog followers, BlogFrog friends and I can always use the help! =)