Having a child around changes things for your business. Even if you already have children, adding another one will always make things a bit more complicated.
You will become busier and struggle to have as much time to attend to your business when you get a new kid. If you are worried about how to juggle an expanding family and your business, we have some advice that can help.
Plan a Break
Women will need some time off to care for the baby initially and men will need some time to help out with the new child. The initial weeks are tough on everyone, and if you can take some time off to focus on the child, your business will be better for it.
This will only work and allow your business to operate smoothly if you plan ahead to take that time off. Think about what needs to happen for your business so that you can spend some time at home. You may be able to find other people who can handle your duties so that the business can keep on running. You can make up some detailed plans and instructions for anyone who will be taking over your responsibility as you are away.
Work from Home
Maybe you can’t take off those first few weeks entirely, but you can accommodate your family and your business with a concession. Consider working from home as a solution to the problem. Set up a way to do some or even all of your work remotely so that things can continue smoothly but you can be around for the baby and your spouse.
Working from home is easier than ever thanks to many free apps that make it simpler and many resources that have been made available over the past few years to help with this working style. Once again, it will be to our benefit and your business’ benefit if you plan ahead and have your work from home routine all mapped out before the baby arrives. That’s going to allow for a much smoother transition than if you are trying to scramble everything together at the last minute.
Enlist Some Help
Maybe you can’t stay home at all once the baby is born or you will be so busy working from home that you have little time for some of the house chores. How do you handle all of the cooking, cleaning, and other responsibilities that need to be taken care of while juggling your work? You can hire some help.
There may be family members who can come and stay with you while the baby is developing initially. Maybe an aunt, parent, or sibling can come and live with you and help out with the necessary duties. If not, you may be able to enlist a neighbor or just hire professional services like Chicago Imagine house cleaners to help out.
You don’t have to try to do it all yourself. Look for ways to put some of the workload on other people’s shoulders, like neighbors who can cut the grass, babysitters who can help with the other kids, and professionals who can cook or clean for you.
Develop an Emergency Plan
Kids can do unexpected things, especially when they are first born. Your new child may become sick or need extra special attention sometimes. In order to prepare for those emergencies, you need to put a plan in place for times when you need to leave work unexpectedly. You cannot predict emergencies, but you can plan for them.
You do that by working with your business partners and figuring out what they would have to do in order to accommodate you when you have to leave suddenly. If you can make plans for that, it will help you feel less stressed about leaving on a moment’s notice and help your business to run like it should in your absence.
Make Yourself Available
Your new child will need attention that you might not be prepared to give right now. If you are always busy with work, having a new child will change that. If you are being realistic, you know that some things will be different at work with a new child around.
You should plan to be at home and available to your child often. You may need to have a day or two a month that you take off work to attend special occasions for the child, like checkups (or sports games later on down the road). If you make yourself available to your child and your spouse, that will help reduce stress and strain at work. If you are not available, then you may have to deal with disappointment at home and trouble there that is the result of your staying at work so much. Your family expects you to be home at a certain time and to make time for them. If you are not doing that, you can hurt your relationships there.
Focus on the Family
Your family will want you to give them your full attention while you are with them. If you are distracted by work to answer phone calls for work when you are at home, your family will feel devalued. They will feel like you think more of your work than you do of them. You have to show them that they are your top priority, and you do that by setting aside work duties as much as possible at home.
This is especially true when you have a new child because the child and your spouse will require your full attention at times. Make them feel special by focusing on them and turning off the phone when you can. Let your workplace know that you expect to be with your family and give them all your attention when you are at home. You can still have some contact with work while at home, but that should be limited.
