Working from home can offer additional freedom and benefits that help you and your whole family. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to get anything done with you have other family members at home vying for your time and attention. Here are four tips to help you work from home more efficiently:

1. Designate office hours.

One of the benefits of working from home is being able to work whenever you want. However, this can easily eat up your entire day if you let it. It's best to designate specific work hours, so you have a definitive start and end point for your work. This will allow you to spend more time with your family in the evening when everyone is home. Remember to respect your own work hours; shut off your work phone and don't check your email during family time.

2. Put on professional clothing.

When you work from home, no one will know if you stay in your pajamas all day. However, you should get into the habit of showering and dressing as though you were going to work. This can help to get you in the work mindset, and it can signal to your family members that business time is about to begin.

3. Ask family members not to bother you.

Adult family members can also prove to be a big distraction. When they're used to chatting with you throughout the day, it may not register that you're "on the clock" when they want your attention. Alert your family members of your new office hours and ask them to respect your time. Schedule designated break times and ask them if they can hold their requests, comments, and questions until you're available.

4. Take your child to daycare.

Ultimately, having a child in the house may make it too difficult to get work done. While you can ask your spouse to avoid bothering you during work hours, babies and small children need your attention no matter what you're doing. Investing in daycare services can save you a lot of stress and help you to get more done throughout the day. Even taking your child to daycare three days out of the week will give you more time to work on your business. It's a small investment that can pay off in the long run, both financially and emotionally.

These easy tips will help you get into the groove of working from home. Success in this arena is all about balancing your personal and professional life. With a few adjustments, you can successfully work from home as a new parent.

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