Work from home is comparatively new in India. Thank God it’s picking up, but unfortunately not everyone understands what working from home really means.
When I was pregnant, I was looking for other alternatives to take care of Medha instead of quitting job like day care or nanny etc. But I knew none of these won't give pleasure to me and Rajesh. I don’t want to quit working. Working is something that gives me satisfaction and makes me feel… well…’me’. I know I’m a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister and lots of other things… I’m myself as well… which as per me, is no less than any of the other roles I play. Well, I decided to quit if it's really difficult to manage both.
When I started working from home after 3 months of my Maternity Leave, I was asked “So.... You are working from Home?? How happy your life is!!! " How I wish I could explain to them what working at home really meant.
I could not leave Medha because we didn’t have anyone to take care of her on continuous basis as my in-laws would be traveling to my sister-in-law's place regularly. That’s when I decided to work from as many days as possible. Luckily my company's head Prasanna agreed upon my request! Thanks to him!!!!
Now, I’m very happy with my decision… but it wasn’t always like this. These days, it’s become difficult as Medha grown up and her demands for me to play with her etc are also increased"
Having said that, I would like to add, there are hard times as well. You can develop your own schedule, but deadlines are something you can never miss. Once you miss a deadline and there can be a huge loss. Maintaining the correct work-life balance is tough to say the least, especially when you own a business.
Lines between personal & professional life become quite blur… which is not a good thing. Your social life go for a toss. To top it all… people around you don’t understand that you actually have deadlines and targets. Your smart phone and laptop become your best friends and they don’t leave you even when you are on a holiday.
Leading the life of a WFH mom for more than 2 years now… here are some rules I live with. I do not bend them, until and unless there isn’t any other way out:
I feel blessed as I can always count upon Rajesh (yes, I say this again and again) as he mostly never questioned me if I cannot cook for dinner!! And he never asked me to wake up early to cook lunch for him or any other work in the morning time. Of course, I must mention as my sister, Prathyusha also staying with us till now she has become helping hand for me.
Some people don’t understand what a WFH mom does. Some people think we are the luckiest as we get the best of both the worlds. I don’t know how lucky we are, but if you handle the situation well… the world a WFH Mom lives in is not such a bad place to be in.
When I was pregnant, I was looking for other alternatives to take care of Medha instead of quitting job like day care or nanny etc. But I knew none of these won't give pleasure to me and Rajesh. I don’t want to quit working. Working is something that gives me satisfaction and makes me feel… well…’me’. I know I’m a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister and lots of other things… I’m myself as well… which as per me, is no less than any of the other roles I play. Well, I decided to quit if it's really difficult to manage both.
When I started working from home after 3 months of my Maternity Leave, I was asked “So.... You are working from Home?? How happy your life is!!! " How I wish I could explain to them what working at home really meant.
I could not leave Medha because we didn’t have anyone to take care of her on continuous basis as my in-laws would be traveling to my sister-in-law's place regularly. That’s when I decided to work from as many days as possible. Luckily my company's head Prasanna agreed upon my request! Thanks to him!!!!
Now, I’m very happy with my decision… but it wasn’t always like this. These days, it’s become difficult as Medha grown up and her demands for me to play with her etc are also increased"
Is work from home really worth it?
It definitely is, if you are able to strike out the right balance. If you are able to do something you like to do from home, not missing out on the growing up years of your child and you end up making money as well… it’s a great option.Having said that, I would like to add, there are hard times as well. You can develop your own schedule, but deadlines are something you can never miss. Once you miss a deadline and there can be a huge loss. Maintaining the correct work-life balance is tough to say the least, especially when you own a business.
Lines between personal & professional life become quite blur… which is not a good thing. Your social life go for a toss. To top it all… people around you don’t understand that you actually have deadlines and targets. Your smart phone and laptop become your best friends and they don’t leave you even when you are on a holiday.
There are many things I have given up as a work from home mom:
- My social life is zero
- I don’t have free time to pursue things I want to
- Most of my social media connect is work related. I do not interact with family/friends on social media if I have work.
- Blogging for me began when I started to keep a track of Medha’s growing up years. But I do not update that blog as often as I wanted to
- I don’t spend as much quality time with the husband as I’d want to.
- I missed working out
- I’m constantly sleep deprived.
- I'm finishing my pending work in the night till 1AM or so after Medha sleeps.
Leading the life of a WFH mom for more than 2 years now… here are some rules I live with. I do not bend them, until and unless there isn’t any other way out:
- I make a schedule and stick to it.
- I keep a few hours of the day flexible, because you never know what might come up.
- I ensure the place where I work is as clutter free as possible.
- I try to restrict the number of laptop hours on weekends
- When I have to take a call, I always try to have them in the morning time when Medha will be in School.
- If I have to take call in the afternoon or evening, I try to engage Medha in some game or book and explain her not to make noise much as I have to talk. (Now most of the times, she keeps calm until I finish the call, though in the beginning she used to scream whenever I get a call)
- I always ensure I keep Medha involved and entertained either with story books and lots of toys mostly educational. I can’t afford a meltdown in the midst of my work hours. I try to keep her happy, though I don’t give in to all her demands.
- I do not leave Medha in front of the TV for hours… or do anything I don’t approve of with regards to Medha, because the last thing I don’t want lingering on my mind is mommy guilt.
I feel blessed as I can always count upon Rajesh (yes, I say this again and again) as he mostly never questioned me if I cannot cook for dinner!! And he never asked me to wake up early to cook lunch for him or any other work in the morning time. Of course, I must mention as my sister, Prathyusha also staying with us till now she has become helping hand for me.
Some people don’t understand what a WFH mom does. Some people think we are the luckiest as we get the best of both the worlds. I don’t know how lucky we are, but if you handle the situation well… the world a WFH Mom lives in is not such a bad place to be in.
No comments:
Post a Comment