Working from home is just as valid as working at the office. Just because we don’t stay in traffic and scream like banshees at the bus conductor does not mean we don’t face our fair share of work too. Working from home has its advantages but it’s not all sunshine.
It was another wonderful weekend for me. My week was pretty exhausting and I was looking forward to the weekend to finally sleep. But my family members had another plan for me. At first I thought it was a joke when they sent me to the market to buy foodstuff. The market! You’re stealing my weekend! This wasn’t the plan. But the defence for them was everyone else had been going to work all week and since I was the one at home, it only made sense that I did some work on Saturday.
It took all I had not to leave my mouth hanging on the floor. “What?! What do you mean?!” I shouted in my head. “Every day from Monday to Friday ended with me begging myself not to faint, but because I wasn’t going out, my working from home wasn’t valid enough work for you? What?!”
That’s when I knew this article had to be written.
Having said these, meet Esther Okunlola, a mother of one who works from home as a stay-at-home mom.
Hi, Esther. What do you do?
I am a Creative, a Content Writer/Creator, a Social Media Manager, a Book Reviewer, and of course, a Mother.
Oh wow. This sounds like a lot.
In your opinion, what benefits have you experienced working from home?
Honestly, the only benefit might be that I get to save the cost of transportation to work daily. I mean, have you seen Lagos? It’s a mess! The Lagos transportation is a huge mess. This is a major thing I’m grateful for. Imagine adding going to and fro, facing Lagos traffic in the morning and facing it in the evening.
Lagos commuting is not for the weak and I really salute mothers who commute to work daily with their kids in schools or day-cares. I know their minds are always filled with thoughts of how their children are doing wherever they are even with adequate supervision. It really can’t be easy, especially for mums of babies or toddlers.
I am so glad I don’t have to go through that. At least for now. Working from home, I get to see my baby every time, and my mind isn’t working overtime wondering what he’s up to or how he’s faring while I’m at work.
Awww. This is so sweet.
How would you describe the struggles that come with working from home, especially as a mother?
The struggle of working from home mostly stems from the misconception that you must have a lot of time on your hands. This is why you’d hear people say stuff like, “If you’re working from home, you should be free to do anything. You can take a nap when you like… Ah ahn, you that you’re always indoors, watching movies, what could you possibly be stressed about?”
But the truth is they don’t know about it!
With their mind fixed on the notion that you couldn’t be occupied, they delegate menial duties to you. So, they ask you to babysit; they ask you help them keep an eye on their clothes. They even go on assuming that your laptop is basically for watching movies, because what could you be possibly be doing with a laptop. Nothing’s wrong with any of these things, but it just begs the questions, “What exactly would happen if I was out at work? Who would babysit for you? Who would bring in your clothes from the line? Would you entertain the thought that my laptop couldn’t be fetching me money?”
As a mother, working from home is beyond tasking already than to have ‘well-meaning’ people impose on me, adding to my already long to-do list. Naturally, I have to fit in my working hours into my baby’s routine. Everything I do has to be structured around my baby and his needs are usually endless. So, anytime I have important work stuff to attend to, I try to make sure he’s out of my hair. And my baby is a real gentle human whenever the Cocomelon cartoon comes on.
But this is basically the summary of the struggles I face working from home. Imagine thinking of new social media strategies, coming up with original contents, thinking of the best ways to keep your baby occupied, so he doesn’t disturb your work and someone somewhere is thinking that you have free time because you’re always at home.
Honestly! I get this. People think that just because you’re at home, you’re not doing anything. If they knew.
What about your highlights? What would you say are your highlights of working from home?
The highlights for me would be hitting milestones, meeting targets and getting my deliverables accomplished on time. I’ve been able to meet my goals both personally and professionally. Personally, I’ve been able to read a lot of books and this just makes me so happy. It’s the best part. My goal for the year was to read 50 books this year and so far, I have read 71 books already. It’s really the best thing! I’ve had some interesting experiences working from home with some of them good and some of them not so good.
Work-wise, I have been meeting my targets. I know that if I was working at another organization that doesn’t revolve around books like this one, or if my work involved daily commuting, I would probably be too tired to read after work. Working for a bookish brand has been a plus in hitting my personal goals. So, this is one major advantage for me.
Another highlight is me daily experiencing the little changes and nuances with my growing baby, watching my baby grow before my eyes is just so beautiful.
You’re just making me tear up. You make motherhood sound so beautiful. Before we release you, what piece of advice would you like to share with other WorkHerholics who work from home, especially for stay-at-home mums who can’t seem to find the balance?
Omo. This one is funny because sometimes I feel like I’m just trying to make it work. A lot of times, I feel so tired and frustrated, but I just keep going. I keep going. And I don’t feel like I’m qualified to advice mums working from home, because I’ve just been a mum myself for like two seconds.
But here’s my little advice for mums working from home. First, have a clearly established routine. Without it, you might not get much done.
Second, put yourself out there. Make sure you’re doing what you love doing because it’s going to get tiring at some point, but it’ll be your love for what you’re doing that’ll keep you going. But not getting a job you’re passionate about should not put you off. What matters most is getting something that puts you on the path to financial stability. Having financial stability will undoubtedly afford you the opportunity to venture into something you love.
For me, I am passionate about anything books. I started managing the social media page of a bookish/author brand recently and now, I have discovered that I am also interested in social media management. This has been a learning curve for me and I intend to fully maximize my potential in that aspect.
So, I’m sure if you put yourself out there, you’ll find the perfect job for you. And when you do, work out a routine that best suits you and you’ll find that much needed balance.
If you’re a stay-at-home mum who’s working from home, or you’re just another WorkHerholic working from home, one more advice is for you to set clear boundaries both with work and at home. Do not let your work life interfere with your private life. Let your colleagues and manager know that End of Day means End of Day and whether you’re working from home or not, you automatically become unavailable once it’s your clocking hour.
Set boundaries with your family and friends too. Let them know that when you’re working, you’re working and your work is in no way inferior to those who go to the office daily to work. Boundaries will really save you a lot of stress.