If you’re work from home mum, how has the half-term gone for you this week? I’ve got three children and only the eldest is at school, however I’ve found it hard to get work done this week with all three of them around.
I had a plan to get organised before this half-term, I was going to put the hours in to get some work done in advance. This would have meant having to work slightly fewer hours during half-term week. However plans like that don’t always work out. The week …

There are some days at work, (by which of course I mean ‘in my spare room’), when I just can’t focus. I open outlook, read a couple of emails, switch to twitter, open a blank word document… nothing seems to hold my attention for more than two minutes and I end up in a frenzy of inactivity – a dozen windows open on the laptop but getting absolutely nothing done.
There has been a huge surge in popularity over recent years, for parents particularly, in ‘portfolio careers’ – basically an exciting …

Research launched as part of National Commute Smart Week finds ‘smart commuting’ could dramatically reduce travel to and from work
• 62% of commuters want to reduce time spent travelling to and from work
• Being stuck in traffic, travelling in the dark and wasting time are big frustrations
• 46% say bosses won’t allow them to ‘commute smart’ to reduce their travel time
British workers are wasting 4.6 million hours a day commuting, according to a research report by Citrix GoToMyPC launched today to coincide with National Commute Smart Week. The survey of …

As mums we beat ourselves up about a lot of things – what our children eat, how they behave, how much TV they watch – the potential for feeling guilty is endless. Add to the pot the added guilt that Work at Home Mums feel about not spending as much time with their family and you could be heading for guilt-overload.
Guilt is a state which occurs when you believe you have done something you shouldn’t, or conversely, when you haven’t done something you think you should - and so has the potential …

Parenting can feel like a competition some days. Is you house spotless? Are your kids off to school with shiny shoes and tidy hair? It can be particularly bad at the end of term. Have you made cakes for the school fair, donated a bottle for the tombola, attended the end of term play and made it to parents’ evening? You can end up  feeling under pressure.
This week, the Family Friendly Working blog is looking at coaching. You may think that coaching is all about achieving perfection, but it doesn’t …

As I’ve  got older I have become more aware of the role of hormones in how I feel.  I’m particularly interested in the changes I have experienced personally, and seen in others, after having children as it seems to unleash creativity in women.
And have you ever let rip in the week before your period? Some people may call that PMT, but it can also be a useful way of addressing lurking issues and clearing the air.
You may or may not feel that your hormones change the way you work but I’d …

Emma Wimhurst, 42, self-made millionaire entrepreneur, broadcaster, speaker and writer, has three children under the age of ten and refers to herself as ‘an ordinary woman who achieved extraordinary results!’ She has create sfinancial freedom for herself with the hot success of an entrepreneurial venture which rocked her to a lifestyle that more than matched her needs! Her venture began with her firstborn on her hip. She applied her passion and knowledge for business with scorching zeal, applied personal development skills and life/work balance structures to ensure the business niche …

For working mums with a toddler, returning to work can be fraught with anxiety. Here are some tips to help you cope.
1.How many hours a week should you work is a question that only you can answer. The debate raging in the media is tiresome and irrelevant for 3
reasons: it centers on working full time or not at all (so many mums work part time), it assumes that all children are the same, and presumes that every mum has a choice about the hours they work.
2. Combat guilt at leaving …

Sometimes it is easy to feel stuck. Maybe your business has hit a blockage or your search for work that fits with the family seems fruitless. This is the second article from Sandy Mann for Family Friendly Working and it will help you idenitfy where you are and move on. Good Luck!
People who’ve realised their dreams talk about going through different stages and roller-coasting up and down before they make things happen.  Have a think about where you are and how you can move on.
 Uneasy
 This is that uncomfortable feeling when you’re starting …

If you want to start a business or find a flexible job, but already struggle to fit everything in, here are a couple of things I have found to help you get organised. I use the Life Book Diary from Organised Mum. They have a range of pocket diaries, larger diaries, wall calenders etc to suit most people, and lots of useful lists, pockets and space for notes too.
The other thing that helped me get out of post-baby chaos was signing up to FlyLady. Once you have got past the americanisms, …