Let’s face it – our daily life is a bit more chaotic than our counterparts on the civilian side.

Between deployments, workups, TAD, conferences, duty, and natural disasters, it’s safe to say that our life can be up in the air and almost always unpredictable.

Add in working from home to that – with kids – and you have a whole different ballgame.

I’ve been working from home as a virtual assistant since 2013 both before kiddos and after so I have some AWESOME tips to help you keep your sanity and still maintain a job & career remotely.

Have a Dedicated WorkSpace

This is extremely important! It let’s your spouse and your kiddos know this is a work-only and no-play area. This also signals that when you’re here, you’re working and not to be disturbed unless it’s important. You aren’t going to the hangar or office asking your significant other to fold laundry, so the same principle applies.

Plus – it keeps you focused. When you’re in your ‘work’ chair, office, and/or area you’re focused on the work that needs to be done. Here you can ignore the laundry, bathrooms, and kitchen sinks full of dishes.

Talk to Your Spouse About Your Job

Maybe it’s just my better half, but when I first started working from home he thought that I could do all of the things. By that I mean laundry, cleaning, cooking, car washing etc during the week. Because my job was “easier” than his and I had all the time in the world. *insert ridiculous sarcastic laugh here*

Working remotely doesn’t mean your job is any easier or more difficult than your spouse. It just means you get to wear jammies and yoga pants to your hearts content and just so we’re honest, a lot less makeup and caring about our appearance.

What helped us was to sit down each week to prioritize family tasks and communicate my work hours. If I had time to run laundry or errands, awesome. But if not then we would figure it out together. It was no longer expected that just because I was home, I could handle everything on my own.

Get Out of The House

If you’ve been working for 8+ hours everyday you need to make time for yourself to get away from the electronics! Plan your week ahead of time so that you have to leave the house at least once a day to run an errand or for a ‘date’ with yourself.

Yes, going to Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks for coffee is considered a date with yourself. I do this weekly as a treat and I take a walk everyday during my lunch break. This is also a fantastic time for a workout! Build in an extra hour for yourself every work day. You will see AMAZING results and your mood will improve immensely.

I hope my tips help you find a great system that works for you and your family while still maintaining your freedom as a remote employee!

PS – Decorate your workspace to make it more inviting 🙂