Juggling scheduling changes difficult for working parents | Sep 10th 2006
by Jacqueline Dooley
Allbusiness.com, an online resource for small business owners, hosts a series of varied and informational blogs about everything from cash flow to technology. One of my favorite blogs is The Working Mothers Blog, updated by Kathy Murdock, a self-employed mom who works out of her home.
Kathy’s recent post about scheduling challenges that working parents face is the inspiration for this week’s column.
I’ve personally found that routine shifts in my kids’ schedules have a big impact on my work schedule, particularly since I work from home. Permanent and/or long-term schedule variations such as a long break from school (e.g., summer) or a new weekly activity like gymnastics often require me to alter my work schedule to accommodate the changes or events. Not that I mind. I mean, it’s all part of being a parent.
Perhaps the problem is more pronounced or frequent because I am so accessible. If I were in an office under the watchful eye of a supervisor, I probably would not be able to vary my hours on a regular basis or skip out every Monday at 4:30 to meet the bus (my husband stays home with the kids, so many of these day-to-day things are covered by him). But since I am my own boss, I can hardly say no to these things.
Short-term or periodic schedule variations also have a big impact on my business. For example, my 2-year-old gets speech therapy once a month. When her therapist comes over, I (more often than not) go downstairs to participate in these sessions.
Working out the kinks
The truth is, I’m still trying to figure out the best way to handle scheduling changes (sudden or otherwise) so that I allow for them and (dare I hope) even look forward to them instead of becoming completely derailed by them.
My Ideal Schedule
I’d love to work from about 8-3 every day and take maybe two evenings a week to make up the hours. However, I tend to get bogged down in household chores and kid stuff in the mornings. Even if I wake up at 6 a.m. it’s not always feasible or even desirable for me to sit down to work before nine because this would cut into coveted time with my kids.
Also since many of my clients are online by 9 am, it is helpful for me to be available then as well.
Still, I suspect that I am being too rigid about my current 9-5 schedule. Do I really need to have fixed hours each week? Likewise, do I need to let all my clients know where I am every hour of the day? If I am responsive and accessible on a consistent basis, does it matter if I disappear at 2 pm on a Wednesday and then make up the time? Now that I’ve warmed up to the idea, the possibilities seem endless.
My oldest daughter starts kindergarten in the fall and my 2-year-old will start preschool 2-3 days a week. I think this is the perfect time to experiment with an adjusted work schedule that breaks away from the 9-5 paradigm. From working longer hours at the beginning of the month, to cutting Fridays in half and working a few hours on Sunday, it may be possible to find a happy medium that enables me to work at a comfortable pace AND be there for my kids.
As for those last minute scheduling shifts, they can’t be avoided. My hope is that a more flexible weekly schedule will help me handle the unexpected hurdles without complete derailment.
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