How to Schedule Your Work Around Your Childcare

One of the hardest parts of being a working mother is striking the right balance between your job and your kids.  Although all mothers are working mothers, those who take on the additional task of adding revenue to the family are often very conflicted.  How do you meet your deadlines and also be an attentive mother to your children?  How do you switch between professional woman who's negotiating contracts with clients and nurturing mommy who's making sure the baby doesn't fall off the sofa?

The only way you can be successful at both is to organize your life.  Create a daily to-do list, and follow it stringently.  The point of a to-do list is to organize your thoughts, and have a working outline of how you will contribute to you life for that day.  On your to-do list, include everything: job assignments, important emails to send, your children's bath times, and when to cook dinner, for starters.  Mark off your list as you complete the task, to give yourself an exhilarating sense of accomplishment.  Don't worry if you don't finish your to-do list everyday.  The most important thing is to start organizing your life... today!
Your to-do should include three main components: the common tasks that should be completed daily, such as bath time; job deadlines due that day; and room for miscellaneous activities that you'd like to accomplish. 
Another crucial part of your success is to have a cut off time for work.  You may be tempted to work all the time, because your office is always close by, but set a time to mentally "go home".  You can do this several times a day, taking an hour here or there to intentionally interact with your kids.  The great thing about working at home is that, after your kids go to sleep, you can work any time you choose.