For most moms, it’s an ongoing challenge trying to cater to your family’s needs while simultaneously contributing to the household finances. And what about trying to take care of yourself too? It can be exhausting. What’s a mom to do? If you want to find a way to make some money without sacrificing the time you devote to your family, you’re in luck. Through some thoughtful planning and conscientious execution, you can find a perfect work-life balance. Read on for tips on how to do this.

Explore Your Options

Arguably the best way to pitch in financially without leaving your kids for the standard 40 hours per week is to work from home. If your employer is accommodating, propose a schedule that allows you several work-from-home days a week. If flexible arrangements like this are off the table at your workplace, suggest a creative version of your role in a part-time capacity. If this still doesn’t work, it might be time to take the leap to truly working for yourself. Before you start researching the best work-from-home options, remember that there are many scams out there. Do your due diligence and be sure to review each company via the Better Business Bureau before ever making a commitment.

Work From Home

If you decide to go the direct sales route, consider Amway or Arbonne. These two companies are well established and provide compensation to their representatives. You can grow your own business from home and largely set your own schedule when you decide to go all-in with brands like these.

If you have widely marketable skills, put them to good use as a freelancer. Consider selling your services through a website like Upwork or Fiverr. Both of these sites help connect you with people in need of skills like writing, graphic design, music editing and more. When approaching a business like this, you can still have freedom in your time and schedule.

Set Boundaries

Whichever work-from-home method you end up deciding upon, it’s imperative you set clear parameters. Even though you may be able to get your tasks done from the comfort of your house, this doesn’t mean your kids can be knocking on your door every five minutes or your spouse can expect you to do dishes during the day. Working from home means you will actually be getting work done, so be sure to communicate this to your family from the get-go.

Set expectations by designating certain hours of each day during which you are not to be disturbed. You also can make a particular room off-limits whenever the door is closed. Your children should always feel comfortable interrupting you in the case of an emergency, but otherwise they need to respect your work times.

Prioritize Yourself

It’s important to carve out small chunks of time to take care of yourself. When you’re a working mom, it’s easy to want to devote every spare moment outside of work obligations to your family, but this leaves no time for your own health and well-being. Schedule time to regularly recharge your batteries, whether it's through a morning meditation practice, a weekly kickboxing class or a spa date every so often with a friend. However this manifests is entirely up to you, but you must make your own health and happiness a top priority.