Moving from Stay-at-home Dad to Full-time Freelancer

As I move closer to the full-time freelance role and further from the stay-at-home dad role, I am gripped with a mixture of emotions. There is excitement for my little boy who will soon venture off to pre-school, as well as for me, since I will have a bit more time on my hands for work. But that excitement is tempered by sadness that my little fellow is growing up so quickly.

His departure to school each day, will however open up a whole new world for both of us. While initially it won't provide a ton of extra time for me, since a part-time pre-school will be his first step before he hits kindergarten, his time away will allow a gap during which I can focus purely on my work. This has me preparing for how best to take advantage of these few precious hours.

A Huge Opportunity

My time is not my own right now. Nearly every hour of the day in which my four-year-old son is awake, whether he's playing quietly by himself or not, still largely revolves around him -- which is to be expected. Whether it's helping him get dressed, preparing meals or snacks, cleaning up a spill, helping him with his workbooks, setting up his finger paints, reading to him, or just trying to ignore the sound of his cartoons playing in the background, there are a variety of constant interruptions and distractions, which to a writer, can be quite disruptive to the creative process and cut heavily into productivity.

Gone are the days of my son's multi-hour naps, and even when mommy gets home, it's far from a productive environment in which to work; and by that time I'm pretty much exhausted anyway. So even a few hours on my own to do with as I please each day can make a huge difference in what I am able to accomplish. I therefore want to make sure I put this time to the best use possible.

A Plan

To ensure I don't waste this valuable opportunity, especially early on when my little one will be at pre-school for only a couple hours, a few days a week, I have begun working on a plan. I'm sure that as I ease into this transition, I will probably find that things in this plan need to be tweaked, but I at least want to go in to the situation with an idea of how to tackle this newfound free time.

I typically work best in the morning, so I hope to find a pre-school that accepts students in the earlier hours of the day. And when kindergarten hits, we can hopefully take advantage of the morning session. This would allow me to get our son up, ready, and off to school, then be able to come home, work for several hours, and be ready to pick him up when he's done. We could enjoy lunch, some afternoon play time, and maybe a walk or a trip to the playground before mommy gets home. I usually get my second wind after dinner, at which point my wife tends to take over for bath time and a little television, and I can get more accomplished.

Re-evaluating and Planning for the Future

I'm sure that I won't get my work schedule just right immediately, and that it will take time to ease into, so I'll probably have to evaluate my progress as I go. And moving from a few free hours every couple of days during pre-school, to almost a half a day, five days a week in kindergarten, then to a full day of available work time after that will require schedule adjustments as well. I will also have to ensure that I avoid new temptations for distraction such as the television, Internet, outdoor work, and household chores, although I must admit, these do make for pleasant breaks from writing at times, as long as they are taken in moderation.

Being able to plan ahead for these changes will hopefully allow me to make the most of my work day, and at the same time help me to be available for family time at nights and on the weekends. The ability to be prepared for these changes and to adjust my schedule accordingly can help me increase output and make more of my most productive work hours.

More From This Contributor:

How Self-audits Can Improve Productivity

Determining a Marketing Budget for a Small Business

How to Manage a Household Budget

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. The writer is not a licensed child care provider (although he is a stay-at-home dad). Any action taken by the reader due to the information provided in this article is solely at the reader's discretion.