How to cope with work and your family

Being a VA the one thing you need behind you is your family’s support. Your family needs to be understanding when it comes to you working longer hours, working weekends and public holidays. Children need to know there are boundaries within your office.
Work to a schedule/routine this makes it easier.
If you do housework then get a maid, get some assistance, you can employ a maid for your company like I have done with my maid, (for tax purpose my maid works for AMF Typing Services http://www.amftyping.co.za), or you can contact an agency that supplies maids, but the main thing is to get assistance with the housework, now you are working full time you will not have time to do this.
When you close your office door it means you do not want to be disturbed let the family know this and ask them to abide by it unless there is an emergency that they need you to deal with. The kids can answer the phone and say you are busy and take a message. Make your kids self sufficient, teach them how to get/make their own lunch, cold drinks etc. Get them into a homework routine; be there to assist when they need you.
Make sure your husband/partner is on board with you working as a VA. It is very difficult working as a VA if your husband/partner is not happy with you doing this. If your husband can’t cook teach him to cook, if you can look after the kids so can he, he is capable of doing what you do for the kids, if he works and you work then work together to make things work, share tasks. A supportive husband will be willing to share as they will understand how important your business is it you.
Do your washing when you get up, put your washing on the line early morning, and take it off at the end of the day when you finish work, or run outside like me when a storm draws in. If you have a maid then she can do this for you and also do the ironing, or your husband can assist with the ironing if you are busy, ironing is not just a task for women, show your husband how to do it, share this task it makes it easier if you don’t have a maid.
Share cooking with your husband and your kids if they are old enough, plan a menu in advance, I cook in my slow cooker a few times a week, this way I only have to prepare rice, potatoes etc to go with later in the day. Know what you are going to eat that day, you can prepare everything early on a morning so that all you need to do is cook it later in the day. Your husband and kids can turn on a stove for you so that things can cook while you are busy. Your maid can start dinner for you and you only have to end it after work. Family can assist when you are busy, they should not have to rely on you to do everything. Sharing is caring.
Let friends and family know they can’t just pop in for coffee, ask them to ring you first to see if you are available, you can’t stop for coffee and a chat if you have an important deadline. Work as though you are working in the corporate world, have set work hours, set breaks, lunch etc. When you work for many clients you need to jiggle your time so that work is done for each clients when required, know how to prioritise and schedule your work, see what is urgent, its deadline, maybe smaller tasks can be fitted in between larger tasks.

Be disciplined, if you work to a routine things will work.