work from home, working mom
How To Work From Home With Kids
23/10/2020
Working from home has always been ‘my thing’ up until we’ve welcomed a baby into our family. He brings so much joy into our home, but sticking to my to-do list with a one-year-old by my side is quite a challenge. If you’re looking for some effective ways to work from home with kids, keep on reading.
Times are changing. More and more companies are now leaning towards having their employees work from home. At the same time, we also see a growing number of online entrepreneurs that start building their own business on their couch. If you find yourself in a situation where you need to work and take care of your children at the same time – I know it’s not easy, but it’s definitely possible.
In theory, working from home brings a lot of new opportunities to young challenges. However, your kids couldn’t care less if you have an important ZOOM meeting happening in the other room. They want your attention and they will do just about anything to get it.
I have a kid and I know that when you think you have nailed the system, everything changes, so I encourage you to try different things. Here are some that worked for us:
1. Communicate With Your Other Half
Seriously, if you want to make this work – TALK. Your kids might need their mom more at times, but the dad is just as capable to take care of them. Make a schedule, split hours or days to make it work. During the lockdown, we would wake up to build a schedule depending on the tasks we both need to complete that day. We would then try to help the working partner have as much peace at home as possible, so we would keep the baby occupied or would take him outside for a quick walk.
2. Get Help
If possible, have a nanny or perhaps one of the grandparents to come in an play with your kids for at least a couple of hours each day. This way, you won’t need to spend a fortune on childcare, but you will also make sure you get uninterrupted time to work. Even if it’s a very short period of time. You most probably be surprised by how much you can get done!
3. Use Nap times
Make sure to create a to-do list the night before, so once the nap time comes you can get at least a few of the things crossed off the list while the kids nap. Sometimes, naps can last shorter than we would hope for, so don’t use this time for coffee breaks or cleaning, you can get this done later on. Prioritise. I know that clean home is nice, but feeling like a rockstar in your business is way nicer!
4. If possible, have a home office
You don’t have to have a spare room, just a corner in your living room would do just fine. Having a home office will help you feel more productive when you have some time to work. If you give an old keyboard to your kid, you might even get some e-mails answered with him sitting next to you. You might not win a parent of the year award doing this, but sometimes you just have to do what you have to do to make it work, right?
5. Don’t feel guilty
OK, in the ideal work you might be able to spend all of the time with your kids while building an awesome career on the side, but the truth is – you can’t have it all, so stick to whatever what works for your family. You kids won’t hate you if they see you working, just make sure to give them all of the love and support then your schedule has cleared. Quality over quantity. Always.
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