It’s that time of the year again! – Summer break vs. work from home with kids.
Just imagine; kids are playing, bubbles floating, fairy dust everywhere. Work is getting done, everybody is chilled. Guess what – it’s never going to happen and that’s fine.
Work from home with kids it’s hard. It’s a challenge to juggle both work and child care while you’re at home. Take deep breaths and try not to get frustrated if things don’t go the way you planned. Well, how do you get work done when your kids are around? Giddy up and help yourself with our tips.
Schedule your work hours around the kids
Kids will have major effect on your work schedule, causing you to change it from traditional working hours to flexible. It’s in a child’s nature to be curious and to engage in activities with their loved ones. So, how do you take care of your business without making them feel pushed out? Without a schedule, it might be really hard to do your chunk of work and you might end up feeling tense. This means scheduling out breakfast, lunch, naps, play time, outdoor time activities and screen time.
What about nice, family breakfast to start the day right? After that, you can carry out planned activities which your kids can do on their own. Staying nearby helps you supervise your little ones and get some work done.
Twinkle, twinkle little star
Try working while your kids are sleeping. That means waking up earlier in the morning or staying up later to work at night. Younger kids like to take naps so it’s jackpot time for you! Use that time wisely and only focus on your work (believe us, cleaning can wait).
Keep them entertained
A kid who is bored will constantly interrupt and bash into room while you’re working. Pinterest is full of magical ideas, according to the age of the children. To help you out, we suggest to hide some of your kid’s toys, and bring them out after a while. This will keep them from getting bored of them. Seeing those toys after a while will make them seem brand-new, interesting and fresh.
Give heads up to your colleagues
Having children at home when you work is not an easy task. Especially if you have business colleagues with whom you work closely and who depend on you. Agree on working hours with each other to avoid difficulties in dead lines and communication.
Ask for help
Hej lady, you might need a lifeboat! Get as much as help as you can. If you want to get a lot more things done in a shorter amount of time, consider asking family members or other trustworthy parents to take care of your child. Having in mind your self-care, take as many breaks as you need! If it gets rough, it might be a good idea to hire a babysitter.
Working from home with kids is tough. Don’t feel guilty when you need to pull out the TV or your phone and turn on something for them to watch. Give your best shot at sticking to the WHO recommendation for screen time, according to the age of a child. This gives you one hour of working without disruption. Choose content wisely and always monitor the situation.
You can get your work done and at the same time be home with your children. And remember: “It’s all about finding the calm in the chaos”.
Do you have to work from home with kids? Let us know in the comments how you’re hanging!
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