For some professionals who are the primary caretakers in their households, working from home or telework is the only way to meet both family and career obligations in special circumstances. But being productive with work while caring for small children is no easy feat. Here are ten tips to manage this exceptional situation as efficiently as possible.
1. Create your own workplace
Just like in the office, it is important to have your own spot where you can work at ease. If you live in a rather spacious house, turn one of the rooms into a temporary office. If you live rather small, you can create your own spot in the living or dining room or even in a bedroom as a temporary workplace where you can work without being disturbed all the time.
2. Be an early bird
The big advantage of working from home is that you don’t waste time commuting. Let children sleep in. This will allow you to benefit from some extra quiet time in the morning: no traffic jams, no hectic moments to get the children ready for school and commute to work. Use this time to make a quick start. It will enable you to finish a little earlier in the evening, leaving more time for some fun with the kids.
3.Plan some variety for the children
In order to be able to work without being constantly interrupted, you can plan some playful and quieter activities for smaller children. There are plenty of things they can do with little support from their parents, such as DIY, painting, colouring, drawing, etc. Just like at school, you can divide your living room into different play corners for the little ones: a DIY corner, a reading area, or a corner to play with toys.
Need to do a conference call? Keep them quiet in the meantime by allowing them some TV or Netflix time, let them listen to a kid’s podcast or let them record a fun video to show the grandparents they cannot meet in person. It is important not to offer everything at the same time or on the same day, but to offer some variety so they don’t get bored.
4. Create a form of routine
It is also important for yourself to build some structure into your working day. Arrange your tasks in order of importance and make sure you can carry out the most difficult tasks at times when it is calm for you, like early in the morning. By maintaining some form of structure within the family every day, children will adapt more quickly to this new situation and your work pace.
Keeping children occupied while focusing on work is not easy, especially if you need to do it daily during a longer period. Creating some form of routine might help. Like in school, it might be a good idea to plan some workshops throughout the day, with a different activity each time. Make the planning visible so kids can tick things off once done.
Plan a timeslot for homework and explain which exercises they need to complete by when and plan a creative hour afterwards to do some drawing for example. If the weather is nice, let them play outside or give them some free time to do whatever they feel like.
5. Set some goals for children
A few weeks away from school obviously has an impact on children. By giving your children a little homework every day, they won’t fall behind too much. Determine every day which exercises they need to do and by what time they need to finish them. As soon as you have finished your workday, take some time to review their homework together. It will teach your children how to organise their own tasks during the day.
Older children can also be involved in little chores in and around the house. Let them wash the car, fill and empty the dishwasher or tidy up their room. It will keep them busy and you can remove these tasks from your own to-do list, leaving you with more family time.
6. Do groceries for a few days and cook in advance
We must all avoid contact with the outside world as much as possible. Save yourself a lot of time by, for example, doing your shopping once or twice a week and preparing several meals in advance during the weekend. This will free up some time during the evenings to spend with the kids.
7. Benefit from naps
Do your children still take a nap in the afternoon? Take advantage of this time by focusing on those tasks that require the most concentration. By doing so, you don't have to feel guilty when you are less concentrated during the play moments and you will feel less stressed.
8. Choose the best time for conference calls
If you are in virtual contact with colleagues or external partners on a daily basis, make sure to schedule those meetings at a quiet time during the day, in order not to be interrupted too much. This can be in the early morning when the children are still asleep for example, or at a time when they can watch TV or play on the tablet.
9. Alternate with your partner
When both you and your partner work from home, it can be useful to alternate some time with the children. While one parent focuses on work, the other parent can play a game with the children. Doing so, children will feel less 'neglected' and both parents can continue to work at alternating moments.
10. Ensure a good balance between your work and private life
Finally, it is important to ensure your work-life balance is maintained. Once your workday is done, shut down your PC and enjoy the evening. Plan something fun, like a family game night for example.
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