These eight tips will help make the seemingly impossible task of working from home with kids a little less painful.
Trying to manage a full-time job, a screaming toddler, an unruly baby, and a house that should have been cleaned weeks ago is a recipe for stress, overwhelm, and burnout. So it’ll come as no surprise to any parent that working from home with kids doesn’t really lead to an increase in productivity. And due to the prolonged public health crisis we’re all enduring, what may have initially seemed like temporary chaos has given way to a new, dysfunctional reality in which you’re expected to seamlessly balance family and work, simultaneously and with no definitive end in sight. “We’re two months into the ‘new normal’ of working from home and taking care of kids. Functioning in this way is a chronic, not acute, stressor,” Dr. Sarah Reiff-Hekking, PhD, time management expert and CEO of True Focus Coaching, Inc., tells Woman’s Day. “You need to shift your thinking to ‘how can I make this work for now?’” To help facilitate that necessary shift, try these eight tips to help make the seemingly impossible task of working from home while also operating a daycare (and facilitating your children's at home e-learning) a little less painful.
ESTABLISH A “FOCUS TIME” EACH DAY
Whether it’s early in the morning before the kids wake up, during that coveted nap time, or late at night after the kids are asleep, have an hour or two each day when you know you’ll be able to turn all of your attention and energy towards work. “Be clear on when you know you’ll have a pocket of time to do the important work that takes the most focus,” Reiff-Hekking says. “That way, if you’re having a bad day, you can tell yourself ‘oh, it isn’t the end of the world. I know I can get this project done tomorrow.’”
CREATE A DESIGNATED WORKSPACE.
Establishing a physical separation between when you’re “at the office” and when you’re with your family can help you avoid any unnecessary distraction. “Set up a designated work area for yourself, even if it’s just a corner in your apartment,” Perkins says. “Be fairly vigilant about the fact that when you’re there, you’re working. If you want to watch a YouTube video, go somewhere else. It’s important to have a boundary between work and home.”
How To Work From Home With Kids Without Losing Your Mind
When it comes to choosing a career these days, there are so many more options that don't involve having to physically go into an office. Thanks to the internet, setting up a work from home business has never been easier. You can work from the comfort of your own house — you can even work in your pajamas — and still have a thriving, high-paying career. And the flexibility that a work from home business offers is unbeatable, especially if you have little ones at home that you want to be able to take care of simultaneously. So if a work from home business sounds like it could be the best fit for you, but you're not quite sure what career path you want to take, here are 11 awesome work from home business ideas that you definitely need to consider. With everything from creative business models to administrative jobs, there's bound to be something that piques your interest.