Working from home with kids might be a daunting prospect, but it’s a reality that many are facing in light of the current pandemic. Here are 4 ways to stay sane through it all.
The current state of things has left the entire world a bit confused. All of a sudden, we’ve found ourselves in a position where we need to work, take care of our kids, upkeep our homes and stay sane while doing all of it from our own homes. Many parents leave their ‘mum’ and ‘dad’ personas at home when heading to work and become ‘an accountant’, ‘chef’ or ‘bank teller” for the day, before heading home again.
However, since the majority of people nowadays are working from home, parents need to find a way to balance all of these characters – often simultaneously. No matter how big or small your kids are, every parent will agree that being a parent – on its own – is a full-time job. So, without further ado, here are a few strategies for helping you adapt to working from home with kids, make the situation a little easier on everyone and still keep your productivity levels up at work.
Find what works for you
Since we’re all different people and our lifestyles vary significantly, there really is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to juggling parenthood and work. What this means is that you’ll simply need to find a system that works for both you and your family – and stick to it. Of course, you should definitely check out some useful guides to working from home with kids to help get some ideas on how best to approach the matter. Once you create a system that works, make sure you stick to it as much as possible. For someone who’s used to working from the office, working from home may seem to be practically impossible. But trust us – it’s not.
Use valuable online resources
Next, you should rely on all the help you can get. Aside from your partner, this includes any online resources you can find that can make your life just that little bit easier. For instance, there are plenty of apps designed to simplify and augment the life of a working mum. Chorma, for example, is an excellent app that transforms house chores into a fun and friendly competition. The more chores a person finishes, the more points they’ll score. This is a fun way to keep your kids busy while you’re working as kids simply love to compete. On the work side of things, some of the best productivity apps that you might also find helpful for organising your workflow include Trello, Monday, and Brain.FM.
Create a schedule
A sudden lack of work structure and the change of your normal working environment can easily leave you feeling confused. That’s why it’s of the utmost importance that you create a work schedule that helps bring some sort of structure back into your daily life. Set boundaries for yourself and your family, and remind them not to bother you during your designated work hours. This new situation will require some serious teamwork, so try to get everyone on the same page.
Communicate
Finally, you’ll need to communicate with everyone even more than you think. This includes your colleagues as well. You need to let the people you’re working with know that – in this situation – you need to be a parent first. Also, make sure you communicate with your family as well. Everyone is struggling nowadays, so make sure all of your family members are doing okay. If you have teenage kids, this situation can be particularly challenging. Even though they’re not as physically dependent on you as the younger kids are, they’ll still need your emotional and mental support. So, make sure you talk to them as much as possible and refer them to some useful resources they can resort to during these stressful times. If you’re not sure where to start, we’ve also broken down the best video conferencing tools, instant messaging apps, and project management services that might help you stay on track with your KPIs.
Remember that nobody was prepared for this and we’re all still trying to figure things out. So, even though you want to give it your best both in the family and the business field, you’re just one person. What this means is that you need to be ready to fail in your effort every now and again. So, be kind to yourself and simply get up and keep pushing forward every time you do.
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