For some people, working from home comes easy. But for others, having the freedom to work when and how you want can sometimes make it hard to buckle down and focus. And if you have kids to throw into the mix, it may feel like you’re never able to get the work done that you really need to.
Since this has been an issue for many people during the coronavirus and quarantine environment, here are three tips to help if you’re working from home when you have little kids.
Make The Best Use Of Downtime
Ideally, there should be at least a few hours each day where your kids aren’t needing your constant attention. For some people, this is during nap times. For others, meal times or strategic screen time can help with this. So if there are ever times where your kids are busy or preoccupied, this is when you should try to get as much work done as possible.
While it can be easy to want to use this time as a break for yourself, Brooke Lea Foster, a contributor to Parents.com, shares that this is when you should really try to be as efficient as possible and get your most important work done. Even if you’re not able to actually slip off to your home office, any time that you’re able to give your work your full and undivided attention should be taken complete advantage of.
Help Your Kids Help Themselves
If there isn’t naturally a lot of time during the day where you kids are going to be distracted by something other than you, you should work to teach your children how to be more independent throughout the day so they need less of your help and attention.
To do this, Nadine Silverthorne, a contributor to Today’s Parent, suggests that you set up a snack and drink station in your home. Here, you should make it so your kids can get themselves drinks and simple snacks without needing your help. By doing this, you could be giving yourself a lot more time to sit and work in dedicated chunks of time.
Try Working In Blocks Of Time
Sometimes, working from home means that you’re going to have to explain to your kids that you simply can’t play with them or give them a lot of your attention at the moment. But since your kids will still need your assistance and interaction, Teresa Douglas, a contributor to The Muse, recommends that you try to do everything in blocks of time.
By setting up a schedule where you’ll work for a block of time and then spend some time playing with or helping your kids before getting back to work, you’ll hopefully be able to get everything done that you need to accomplish, even if it takes you a bit longer.
If you’re going to be working from home for the foreseeable future while your kids are going to be stuck at home as well, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you figure out how to be productive professionally while also taking care of your domestic responsibilities.
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