Remote working can be a challenge for anyone. But add kids to the mix and it can be twice as tricky. In today’s post we’ll share our top tips on how to work from home with children whilst maintaining your sanity.
Perhaps your kids are below school age, or they’re off sick / required to isolate. Or maybe you’re preparing for the school holidays.
Whatever the case, read on to find out how to keep everyone happy whilst getting the job done.
Of course, every family, home and job situation is different, but there are some key habits anyone can develop to make working from home work better for them – and more importantly – for the little people in their lives.
Communication is Key
First and foremost, explain to your boss and colleagues that you’ll be working from home with kids around, and that you may need to make a few adaptions to the way you work.
You probably won’t be the only one, so don’t be afraid to ask others for advice and ideas on how they manage.
As required, maintain daily or weekly communication so you can keep your team up to date on your progress. If you’re struggling, speak up and ask for support where needed. If things are going well, share your own tips for success.
Speak to your kids so they understand that you’ll be working whilst you’re at home. Make them aware of how this is going to work – i.e. where you’ll be working, what they will be doing, why it’s important for them to follow some new rules. Set clear boundaries and stick to them so everyone knows what’s expected.
Now that your home is for family and work time, it’s important to have links with the outside world so you don’t get swallowed up. Even a quick call with your bestie at the end of the day can help. Use your support network to let off steam if you’re feeling a little crazy, frustrated or guilty about working with the kids around.
Share the Care
Kids of different ages require different types of care. Likewise, jobs require different levels of attention and concentration.
This is an obvious point, but if your kids are too young to be left unsupervised, make sure they’re in safe hands whilst you’re working.
Either with a paid childminder, an older sibling, your partner or friends and other family members. Even if they are old enough to be left to it, having someone come in for an hour here and there can really break the day up for your kids.
If this isn’t an option, how about them having a weekly zoom call with Nan whilst you’re busy. Or perhaps Auntie Kath can organise an online quiz or similar activity. Make the most of your support network…it’s usually free!
Have a Schedule
For some families, planning the day to a strict timetable gets great results. So if you’re super-organised and your job / kids allow it, break your day into blocks.
These should be task-oriented for you and activitity-oriented for the kids.
Set clear start and finish times for work and stick to them. Include breaks and make sure everyone has access to the timetable. The kids can help to design it and make it pretty too.
For others, this type of scheduling just doesn’t work and can lead to frustration when things don’t go to plan. So if you need to be more flexible, don’t beat yourself up. Every situation is different.
But where possible, have set times for getting up, going to bed and for meals. This way you can be flexible around the fundamentals whilst giving your kids the security of a basic routine. Sure, at weekends you can relax it a little, but don’t stray too far.
During breaks, make sure you spend time with the children. Give them your undivided attention. Eat together, have some fun together, get out in the garden for half an hour to let off some steam.
Making the most of your time together when you’re “off duty” will help the wee ones to separate Work Mum from Home Mum (or Dad of course!) – and this is one of the keys to working from home successfully with kids around.
Prepare Activities
There’s a never-ending supply of resources online, so there’s really no need for your kids to get bored when you’re busy.
Search for inspiration together. Take a look at the children’s activities section on the BBC website – great for younger kids.
Or check out the wide range of learning games and activities on the British Council website. Just a couple of ideas but the list goes on and on, so there’ll be something for everyone.
Depending on how much space you have, you could zone off areas for different activities. Have a craft corner, a reading corner, an educational corner and so on. Use the garden for sports, nature trails, drawing and painting. Make the most of your space and find ways to make it work for you.
Taking a little extra time to prepare fun activities and games for your kids will save you heaps of time (and tears) later on.
Flexibility
Be proactive and sound out the boss on ways to be more flexible within your role incase of problems.
Cut yourself some slack if you’re not quite hitting your targets. If you have an extemely needy brood, there’s only so much you can do whilst trying to keep all the plates spinning.
Can you make some reasonable adjustments to your working hours? If so, spend time before the kids get up or work an hour at night when they’re not around so you can finish that presentation. Or maybe it’s possible to reduce your hours temporarily during the school holidays.
Be prepared to be flexible in other areas as well. You may need to give the kids an extra 20 minutes of screen time whilst you finish your project. And an unhealthy snack here and there isn’t the end of the world if you haven’t had time to prepare the fruit and veg sticks.
Stick to your basic routine where you can, but be prepared to make adjustments where necessary if things aren’t working.
The Working From Home with Children Round-Up
Follow these tips for staying sane whilst working from home with children…
- Communicate with your boss and colleagues. Share your successes or yell for help. Make sure your kids understand how they fit into the picture and use your support network for letting off steam.
- Where possible, rope in friends and family to help out with the little ones. Or use a childminder so you know your kids are in safe hands when you really can’t be disturbed.
- Have a schedule that works for you. Don’t be afraid to make changes if things aren’t working. Get input from the children too.
- Keep the kids busy. Prepare lots of fun activities and games. You’ll thank yourself for this later!
- If you can, be flexible – with your job, with your kids and with yourself. Cutting a little slack here and there isn’t the end of the world.
For more ideas and inspiration take a look at our Top Tips for a Great Home Office Set Up.
So now it’s over to you…let us know if you found this post helpful. Which tips work best for you? Or share your own tips to help others whilst they’re working from home with children. Leave a comment or email jane@standingdeskuk.com.
