6 Tips for Working From Home With Kids Around

Is working from home stressing you out?

Do you feel like you can’t get anything done, are trying to get everything done or failing at it all?

Many working parents are finding themselves in the new situation of having to continue to work from home whilst their children are no longer in school. 

And if you’re feeling guilty, stressed, fed-up or overwhelmed - you are NOT alone.

Here are some things to consider to help you be more productive and less overwhelmed during this time of working from home while your kids are off school.

1. Create Boundaries

It’s important for everyone that there are boundaries between work and home.  So, in so far as possible, create a space in your home that is dedicated to “work”.  So that you’re not in the family space while you are working.  If that’s not possible because of the lack of space, then pick a spot in your home where you will do your work (e.g. the dining table) and then make sure that when you’re not working, you clear away all your work stuff. 

More than ever as everyone is living together in the same space 24/7, it’s important to have boundaries and have clear indications of when we are working vs not.  When you have a dedicated workspace, your children know when you’re there that you are working and not to be disturbed. 

And you'll also have the benefit of “leaving” that space when you’re done with your work time and re-engaging in family time and home life.

2. Time Block

In order to make the most of your time during the day, you need to figure out chunks of time where you will be able to work and be productive.  Look at your kids' home schedule and figure out where there are obvious blocks of time where you might be able to work - e.g. nap times, before the kids wake up, after they go to bed, quiet time, study time, etc.  This will depend on the ages of your children, their level of independence in playing, doing school work, etc.

Once you’ve figured out some chunks of time where you can be productive, note it in your family schedule/routine so it’s clear for everyone that that’s your work time. 

Periods of 45mins to 1 hour generally work best as far as most children are concerned as this is a reasonable time for them to be able to concentrate and be on their own (except if they are really little).  It might help to use a simple kitchen timer so the children can have a visual reminder of how long they have left.

Be sure to remember to connect with your child before and after each of these working periods.  

Give them a few minutes of your time and undivided attention. 

You might need to set them up prior to your work period with their playthings or school work so that they have everything they need to do whatever they are going to do.  You might also need to talk through the situation with them and remind them what’s going to happen, that you need to work and that you need them to focus on their task during that time. 

At the end of the blocked time, reconnect with your child and spend a few minutes together doing something fun.  Even popping on some music and tidying up together can be enough.

Connecting with your child before and after your productive work periods is critical to these time-blocks working for you and your child being able to leave you alone during these times.  If you forget to connect or re-connect, it’s more likely your child will struggle with these chunks of time and you’ll possibly see it in disruptive behaviour, whining, interruptions, lack of cooperation, etc.

3. Prioritise

The likelihood is that you have a long or endless list of work to-do’s.  They’ll be stuff on there that you’re happier to do than others, some that are little tasks and others that are bigger projects.

The secret to being productive is to sort through your to-do list into three buckets: 

1. Must-do’s
2. Should-do’s
3. Would like to-do / Would be nice-to-do

Make sure you tackle your “must-do’s” first, and these should also include smaller tasks as part of a bigger/longer-term project so that you continue to make progress on that.  Doing your must-do’s first make sure that they get done, which can boost your sense of productivity and reduce any overwhelm. 

Revisit your to-do list daily or at least weekly.  If you find that your “must-do’s” are an endless list in themselves, then take a moment to look at each item and ask yourself whether it truly is a must-do - is it really important?  What is the implication if it doesn’t get done or doesn’t get done right away or today?  We all have the same limited time in the day, so you need to prioritise and choose what you’re going to focus on.

4. Let Go 

Right now, you’re likely juggling more than you usually would or at least, having to learn how to juggle it all differently. 

If you’re a working parent, you’ve still got all the work you would usually do in the office, and you’re having to do it in a different environment while managing your home life and your child’s schoolwork or playtime.  All at once. 

It’s A LOT.  For anyone. 

And if you usually have home help, you probably don’t have it right now.

So you need to let some stuff go. 

Really. 

Your house is not going to be as clean and tidy as it usually is.  You have more foot traffic in your house now than ever before and that creates dirt/mess.  It just does.   And yes, you can get everyone (even little kids) involved in tidying up and housework, but even doing that, it’s probably not going to be up to the standard that you’re used to or prefer.  Figure out what is tolerable and let what is beyond that go.

Right now you cannot reasonably expect all areas of your life to be just as you would like.  That’s just not reality. 

You cannot expect yourself to excel in all areas - as a mum/dad, collegue/manager, wife/partner, daughter/son, etc.  I know you are doing the best that you can in all these areas and you know that you are too.  You are doing the best that you can and right now, that is more than enough.  So let some stuff go, ease up the pressure you’re putting on yourself and give yourself a little (or a lot) of grace, compassion and self-love. 

5. Communicate

Whilst we are living through these unprecedented times, it is super important to continue to keep those lines of communication open with your children.  Continue to talk to them about everything - what’s working/not, how they are feeling, what they are loving, what they find frustrating, etc.  

Weekly family meetings can really help right now - sit down together as a family and go over how the past week has gone, what needs to change for the week ahead.  Give appreciations to each other, express gratitude together and share a bit of fun time to get everyone laughing and connecting. 

As long as you and your children keep talking to each other, accept each other and give each other compassion, you will get through this period of time stronger, together.

6. There is no “Right”

More than ever, you need to know - I mean, really know - that there is NO RIGHT WAY. 

There is no ONE way to do things and that is absolutely true right now.  There is no right way to juggle your work and family life. There is no right way to help your children stay engaged with their schoolwork.  There is no right way to parent.  

There just is no right way. 

There is YOUR way. 

Figure out what your way is and go all-in on that. 

And if there are aspects of your way that aren’t working for you, forgive yourself and figure out how to change those aspects. 

Don’t compare yourself to others. 

Don’t set yourself impossible standards. 

Don’t expect perfection from yourself - or your children. 

This - more than ever, now.