Ten Tips for Parents Who work from home with children
For many, working remotely may be an ideal. You can spend more time at your house, cut down on travel expenses, and also have the opportunity to visit your family members more often.
However, the other side is some not-so-dreamy realities, especially for parents who have to manage work and childcare. These include a difficulty to focus on work; having to balance it with looking after children and, in some cases, homeschooling them; blurry lines between work and family time and kids lobbying for your undivided attention when you need to GSD.
It's not difficult to feel as though you've not done enough on your WFH days. It's possible to manage working and taking care of kids, however it takes an overhaul of your expectations and work style.
To make your remote work experience more efficient Here are our top suggestions for parents who work from home.
Ten Tips for Parents who Work at home with their children
1. Be positive.
While some parents are content to work from their home, some had to suddenly adapt to the new situation.
While this situation has its own challenges, there are many advantages to working at home.
It won't always be simple, but keeping your eyes on positive aspects (and remembering what you're not doing at work) will help tremendously during difficult days.
2. Adjust your schedule.
Just like kids, adults thrive on routines and work much more effectively when we follow an established schedule.
WFH routines help us stay focused, avoid multitasking, and deal with constant interruptions.
For more structure and predictability, you can set up a routine for your morning. Get up, get ready for the day as you would before heading to work. Get into a good mood to work by going to your house office.
To optimize the rest of your day, you should adjust your schedule to make room for home life, whether this includes breaks to relax or to catch up on chores or take care of childcare.
If you are able, take advantage of an adaptable schedule and come up with an arrangement that is suitable for your family and you But keep in mind that you are able to adjust it to accommodate daily changes.
This great tip was shared in our collection of remote tips from our team:
3. Share your opinions with your colleagues.
Although there are many ways parents can work from home, when working from their homes remotely, it is still possible for disruptions to occur. Your kids will be forced to visit your office and throw temper tantrums during Zoom calls or need you to assist with an emergency at their home.
It is better to make it appear as if everything is in order, work in the same manner as you would at work and make sure you don't need any help.
It is crucial to communicate with your team about the advantages of working remotely. Discuss the implications to you. You might need to adjust your schedule or show more patience.
4. Optimize your workspace to increase focus
It doesn't mean that you need to be doing it all the time. But, designate one part of your home as your workspace.
This makes it simple to keep your mind focussed on work and not allow it to creep into your personal life.
If you begin your workday by arriving at the designated workstation with a cup of coffee and daywear this signals your brain that this is the place where you will start working.
Ideal is having a separate area that can be used as an office at home. If that is not possible find an area of your house that could be used as your workspace. Set with the entire household on the proper time to work and how they can get your attention.
Parents can ask their children to create office signs. Red is for "don’t even think about" while green means "yes, we’re allowed in".
5. Short bursts are the best.
It's harder for parents of toddlers and babies than other parents because they cannot be left to themselves.
If you have to take care of childcare, it may be a good idea to work in short intervals while the children are asleep.
If you're fortunate enough to be able to work from your desk, while your spouse takes charge of your children, then you should plan your schedule so you can set a goal to leave your office every now and then, instead slaving yourself to your computer all day.
6. Nurture creative activities.
It's not realistic to expect your child to read a book while you work all day. If you're responsible for childcare, ensure that your children are engaged in play and encourage creativity.
You may find that switching between different toys or activities gives the child more time to play and encourages more intense play. It's a good idea to get your kids to play on their own.
If your children are content with a little screen time but you still need to be able to make crucial calls while focusing on other tasks, you can check out educational resources like Scholastic Learn at Home, online games that teach music and spelling skills, as well as virtual tours of museums.
7. Make sure you plan your meetings well.
Almost every parent working from home will have a few embarrassing mishaps to share.
While some interruptions are inevitable, and all you can do to laugh together, prepare for these interruptions by giving your children a a nonverbal "do not disturb" signal when you're on conference calls.
Of course, that isn't always going to work with free-roaming toddlers and in that case, it can be better to schedule calls during the normal hours of sleep. You might need to mute the phone or change the time, dependent on whether or not you have to take care of children.
8. Make use of technology to your benefit
The rise in remote work is due to the rise of cloud computing. Instead of having to exchange documents manually or sign in to user accounts on-site employees are now able to access the information they need to complete their work online.
It's now simpler than ever for you to work from your home using collaboration platforms like Microsoft Teams and project-management software like Trello.
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There are many things that can make a difference in your life, such as having fun creating your personal Zoom-based video conferencing background, or making a tech stack that makes your job much easier.
9. Learn when it is time to switch off.
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The challenge of balancing work and life is no longer a challenge. While many will praise the advantages of working from home, it's possible to feel like you're constantly working. This is why it's important to be aware of when you should switch off.
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Being a parent, chances are you'll need to allow for some flexibility when it comes to making your schedule for the day. It is important to be aware of when your day is over. This requires discipline, expectations setting and collaboration with your team. However, you must have clear boundaries to avoid stress.
