Everything is up in the air right now and a lot of parents are working from home for the first time. Managing work, home, kid’s behaviors, and home schooling can be exhausting.
There are a lot of misconceptions about working from home. Most people who have never had the luxury of it think it’s super easy. However, they will soon find out that it is not.
If you are not used to working from home, it can be difficult to adjust and make sure that you are productive. If you are working from home and finding it hard to balance work and managing your children, here are a few tips to help you adjust.
Related Post: Daily Schedule for Working at Home With Babies and Toddlers
1. Create A Separate Work Space
Even though you are working from home, you still need to separate your work and professional life. If you try to work while sitting in front of the TV, you will be in relaxation mode and not work mode, and that makes it hard to stay productive.
It also means that you won’t feel like you have left work behind at the end of the day. You need to find an area of the house, even if it is just a table in the kitchen, that you can use as your designated work area.
At the end of the day, you can step away into a different area of the house and it will still feel as though you are leaving work.
2. Keep Your Rituals
This is an important one that helps you to feel a little bit more normal, which is important when things are changing a lot.
Small rituals and habits that you normally have can help a lot, like your morning coffee, for example. If you like to pick up a nice coffee on the way to work, you should order some good quality coffee from a company like Rook Coffee and try to recreate the experience.
You can even put it in a travel mug so it feels more like a takeaway coffee. Small things like this help you to stay in the working mindset and carry on as you normally would.
You should also get up and dress in your work clothes because it has a big impact on your mindset as well.
3. Set A Routine
It’s so easy to fall out of the normal work routine that you would have, especially if you are at home with kids and you have to look after them while you are also working. But you can still build a new schedule that fits around other responsibilities.
When you divide the day up into portions and have a clear schedule in place, you will find that you get a lot more done. If possible, try to finish work at the same time as you normally would.
Just because you are working from home, that doesn’t mean that you don’t need your downtime.
4. Set Limits
People sometimes find it hard to wrap their head around the concept of working from home, and they think that just because you are in the house, you are free to run errands or chat on the phone.
It is important that you set limits and make it clear to your friends and family that they shouldn’t disturb you during work hours.
Related Post: 21 Genius Tips to Being Home with a Toddler and a Newborn
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Adjusting to working from home can be tough, but these simple tips should make the transition a lot easier. Check out this post for more tips on working from home with babies and toddlers.
Marissa is a Pediatric Occupational Therapist turned stay-at-home mom who loves sharing her tips, tricks, and ideas for navigating motherhood. Her days are filled starting tickle wars and dance parties with three energetic toddlers and wondering how long she can leave the house a mess until her husband notices. When she doesn’t have her hands full of children, she enjoys a glass (or 3) of wine, reality tv, and country music. In addition to blogging about all things motherhood, she sells printables on Etsy and has another website, teachinglittles.com, for kid’s activity ideas.
