7 Tips for Working at Home (even with kids)
Hi. Welcome. You’re probably here for one of two reasons. 1) The recent COVID-19 pandemic has afforded you the opportunity to work from home. And you’re perhaps taking to the Google to figure out how. Don’t worry; I’ve got you. Or, 2) you’ve taken the leap to start a business of your own, and your new headquarters is home sweet home.
Regardless of the reason, I have a few tips that can help, especially if you have kids at home (at any age). Some are riddled with sarcasm because if I'm honest, you’ve got to have a little humor to make this all work.
But first, here’s my backstory as to why I feel justified in labeling myself a work at home expert. About a year and a half ago, I said goodbye to the corporate world and took my creative agency fulltime. So, what does that mean? You got it; my guest bedroom became my HQ. Before that, I was able to work from home a couple of days a week for more than three years, which primed me for entrepreneur life. For perspective, my tiny humans are currently 3 and 5—so, I’ve been doing this thing since my oldest was a newborn.
Tip 1—Some days are going to be better than others. Balancing #momlife and #worklife is hard. There’s no question about it. I purposely stack my calendar to knock out as much work as I can at the beginning of the week or on days that my kids aren’t at home. There’s no slacking during windows of productivity. The wheels are going to start falling off the wagon as the week drags on. Kids are going to have bad days. Something is going to throw off your routine. I say this because some days, you just have to walk away. Take the kids to the park. Play outside for a little bit longer, knowing that you worked like a mother when you could to allow for needed time-outs with no guilt.
Bonus tip: If you can send your kids to a mother’s day out program, or you have a family member that would love to keep your kids even just one day a week, take it. You need to have a few hours of clarity and quiet.
Tip 2—Hone your mom sense. You know what I am talking about? “That’s just an annoyed scream, it’s not actually a hurt scream.” If you aren’t already an expert in this discernment, get there. Know when you need to get up and intervein and know when you can yell from your office these go-to phrases:
“Be careful!”
“Be nice to your sister!”
“Don’t make me come in there!”
“What’s going on?”
Tip 3—Schedule Outside Time. You gotta do it. Just like you’d schedule prep time, a 30-minute meeting that could have been handled with an email, or taking an extra trip to the break room, make time to let your kids play outside. Encourage them to run, skip, play, get all of their energy out. Your productivity will crash if you keep them cooped up all day—Scouts honor.
Tip 4—Keep a routine. This applies to all the things. When it comes to your business, it is a business. Set yourself “office hours” and stick to them. I sit down at my computer at nearly the same time every day. I take breaks. I take lunch. And I walk away from my computer around the same time every day. This helps productivity, accountability, and everything in between. I even had another entrepreneur friend suggest posting your office hours or setting an out-of-office message for your emails when needed.
When it comes to kids, it has been my humble experience that they thrive on routine. They know when mama goes to work, and they have similar milestones throughout the day, too (i.e., breaks, meals, quitting time). They know when we’ll go outside. They know when it’s time for an activity. They even know when I have an important call, and I need their help to be quiet and patient with me. For everyone’s sanity, it’s best not to let the day become a free-for-all.
If you have really tiny humans at home, learn to structure your schedule around theirs. If you’re feeding every few hours, know that you need to take a break during that time or plan to tackle something easy and portable. If they have a consistent nap schedule, there are your windows of productivity—use them wisely. Translation, scroll through TikTok while you feed, knock out serious work while they’re sleeping.
Tip 5—Don’t try to be a housewife, too. I’m kind of kidding, but I’m not. You cannot do everything. You cannot be all things to all people. If working from home has taught me anything, it’s this. You’ll quickly learn how to prioritize what needs to get done each day. You’ll find that making sure the kids get to play outside to maintain sanity is more important than organizing your closet.
Tip 6—Screen time is a reality. I don’t advocate sticking your child with a tablet all day, but in some cases, it’s needed. You’d be surprised how much you can get done with an hour or even 30 minutes of uninterrupted work time. Have a client call that you have to take? Screen time and snacks. By no means do you want to give screen time to your children all day long (for a lot of reasons). By rationing it, you’re better able to present it to them when you really, really need them to be quiet.
Bonus Tip: When I’ve had unexpected client calls pop up, and the kids were wild, I’ve stepped out on the porch for a few minutes. I can peek through the windows to check on the kids and violently wave at them to get back inside, all while taking care of business.
Tip 7—Focus. If you’ve worked in an office, you’re probably better at this already than you think. Kids are going to interrupt you. Even with structure, they’re unpredictable. You’ve got to learn to go from breaking up a fight, changing a diaper, etc. right back to your work at hand. I don’t really have any advice on how to become better at this. This one is mostly a reality of working at home.
The Conclusion. I’m not perfect, I don’t always get it right, and Mary Poppins definitely does not live at our house. But knowing that I can steal as many kisses and hugs from my kids throughout the day and have them sit in my lap while I “bring home the bacon” makes the chaos worth it. Hang in there, mama, you’re doing an awesome job.