Balancing being a mother and working from home isn’t easy. Trust me, mama, I know. While it’s nice to work from home and be in my own space, taking care of my kids at the same time makes for a challenging day. After all, being a mom is a full-time job in itself!
As a mother of 4 who also works from home, this work-life balance is something I manage every day. And luckily, I do think I’ve learned some ways to manage it over the years!
If this is your situation as well, it’s important to learn how to work from home with kids. It’s crucial for your productivity and success! However, it’s also crucial to prioritize meeting your child’s needs and ensuring their happiness.
If you’ve found yourself struggling with this, I’m glad you’re here! There are things you can try to help your household run as smoothly as possible, and that’s exactly what I want to share with you today!
With that said, here is my list of tips for working parents on how to work from home with kids. While it might take a bit of time, as well as some trial and error, to figure out what works best for you and your family, it’s worth taking the time!
How To Work From Home With Kids
Create A Dedicated Home Office Space
If you’re working from home long-term, working for hours at the kitchen table will be difficult. It’s easier to get distracted. Plus, you might be trying to work in the same space your kids are playing. A dedicated home office or a space just for work can be so valuable in helping you focus and be productive.
A home office will likely be a more comfortable place or quieter space to take any video calls or conference calls throughout the day. Think your spare bedroom, your basement, a nice corner in your master bedroom, or even in your unused attic space. Whenever you’re in your office, you can let your kids know that you’re working so it’s not the best time to come in and play with noisy toys.
Create A Family Schedule
When you feel overwhelmed by multiple demands, creating and sticking to a family schedule can alleviate stress and ensure smoother daily routines. It can be difficult to keep track of everyone’s work, school, and social schedules, and you don’t want to forget anything important.
You can create a digital calendar or keep one on your fridge that you and your family members can check throughout the day. This helps everyone stay on the same page and everyone has access to any information they need throughout the day, especially older kids. Since you’re working remotely, adding times for when you need quiet hours is one thing you can include on the calendar.
Set Clear Boundaries
It’s important to set clear boundaries with your job. When you want family time, avoid getting dragged into work tasks or late meetings. For example, you could set up your schedule in a way that prevents people from scheduling meetings too late in the day or before you want to start work.
If your kids are old enough, you can also explain to your kids what you are doing and what you need from them when it’s time to work. This is more difficult with younger kids, but setting clear boundaries like quiet time or not going into the mom’s office when she’s on a call is something you can teach to older children.
Prepare For The Day The Night Before
One way to start the day off on a good note is by preparing the night before. This way, you’ll have fewer things to manage early the next morning. You can pull out your kid’s outfits for the next day ( as well as your own ), put together any lunches or snacks, check the calendar to remind yourself of what’s happening the next day, and more.
Mornings can be one of the toughest parts of any day, so this is one way to make things run smoothly from the get-go. It may also help you feel less stressed knowing that you’re already somewhat prepared for the day ahead.
Figure Out What Needs To Be Prioritized
On busy days, decide which work tasks are most important to get done and complete those first. This can be the hardest to implement but it’s so important for success. Prioritize the most important tasks first. This way, even if the day gets away from you or interruptions are constant, you’ll have completed the crucial tasks and can tackle other work as it comes.
If you struggle with getting things done throughout the day, check out my post on time management tips for working moms. You’ll be able to get things done with time left to take care of yourself and your kids!
Communicate With Your Coworkers
Don’t be afraid to speak up about your child being sick or about the times you need to be offline. You don’t need to hide from your manager or coworkers that your kids are at home as you work. You’ll find coworkers who are in similar situations who completely understand why you need to adjust your work schedule here and there!
Also, chances are your child will run into your office during a Zoom call at least once no matter how much you’ve tried to avoid it!
Ask For Help
Don’t feel like you have to take all of the household responsibilities on yourself! When you need support, lean on your spouse and any family or friends you trust. On the most hectic days, having someone who will be willing to take the kids out of the house for a couple of hours will be a massive gift. You may also be able to lean on any older kids.
If you don’t have family or friends close by, professional help is also an option. A housekeeper or a nanny who comes a couple of times a week to take some things off your plate can make a massive difference in your day!
Let Go Of Screen Time Rules (Sometimes)
I try to prevent my kids from spending too much time looking at their screens, but some screen time is unavoidable at this point. Sometimes you need to just make an exception, especially when it’s for a work-related reason like a call. Luckily, there are plenty of apps that are fun and educational so you can make sure your child is benefiting from the screen time.
Embrace Nap Time Or The Early Morning
Use your child’s nap time to power through work tasks. If possible, start your day early and get ahead before your child wakes up.
At the start of the workday, jot down a to-do list with tasks to tackle during nap time or before your child wakes up. This way, you can dive straight into your priorities as soon as you get a moment. This is easier when you have a young child who is on a regular and predictable sleep schedule, but it can be some much needed quiet time.
Prioritize Self-Care
It’s easy to forget about taking care of yourself throughout the day. It often falls to the bottom of the priority list, but self-care doesn’t need to be complicated. You can keep a bottle of water at your desk or nourishing foods to keep you feeling good throughout the day.
One way I practice self-care is by meditating each morning before I check social media or email. This helps me start the day off with a clear mind and intentions set. I also love taking some time for a bath or reading a book. It’s easy to start feeling overwhelmed and that you’re approaching burnout, but prioritizing self-care will only help you as a mother and worker.
Tell me the tips that you have for parents who work from home!
Moms already carry so much stress on our shoulders, so I hope these tips help you and your family. Working part-time or full-time while also being a caregiver means you have many things to juggle, but it won’t last forever. For other helpful posts like this one, check out the blog and if you’re struggling with anxiety as a mom, check out this post!
If you know any moms who work remotely, here’s a list of gifts for work-from-home moms if you want to brighten their day!
