The Busy Parent’s Guide to Working From Home

Written collaboratively with Joyce Wilson from Teacher Spark, who worked as a teacher for decades. She believes knowledge is the key to a more successful and fruitful life.

Have you recently begun working from home? If you’re a parent, you might be struggling to watch your kids, take care of your household, and get all of your work done to your clients’ and partners’ satisfaction. How can you balance working full time with parenting and stop chaos in your household before it starts? Courtesy of Nurtured Pediatrics, these resources will help you keep stress levels to a minimum, choose activities that will keep your kids engaged, and hire the help you need to tackle it all.

Minimize Stress

You may feel frazzled right now, but prioritizing these stress-management solutions can help you feel like you’ve gotten a handle on your professional and personal obligations.

●      If you haven’t already, it’s time to create a work diary and to make daily entries a habit. This can help you stay on top of projects, meetings, deadlines and your schedule. It’s really a must-have for a busy entrepreneur.

●      Set aside a few minutes to meditate each day. Here’s an ultimate guide on how to get started that will help you add this mindfulness practice to your routine, which can have positive short-term and long-term effects on your stress levels.

●      Set boundaries with your children so that they know when you can’t be interrupted.

●      Establish a morning routine that your family follows day in and day out to create stability.

●      Work with your children on personal anger management skills so that they can self-soothe and avoid giving into chaos without your assistance.

Keep Your Children Entertained

You’ll be focused on your work for most of the day, so make sure that your kids have everything they need to entertain themselves and have fun on their own.

●      Encourage your kids to engage in solo activities, such as playing with blocks.

●      Invest in high-quality, age-appropriate tech for your kids, like a tablet.

●      Teach your kids to clean up when they’re done playing to save yourself some time.

Ask for Help

No parent can handle everything on their own, and there is no shame in asking for assistance when you need it. Hiring help could be the key to managing your to-do list.

●      Budget about $100 to $300 to hire a professional cleaning service to clean your home.

●      If your household still feels chaotic, and you live in an area with a low number of COVID-19 cases, you may be able to hire a babysitter.

●      Look for ways to automate aspects of your business. For example, if you have a small staff, look for a payroll platform that automates time tracking, payouts and tax filing.

As a stay-at-home parent, you may worry that you won’t be able to put in your best effort at work or manage your own household tasks. But with the right approach, you can give it your all as a professional and a parent. With these resources on hand, you’ll be able to stay on top of all of your responsibilities.

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