Work from home with family can be a severe challenge. Know how you can surpass it.
Working from home with family is a scenario that we never had to deal with it before. So, when everything closed (including schools), we had to change our routines drastically and have the entire family at home for months. Suddenly our daily life got more complicated; we had to learn how to work in the same space with your spouse and your kids.
Having to focus and work from home with family for eight hours straight is challenging, and it became exhaustive. Eventually, for the first week or so, you may have approached this situation like a vacation, with little structure around schedule or duties. However, quickly everything turned into a frustrating situation for the entire family: adults cannot focus and get work done as they should, and the kids went wild without a fixed routine and discipline.
If you have experienced this situation, you know exactly what we are talking about, and you probably got to the realization that like this could not go any longer. It’s not only you don’t have space and time to work, but you also have different roles to perform simultaneously. You have to be an efficient worker, be a good parent, support homeschooling, get a hold of the house, prepare meals, do the laundry. It can rapidly become chaotic!
Maintain routines
The first step is to keep a daily structure, so maintain the same routine you typically had. Beyond the benefits of familiarity, maintaining a regular schedule will give you firm guideposts for building your work and childcare schedules. Having a clear routine for the whole family will provide you with the structure you need to remain productive.
It is all about time
To balance your daily routine, you need to learn how to manage your time. You must focus on what needs to be done shortly and break it down by tasks that have to be done at a specific time. It is also super helpful if you can share the responsibility of having everything under control with someone else. It does not matter if it is a spouse, brother, sister, mom, dad, uncle. Just ask for help!
Make time to be with your kids
It may seem that you spend the whole day with your kids, but you do not share quality time. Make sure you block some time on your schedule to do some specific task with your kids, even if it is just 20 minutes a day. Take that time to do some fun activities, like play Legos, watch some cartoons or even cooking. Supporting them with homework or school-related tasks it is not considered family time, so you probably want to face that time as your second job. Once your kids realize that they will have your full attention throughout the day, they will be more relaxed and more willing to give you some time out while you work.
Have time for yourself
Above all, you must have time alone. So you can maintain your sanity and motivation. It does not matter if it’s only 10 minutes a day to sit alone with your morning coffee cup and have some peace! If you’re kids go to bed early, take that time to yourself. If not, opt to take some minutes to read a book or take a relaxing bath late into the night.
In conclusion, working from home with your family is more than challenging. It can be the bigger challenge our generation can face, but try to make the most of it. Don’t be too hard on yourself and give some time to adjust to this new life. Be positive and try to find the method that works best for you, there’s no right formula.
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