Welcome to the year of silver linings! 2020 has certainly been a challenging one, but we are choosing to embrace the uncertainty and chase the rainbows as much as we can. One of our favorite silver linings from this pandemic is the fact that we can work from home. We can certainly all celebrate not commuting to an office every day. That perk alone gives us some new found time to spend with our families, squeeze in some exercise, or even have a proper breakfast. However, we understand that by now, you may have a bit of WFH fatigue. With that in mind, we’ve rounded up our top 10 tips to help make your life as a work from home parent a little sweeter. We hope this blog brings a bit of understanding and perspective to your day. We are in this together!
1. PRIORITIZE
Prioritizing is by far your best asset when working from home. If you can analyze your day ahead of time and plan out the most important tasks to be done while the kids are occupied, you’ve just nailed working from home. This may mean adjusting your schedule a bit to make important meetings coincide with a quiet activity, giving you the peace and space you need to be productive. You may also have to wake up an hour earlier to work or answer emails after the children go to bed, as this may be the only quiet part of your day. If prioritizing your work means hiring a nanny, we can certainly help you there!
2. COMMUNICATE
Be open and honest about your situation with your boss. Chances are they are in the same boat and will be understanding and even accommodating. Laying it all out there will give you peace of mind (and perhaps even a chuckle) when your 2-year-old son bursts into your Zoom meeting to tell you he just went pee-pee on the potty!
3. SET REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS
Sit your family down and explain how your work day looks. Perhaps share the times in they day where you know you’ll be available to them. Having structure will give the children an idea of what is expected and will help map out times where you can be most productive. If you need to be in a meeting, explain ahead of time what that looks like, maybe do a mock Zoom call and have them be a part of it.
4. TAKE BREAKS
During a normal day at the office, you may sit down and work for several hours before getting out of your seat. While working from home, taking small, frequent breaks will be beneficial for all. This could look like working for 50 minutes and then taking a 10 minute break to check in with your children. Or check in with yourself by doing a 5 minute meditation. A short break is a sure way to get everyone back on track.
5. SET BOUNDARIES
Make sure your family (and your nanny if you have one), understands that working means actually getting work done. Have the children make you a sign for your door, one side can say “quiet please” while the other side says “visitors welcome.” Make your work day a game for the children so that if you get all of your work done, they get to have your full attention later.
6. PRACTICE GRATEFULNESS
It’s easy to despair when situations get tough, so practicing gratefulness is a simple way to stay positive. Try thinking about about how lucky you are for your family to be safe and together during this time. Or jot down a quick list of all of the things you are grateful for. You will find that keeping your mind in a state of gratefulness will do wonders for your mental health. After all, even during life’s toughest times, we all have things we can be grateful for.
7. REWARD GOOD BEHAVIOR
Did you just make it through an entire virtual meeting or phone call uninterrupted? Woo hoo! Reward your children with praise, thank them for their cooperation and perhaps even spend a bit of time with them to show your appreciation. If you have older children that may respond better to a more tangible reward, maybe you give them 20 minutes of screen time. Toddler learning shows and Math Prodigy are fun ways to reward children while also giving you some time to work.
8. ASK FOR HELP
Tap into your resources for people who can help out with the kids. Do you have a partner in the home that can tag team throughout the day with you? Perhaps there is an older child at home that would love to earn a few extra dollars. Or even a trusted neighbor that would love to give you a break. Think “Village” and tap into it but remember we are always here for you with Educated Nannies that are ready to help if needed.
9. THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX
Think about how to maximize your time working while limiting stress. This may mean working when the children are not around. Talk to your boss about ways to be flexible with your hours and workday. Is there a project that you can work on after the children go to sleep? Do you have a client on another coast or across the globe that can Zoom in the early mornings when the house is still quiet? Your employer will appreciate your willingness to be flexible and you will appreciate the uninterrupted time, win-win!
10. DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF
Under “normal” circumstances you may limit or even forbid screen time during the day. While we’d all love our children to read more and watch less, sometimes we just need some peace and quiet! Working from home during a pandemic is one of those times where worrying less about screen time is 1000% allowed. We will all survive and thrive and if that means a little more Daniel Tiger in our lives, so be it.
WE HOPE YOU THIS HELPS YOU STRESS LESS AND ACCOMPLISH MORE WHILE YOU NAVIGATE WORKING FROM HOME!
If you are interested in hiring an educated nanny, please visit us at www.educatednannies.com
