Ahhh, the perilous privilege of remote work. Being a professional in your PJ’s seems glamorous; but this rosy lifestyle comes with thorns, especially when you throw some energetic kids in the mix! This post shares practical ways you can survive–and thrive–working from home with kids.
Plus you can grab some FREE editable Learning from Home Schedule templates for your kids to use!
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My Journey to Working from Home as a Single Mom
As I write this, 161 cases of the COVID-19 / coronavirus were just confirmed in Florida. And that’s just one state out of 50.
Which leads to why you and your kids are probably stuck at home in the first place. Schools and businesses are temporarily closing left and right to avoid the spread of the “Big Corona.”
I know what it’s like to have a forced shift in your career due to tragedy. In 2009, my husband died of a sudden heart attack when our son was only 5 months old.
4 months later, I stepped inside my new classroom as a first year elementary school teacher. A grieving 24-year old widow, brand new single mom, and completely clueless.
I think I made a “Hot Mess” look really good! Thankfully, I also fell in love with my new career as a school teacher.
Fast forward almost 10 years later; I decided to take another brave leap and I left my brick-and-mortar classroom to become an online ESL teacher full-time.
It’s been some years since that leap, and I’m loving every minute of the laptop lifestyle. Teaching from home offers amazing perks for me as a single mom!
Plus, I’ve learned tons of practical ways to thrive with remote work while my son is home from school breaks.
Tips that I’m going to share with you right now…
How to Stay Productive With Remote Work
These productivity tips work whether you’re a teacher or not. Each tip in this section relates to your scheduling and space. I will provide separate tips for your kids in the next section!
Here’s how you can stay productive while working from home:
- Choose a designated “work area.” I’ve converted my formal dining room into my full-time office / classroom. You can choose any space available in your home–even a small closet will do. Just don’t work in your bed!
- Stick to a set schedule each day. It doesn’t have to be set in stone, but it really helps if you have a work routine that you consistently follow. This also helps your family adjust; more on that later.
ο»Ώ - Get dressed for work each day. Trust me, I know how tempting it is to just lounge around in your pajamas all day, every day. However, your productively will tank if you do this!
You don’t have to put on a business suit. Just choose comfortable, casual clothes that help your mind step out of lazy-mode while you work.
ο»Ώ - Don’t work while Netflix, Hulu, YouTube or any other of your favorite TV shows are playing near you. Yeah, just don’t do it.
In addition to these simple productivity tips, it also helps to turn off non-work notifications that pop up on your phone.
Yes, I know you want the latest news about the coronavirus, but an overconsumption of negative news reports will ruin your focus while working from home.
So ditch the non-essential. Doing this also allows you to be more attuned to helping your kids adjust to learning from home.
Working From Home With Kids
Working productively while under quarantine is one thing; doing it while your kids are home awakens an entirely new beast.
Depending on the age of your kids, they may require constant attention.
By implementing the tips in this section, not only will they help your work flow, but they will also help your kids adjust well.
- Talk to your kids about what’s changing and why. If you want a kid-friendly way to explain the coronavirus to younger kids, show them this fun animated video from Brain Pop.
- Set up schedules for your kids to follow. This schedule will need tweaking as you work it out, so don’t expect the first one to be perfect.
- Post the schedule in a place that’s easy for your kids to see. I post my son’s schedule on a clipboard that hangs on a command hook in his bedroom.
- Build in mini-workout breaks that involve your kids! We teachers call these “brain breaks” in the classroom. You need them and your kids need them. They can last from 10-20 minutes, and will allow everyone’s blood to get flowing for better productivity.
My son and I will do a quick Kids Zumba video on GoNoodle (free for teachers and parents) or YouTube.
- Establish a “work zone” for your kids too! They also need a distraction free space to get their school work completed. It also helps if you have school supplies organized in that same space.
I keep a clear 10-drawer container filled with everything my son may need for his work: glue sticks, pencils, sharpeners, paper, highlighters, etc. I also have a wicker basket filled with books and magazines.
That way, he gets his materials out to complete his work without interrupting me while I work.
Realistic Routine Changes That Work for the Whole Family
Let’s be real here, you need to still eat, sleep, and live your day-to-day life. But as my grandmother use to say, it’s the little foxes that spoil the vine!
Those everyday chores and habits can quickly eat up your time and derail your kids ability to focus.
So in order to survive working from home with kids, I’ve included this section of life hacks that work for the whole family!
- Meal prep and meal plan for one full week at a time. There are so many ways to keep track of a simple meal plan. You can use any blank calendar template to fill in Breakfast, Lunch, and dinner options. There are a million of them on Pinterest.
Or you can use Google Calendar. It’s free for anyone with a gmail account, plus it allows you to include links to your favorite recipes with your meal ideas.
- Choose your kids’ clothes for a full week in advance. Every Sunday, my son and I set out every outfit we’re going to wear for the week ahead. We iron what needs it and put all 6 outfits up in our closets.
Then each morning while I work from home, that’s one less thing to worry about. Plus, it makes our morning routine peaceful and easy.
- Give your kids age appropriate household chores to do. In fact, include them in your family’s daily schedule and post them on the fridge.
Teaching them to help around the house instills responsibility in them, and saves you time on having to do it all by yourself!
- Establish a visual signal to let your kids know not to interrupt you because you’re still working. When I teach my online students, I have a bright lamp turned on beside my chair.
That’s the signal to my son NOT to interrupt me unless it’s a huge emergency. When he sees the lamp turn off, he knows I’m free. - Train your kids to automatically complete extra or extension activities if you are still working. In the office pic above, my son drew a comic book story of the coronavirus.
This is one of the extra options I listed on a piece of paper for him to complete. Maybe your kids can build a box fort or Lego castle!
Just give them options in advance so you can wrap up your work without being interrupted with “I finished my school work. What can I do now?”
More Simple Tips When Working from Home with Kids
Not only is it possible to be productive while working from home with kids, it’s actually really cool.
Once you organize the details of your schedules, tweak your routines, and set up some work zones, you’ll be ready to soar!
The hidden blessings and perks add a richness to your life that have nothing to do with work anyway.
Like being able to:
- spend quality time talking about what matters most
- slowing down; not having to rush in order to get somewhere else
- eat lunch and dinner together as a family
- get a HUGE taste of what being a teacher is like!!! Then you will see why we should be paid millions. π€£
Ok, I couldn’t resist throwing that one in. Seriously though, if you haven’t experienced it already, working from home with kids will be a big eye-opener to what being a teacher is like.
If you want more productivity tips, here you go my new remote worker friend:
- Apps That Help Me Teach Efficiently
- Resources to Help Teachers & Parents with a School Closure
- Gmail Hacks Every Teacher Should Know (or anyone else for that matter!)
- The Best FREE Literacy Apps for Kids
Happy Working / Homeschooling!
