The global COVID-19 pandemic has been making everyone feel edgy for months now. Politicians and governments are struggling to keep the economy afloat while working parents are dealing with their own share of problems. At the same time, they have to work remotely and look after their kids. Homeschooling and remote work happened overnight. No wonder most parents can’t seem to adjust to new work and family dynamics. If you are one of those parents, then our guidelines are perfect for you.

Rely on Communicative Tools

When you work in an office, you have only the best tools and IT support at your disposal. However, when you start working remotely, you are responsible for all your equipment, software, and devices. The company should equip you with everything you need to do your job right. In most cases, the equipment and software are the same as you used in the office.

Still, working in an office and working from home are two different things. In an office, managers or coworkers are in the cubicle next to yours or an office down the hallway. Coordinating team projects and communicating is challenging. The ideal solution would be to explore alternatives to teams and other communicative tools to overcome all obstacles related to remote work. This way, you will be able to receive all relevant information and have everything under control in the virtual workplace.

Source: Pexels 

Prepare Schedules 

Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, you have to deal with homeschooling apart from working remotely and running a household. With so many responsibilities, staying on top of things is impossible. Working parents all around the world share the same problems.

Is there an efficient way to juggle it all? There is no ideal solution, but most parents find making fixed schedules resembling regular school or kindergarten days incredibly useful. You could follow their usual routine. Wake them up on time, prepare and serve breakfast, get them dressed and ready for online classes. Then in between their nap time, lunch breaks, and cartoons or TV time, you can get most of your work done.

Surely, planning all activities to the smallest details is impossible because children are unpredictable. Therefore, when you start planning, make sure to add slightly more time for activities than usual. Moreover, try to organize engaging at-home activities for the kids. If possible, include your kids in schedule preparation and allow them to share their ideas. Make it a family activity.

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Rotate with Your Spouse 

Chances are you and your partner both work from home during the pandemic. While having everyone at home all day every day is insupportable, it can significantly make remote work easier. Depending on your workloads and work hours, you can switch shifts, so both of you manage to do your job and take care of the kids and household. For example, if you have to start working early in the morning, your spouse can take over the usual morning routine and prepare breakfast, feed the kids, and get them ready on time for homeschooling.

If for whatever reason, rotation with your partner isn’t an option, then you can always spend extra time on planning schedules and staying organized. While kids are still sleeping in the morning, you can get an early start and collect all their scattered toys around the living room and declutter your home office. This way, when they take a nap during the day, you can squeeze in a couple of hours of work instead of cleaning the house.

Source: Pexels 

Set Rules for Your Kids 

Apart from communicating with colleagues and rotating with a spouse, you should set rules for your kids, especially if they are older. During the pandemic, letting them play video games and watch TV longer than usual is justified. It is the easiest way to keep them occupied for some time during the day. However, if you decide to go down this road, you should first explain the situation to your kids. It is important to make them understand that having more tech time isn’t something that will be allowed when the pandemic is over. 

Additionally, you can discuss other boundaries with your kids. For instance, when you have to work, they shouldn’t disturb you and crash your video calls. You can ask them to draw STOP and GO signs for your home office doors. Every time they see a stop sign, they shouldn’t enter the room unless there is an emergency. On the other hand, when you leave a go sign on the door, they can come in.

Source: Pexels 

You aren’t the only working parent that is struggling. It probably doesn’t feel like it these days, but as you start adjusting to remote work with kids, things are bound to become better in time.