Guest post by Janice Janice Russell of parentingdisasters.com.
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According to a study by Owl Labs, 62 percent of American workers between the ages of 22 and 65 say they work remotely at least some of the time, and that number is only expected to rise as more companies innovate and technology advances. Many work-from-home employees have young children who spend at least part of their day at home during their parent’s work hours. Because parenting and job duties can sometimes cause conflict in your life, it’s important to seek resources that help you establish a productive work-life balance.
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1. Stick to a Schedule
If you’re scheduled to work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. as a condition of your employment, it’s essential that you keep those hours. If your children are old enough to care for themselves in a separate part of your home, then you can provide them with age-appropriate activities, and stress that they should only interrupt you if there’s an emergency. For babies and toddlers, you should arrange reliable child care that can support your family during work hours.
When you work from home, it can be easy to feel like you’re always at work. If you spend every extra minute checking emails or trying to get ahead, you’ll miss out on precious moments with your little ones, and they’ll notice. Therefore, it is imperative to establish and commit to family time every day. Playing outside, eating meals as a family, or reading together before bedtime, are wonderful ways to cultivate meaningful relationships with your young children.
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2. Create a Distraction-Free Workspace
To ensure your kids understand your boundaries during the workday, you should have a designated workspace in your home. It may be a spare bedroom that you convert into an office or a corner of your dining room set up with your laptop and headset. Either way, make sure your children understand that when you’re in this space, you are working and not to be bothered. If you have an in-home helper for child care, you can ask him or her to pretend as though you are not home during your work hours.
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3. Get Comfortable
Parenting is full-time work, and so is your actual job. Therefore, though many remote employees are still expected to dress in business casual attire, you should prioritize your comfort. A soft knit blazer, flats with microfiber insoles and a quality pair of leggings that look like work pants, keep you looking professional but allow you the comfort and flexibility you need to chase your little ones around.
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4. Leave Your House
When you went to an office every day, chances are you took breaks, left for lunch, or took short walks to stretch your legs. Now that you work from home, it’s important to retain that personal time and space so you can remain focused and avoid burnout. If you are the sole child care provider during your work hours, you can use this time to let your toddler expend some energy at the neighborhood playground.
Many work-from-home parents struggle with self-care. If you have a family member, friend, or hired help who can take over for a while, you should use that bit of time for rejuvenating your mind, body, and spirit.
Working remotely with young children can be challenging, but if you incorporate these tips with a bit of planning and consistency, you can thrive in your career and family life.
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I hope you found this guest article helpful! Find more from Janice at parentingdisasters.com.