Laptop Lifestyle
4 Golden Rules For Living The
Laptop Lifestyle
How to balance working from home with kids
Establish some ground rules
Set some ground rules and stick
to them. For example, if the kids see you with headphones on, they need to know
that means you're on a call and can't be disturbed unless it's urgent. Create
some easy cues they can see so they can tell when there's a boundary they ought
not to cross.
Communicate
Most kids will understand that
when you're working from home you need to get actual work done. Firm
communication that teaches them about your work day and commitments is key. For
example, while I was working yesterday, both my step-sons were home from
school. I explained to them that I had an important call and that for those 30
minutes, I needed them to keep a little quieter than usual.
Schedule time for work and kids
It may be a work day but if the
kids are around you need to make time for them. Plan your day so there's a mix
between work, play, and other activities. For example, schedule meal breaks and
allow for time every hour to chat, organize an activity, or join in with playtime. Although you're likely to be called away from the schedule, setting
expectations lets the kids have something to look forward to throughout the
day. For example, my son really likes wrestling with me on the floor. So,
we have time for that each day. Or, promise to play a board game, kick a ball, or watch a movie or TV show with them.
Map out the day and plan an
activity each hour.
Be creative
If you're planning to work from
home, have a list of different activities you can use to keep the kids busy.
Mix up indoor and outdoor play - six hours of iPad time is not a good way
to encourage healthy life habits. It helps if your kids are into sports or
outdoor games but board and role-playing games, crafts, simple science
experiments (making a can implode is fun), drawing, and story writing are all
good ways for kids to express themselves and do something different.
On the work side, if you need an
escape hatch with some quiet, why not take calls and process email in the car,
where it's quiet, while it's parked in the driveway and the kids are playing
outside. Or do your admin tasks on a laptop while you're at the park.
Involve the kids in your work
When you plan your work day, look
for opportunities to involve kids in your work. For example, when I think about
story ideas I sometimes ask the kids what stories they think are most
interesting and why. I get them to read some of my work and ask them to write
about things that interest them. That way, we're working together. If they have
a school project, we sit together at the kitchen table and work alongside each
other.
What do you do when you're
working from home with the kids around? Do you have some tried and tested tips
that work for you? We'd love to hear about them in the comments.
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