Tips for Working From Home With Kids

If you’re like most parents, you’ve found yourself juggling a whole new set of responsibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Working from home, with kids, and probably trying to homeschool those kids at the same time … it can be difficult, to say the least. Here are some tips.

Keep a routine.
All of us, kids and adults alike, work better when we have a set routine that we know we must follow. So, even if you only shower once every three days and your laundry is in a pile on the dining room table, at least make a rough schedule of school time, work time, free time and family time—and try to keep it.

Be honest with your employer.
Look, your boss knows that you’re going to be somewhat less productive at home, under stress, with your kids, than you were in your nice, quiet office. Your boss is probably going through the very same thing right now. If you need to schedule a phone call around your child’s Zoom meeting with a teacher or if you need more flexibility with your hours, just ask.

Accept that screens are part of your life.
Yes, your kids are going to have more screen time than is probably good for them. No, that doesn’t make you a bad parent. It makes you a human who has to keep a house full of people safe, happy, fed and (somewhat) educated.

Be realistic.
This is the single most important thing you can do for yourself, your kids and everyone’s sanity. Just be realistic about what you can accomplish in a day, prioritize what must get done over what you would like to get done, and learn to accept it. You are, after all, performing two full-time jobs right now. Cut yourself some slack.