Are you having a guilty moment because your work from home takes an extreme amount of time away from your kids? Well, you are not the only one. The trick is to strike a balance between your professional life and personal space that you’re comfortable with. Here are ways to assist you in paying attention to both your kids as well as work from home.
1. Make Your Kids as part of Your Routine
Small steps can help you manage time and incorporate family in your routine.
- Have breakfast together; your kids will appreciate and enjoy it.
- Create a regular fun/playtime together with them. It will also help you avoid over-working.
- Keep a night session about storytelling or poems – to engage with them and enhance their creativity.
2. Keep your Kids Entertained
While some parents think that gadgets are the only way to entertain their kids, other healthier options can actually help them learn better.
- Dig up plenty of those puzzles and coloring books for your kids.
- Board games and construction toys are just some of the interesting things that keep kids occupied for hours. Design some craft for kids or put them on DIY.
- You can also arrange an outdoor playground where your toddler can have fun throughout.
- Get off your workday early, take a virtual vacation along with your kids and show them places you will visit with them in future.
3. Create Rules, Establish a Habit, and Share it with your Kids
Below are some pro-tips to put a lovely rule book at home.
- Involve your kids in cooking and have meals together.
- Set an emergency code with your kids, explaining to them that your work is important and so are they. So the next time they need you, all they got to do is use the signal you decided together.
- Make sure you ask your kid about how their day went and make them feel listened to. Tell them about how your day went as well.
4. Take Care of Yourself
When you work home, career and family can blend in such a seamless way that it looks like there isn’t any time for yourself. However, you want to make time for what’s important for your mental and physical health.
- Prioritize building a schedule that has some time for you as well
- Live a spa day with a long shower and pampering yourself with a face pack
- Create an exercise routine to feel confident and upbeat
- Spend some me-time on the couch with a book and pasta
- Organise a video chat with your old school and college friends; get in touch digitally.
That said, spending time along with your family is likely one of the key reasons that you work from home. The focus is quality time with your kids and time management will help you achieve it.
5. Stop Beating Yourself Up and Count Your Blessings
Think of all the working people with full-time jobs and long commutes. One of the good things about working from home is that you simply have a lot of opportunities to be with your kids and do things you love!
Working remotely means that you not only get to work at home, but live there, too.
Image source: Parenting Vectors by Vecteezy