If you’re a mom, you’re most likely a work from home mom even if you don’t hava a job. It’s the reality, you work. All day! If you did have a job you did outside the home, you’re likely now a work from home mama. If you’re not a mom, this all probably sounds alien to you, and it should. You can’t really fathom how challenging and time consuming it is to have kids (I sure didn’t) even if they’re the best behaved kids (most aren’t) 🙂 . I’ve been a work from home mama for as long as I’ve been mother, so I don’t know any different. Even so, with sheltering at home orders, and school canceled indefinitely, my schedule looks different now too! Here’s my best work from home mom tips! And the reality of what it looks like now.
1. Mute distractions
Before Covid-19
Kistractions, ok, I’m not even talking about the actual kids in question but all the other distractions. To be my most productive, I turn off my phone notifications, turn off TV and music (I will start dancing) and either tune in to a podcast or just be on alert for the kids’ noises that signal trouble. If I’m working on my desktop, I close out my email tabs if I’m not replying to email to resist urge to procrastinate. I’m pretty good at drowning out noise, even the kids playing. If you’re not, be somewhere you can see them even if you have headphones in. My kids are too young to let them roam the house/yard without me. So being able to see or hear them is key to me not feeling anxious about their wearabouts.
During Quarantine
So now it’s not just muting distractions but muting the news and the stock market reports. It’s muting your fear of your loved ones being save, keeping your job, your livelihood and more. Sometimes, you can’t and won’t be productive. You’ll just want to hug your kids and that’s ok. Squeeze them tight.
2. Set timers
Before COVID-19
A lot of my work from home for both MaZi Dance Fitness and my blog requires me to be jumping from tab to tab. Sometimes, it requires me to open up social media! This is a huge time wasting liability, so I try to set timers. Otherwise, it’s really easy to suddenly be down a rabbit hole because of a retailer I went to grab an item for. Or suddenly, I’m now in someone’s live chat. Ugh. I know I have a set amount of time to complete a task. When the time is over, it’s time to move on!
During Quarantine
These timers mean nothing. Even my alarm clock is a joke. Ask a loved one to check in on you and remind you to take a break. Sometimes that type of “timer” is the best reminder that you have to move on to the next thing.
3. Schedule in time to play
Before COVID-19
Usually this time to play while I work from home is not scheduled as much as I alot time to it. I never know how the day is gonna unfold! This is really helpful not only for me to get a break but so that the kids don’t think I’m a robot! I let the boys know I can play X many rounds of hide and seek, or do a Paw Patrol mission or make something with them. Once that’s over, I tell them I have to get back to work so I can play with them later.
During Quarantine
We’re never not playing. So you all want to sit on me while I finish this blog post? There’s a dozen other chairs to sit on, but come here and sit on me with your heavy little body while I try not to rebreak my nose. Probably one of the most important work from home mom tips is to keep having fun!
4. Scheduling homeschooling while you work from home
Pre COVID-19
It’s one thing to work from home with a baby or tiny tot that just needs to be entertained. While that is not easier, at least there are no expectations for the family to produce veritible learning results. I would squeeze everything out of the 2 hour naps the boys took a couple of years ago! Before COVID-19 I wouldn’t have dreamt of being a homeschool teacher. Even with all the gun violence and fear that it induced to drop off my children at school, I knew that they were better off with teachers learning than with me.
During Quarantine
Now with a kindergartener learning to read, the owness is on us, his parents, to make sure he’s ready for 1st grade! It’s felt stressful. A couple of weeks into quarantine (IL has some of the strictest efforts), my son’s teacher called me to ask where all of his work was. It reminded me of my school days. I was not the best student, a great test taker but really bad with assignments and turning stuff in. I started crying on the spot (probably from unresolved childhood trauma) and told her that while we had done the assignments I hadn’t figured out how to upload or had the time to “record” him doing them. It all felt like so much. Not only are we stir crazy, and trying to be productive with our own jobs, but now we have to produce 1st graders.
We try to get homework done shortly after breakfast, seperating the 4 year old from the 6 year old. That being a challenge in of itself. Professional home schoolers report that a 6 year old only needs 60-90 minutes a day, so that’s we do! Most days.
5. Head outside while working from home
Pre COVID-19
If the weather allows, head outside and work! Some of the most productive sessions when I work from home are when I can go outside with my laptop. The kids can get energy out and I can get Vitamin D and some fresh air. Springs in Chicago are super tricky, so we don’thave a ton of those days. However, if we do have nice day, we spend half time out there!
During Quarantine
This is one of the items that’s pretty consistent then and now. It’s so necessary!
Other work from home mom tips!
1)Plan Meals ahead of time- we make breakfast menu fixed and lunch easy to prep.
2)Don’t be afraid of the big bad screen time. One of the most helpful things the pediatrician ever told me was to not be afraid to use whatever I needed to get through the next 5 minutes. Including screen time. He said this when I went from 1-2 kids. Now during shelter at home, I keep that in mind.
3) Ask your partner for help. Men are capable too! We try to divvy up the work depending on who has more to do.
4) Exercise! I know this seems like I’m joking but I’m infinitely more productive, kinder and more level headed on the days I work out.
5) Don’t work 7 days a week! We all need a day to do nothing! Pick the day that’s right for you.
Before I let you go, I wanted to share with you We Are Cabinet! They are a company that’s currently delivering curated kits to minimize your runs to the pharmacy. The kits include fever reducers, allergy medications, cold & flu capsules and hand sanitizers. You can get them all online, and the best part is that they are #paywhatyoucan! I don’t have much time to run to the store anyway, so appreciate the ability to grab these online!
I saw an awesome quote the other day about the role of us as parents during this pandemics. It was something along the lines of how much our kids will look back one day and wonder how we made it seem like everything would be ok. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but it gave me inspiration to take care of myself, be cheerful when I don’t want to and be grateful for the present! Being a parent has always been challenging. I hope these work from home mom tips help you see that you’re not alone and that nobody really has it figured out! For working mom guilt tips see here, and mompreneur self care hack here. XO, Z