How to Get Work Done While your Children are Around

Thanks to technological improvements and better Internet, more and more people are working from home. A lot of companies even obligate their employees to work at least one day a week from home. It’s better for the environment, saves time and costs, and research shows that it increases productivity.

However, if you have children running around, especially very young ones, it can be a hassle to keep focused. They can easily suck up all your attention and before you know it, an hour has passed. Here are 5 tips on how to balance your work and family time. 

1. Create a workspace

The first step is to create an area in your home that is specifically designed for working. This could be a spare room you have, or you could just set up your desk in an existing room and shield it from anything that may distract you. Make sure this space is quiet so you can actually get some work done.

Make sure your children know this is your “office” so they don’t disturb you. If they do distract you, don’t be scared to punish them for it.

2. Make a schedule and stick to it

A huge pitfall of working from home is that you never stop working. It’s extremely important to have the right balance between your professional and personal life. Although it seems difficult while working from home, setting up a schedule can really help.

Try to plan your working hours in a way that best fits you and your family. Starting work before your children get up can be a good tip. That way, you have at least some hours before they can distract you. But if you do so, make sure you don’t work until late at night.

A crucial thing to remember when setting up a schedule is to be realistic. You’re not as productive when your kids are around as without them. Don’t plan too much, emergencies that require your attention will frequently pop up. Besides, an unrealistic schedule will only make you frustrated because you can’t get everything done or because you have still so much to do.

3. Take breaks with your children

Taking breaks is always important, whether you are working from home or from the office, taking time to clear your mind is crucial for focus and productivity. The advantage of working when your kids are around is that you can actually spend your off-time with them. Play with them, educate them, and work on your parent-child bond.

You could take your little ones outside. Take them to a park or forest nearby and take advantage of the opportunity to exercise. It’s also a great way to have them – and you – blow off some steam. This will help you to focus even more when you return to your desk.

4. Get a good Internet connection

Having the right tools at hand is essential to work efficiently – anywhere. Test your Internet speed and WiFi connection. You might want to consider an upgrade if it’s insufficient because you will be using video conferencing software to keep in touch with your colleagues or clients. Not sure which video conferencing tool to use? We’ve enlisted a top 5 for you to make your life easy!

Having a decent Internet connection can also help to keep your children busy. Every parent knows a tablet can do wonders in terms of keeping your children occupied with educational games. You can even use learning platforms to let them learn in a playful way. Two birds with one stone!

5. Invest in a good pair of headphones

We know children can be very loud. And sometimes, asking them to keep quiet ten times per hour doesn’t help. Especially if they have siblings, things can escalate quickly. Therefore, we strongly advise you to buy decent headphones. It will help you focus on the task at hand and it’s also a visual sign for your children to leave you alone.

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1 Mautz, S. (2020, February 6). A 2-Year Stanford Study Shows the Astonishing Productivity Boost of Working From Home. Retrieved March 23, 2020, from https://www.inc.com/scott-mautz/a-2-year-stanford-study-shows-astonishing-productivity-boost-of-working-from-home.html

2 SBN. (2018, June 25). The advantages of taking work breaks to boost productivity. Retrieved March 23, 2020, from https://www.sbnonline.com/article/advantages-of-taking-work-breaks-boost-productivity/

3 SIS Group of Schools. (2020, April 14). Top 5 Video Conferencing Tools. Retrieved April 24, 2020, from https://sisschools.org/sis-medan/2020/04/13/top-5-video-conferencing-tools/

4 Singapore International School. (2019, September 9). Latest Blog Posts – Singapore International Schools, Indonesia. Retrieved March 23, 2020, from https://sisschools.org/blog-sis/