{"id":25134,"date":"2020-04-03T15:42:44","date_gmt":"2020-04-03T15:42:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/transfergo.wpengine.com\/work-home-kids-like-boss\/"},"modified":"2024-10-30T11:25:52","modified_gmt":"2024-10-30T11:25:52","slug":"work-home-kids-like-boss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transfergo.com\/gb\/work-home-kids-like-boss","title":{"rendered":"How to work from home with kids like a boss"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Having to work from home with kids is a task the world isn\u2019t very good at yet. It\u2019s a bit like work, but with more mess, more screaming and a small zoo running wild around your desk, pressing your keyboard, chewing your notebook. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some tips put together by our staff to help you work from home with kids like a boss.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inform your colleagues<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Much of the stress when you work from home with kids comes from worrying about what your colleagues must think of you. But one of the few upsides to a shared struggle (as opposed to a personal one) is that everyone is going through something similar. So just be open and honest.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be clear about your schedule. Block out your calendar so our colleagues can see that you\u2019re running between 9 and 10, or on kid duty between 3 and 5. Tell your boss about your new timetable. No one will begrudge you, as long as they know when to get hold of you, and what to expect from you, when.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plan with your spouse and kids<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Of course, the best laid plans often go wrong, especially with a spouse having a surprise conference call, or children having a surprise sugar fight. So it\u2019s vital to communicate with your family when you\u2019re working from home with kids.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Share your work and home calendars with each other, and make visual timetables with the kids that give them a routine. That same routine will allow them to wait for Mummy Time because they know it happens between 4 and 6, or look forward to Daddy\u2019s Maths Olympics because it happens before lunch. Which means less time spent negotiating, and more time focussed on work.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One thing at a time<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t work and watch the kids at the same time, or you might end up with a front window like our copywriter\u2019s.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you\u2019re with the kids, you\u2019re with the kids. And when you\u2019re working, you\u2019re working\u2014preferably in your own work space that should feel, to the children, like entering the Temple of Doom. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parallel play<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But we know that\u2019s not always possible. And some activities allow children to work alongside you in relative peace. These should be activities that require only 1% supervision\u2014drawing, writing, colouring, reading, or educational apps. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trick is to set them up properly. Spend a few minutes getting them going on the app, or deciding what to draw, or predicting what will happen next in the story. They\u2019ll go further on their own after that. And so long as they\u2019re mirroring your behaviour, you\u2019ll be fairly productive. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Equally, get them involved in the housework you do. This will allow you to attend to cooking\/folding\/cleaning while satisfying their need for attention. Just remember to make it fun (and allow it to take longer as a result), or they\u2019ll never do it again. You won\u2019t regret it.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nap time and quiet time<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nap time is a wonderful moment of peace where you can really motor through some work. If your child is too old to nap, establish the rules for \u2018Quiet Time\u2019: how long it lasts, what they can do (write, read, draw, build in silence) and what they can\u2019t do (ask for snacks, interrupt you, throw cars through windows). Make this as much a part of your day as everything else.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s your playtime too<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Even the most loving parent can resent the time spent with the kids. It can feel like time stolen from your work, or from your own playtime later that night. But that feeling only makes it worse: you\u2019re neither working, nor giving the kids the attention they need, nor enjoying yourself. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commit to having fun during your kids\u2019 playtime. When you close your laptop, mentally put it away. Throw yourself into whatever your kids are doing, or whatever you have planned, and you\u2019ll get as much fun out of it as they will. Dance like a bear. Growl like a tiger. Waddle like a penguin. The rewards are delightful. And you might even come back to your work feeling refreshed.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s okay to let go<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The hardest part about working at night is the tension between what you want to do (Netflix) and what you have to do (spreadsheet). The trick, as any Buddhist will tell you, is to let go of your desire\u2014because it\u2019s the desire that hurts. Make peace with the fact that you\u2019ll be working: turn the music up, grab your favourite drink, get comfy, and get stuck into your work. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But you can also let go of your standards a little bit. When you work from home with kids, you\u2019re doing something almost impossible: you\u2019re parent, babysitter, teacher and breadwinner all in one. For the first time ever. So don\u2019t expect perfection in any one of those fields. Do your best, and then rest. Which brings us to the last point.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Look after yourself<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re more use fit and healthy than you are as a stressed out shell. Prioritise your well-being. Many of us are bad at this, because we think that looking after ourselves is self-indulgent. But with so much resting on your shoulders, you need to make sure those shoulders are broad, well-rested, and well-fed. So be good to yourself: your world depends on it!<\/span>
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And, if you want to send money as you work from home with kids, we\u2019re here to help. Sign up<\/a> today for easy online money transfers<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Having to work from home with kids is a task the world isn\u2019t very good at yet. It\u2019s a bit like work, but with more mess, more screaming and a small zoo running wild around your desk, pressing your keyboard, chewing your notebook.  Here are some tips put together by our staff to help you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":25135,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1498,1500,1502,1506],"tags":[],"business_case_studies_tags":[],"class_list":["post-25134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-business-tips","category-living-abroad","category-working-abroad"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/transfergo.com\/gb\/work-home-kids-like-boss","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"How to work from home with kids like a boss","url":"http:\/\/www.transfergo.com\/gb\/work-home-kids-like-boss","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.transfergo.com\/gb\/work-home-kids-like-boss"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.transfergo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/wfh_parent-1.png?resize=150,150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.transfergo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/wfh_parent-1.png"},"articleSection":"Business tips","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jennifer Tate"}],"creator":["Jennifer Tate"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"TransferGo","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2020-04-03T15:42:44Z","datePublished":"2020-04-03T15:42:44Z","dateModified":"2024-10-30T11:25:52Z"},"rendered":"