Terri Ramsey Beavers The rise of remote work has been a blessing for many parents. Being able to work from home can make it easy to look after your kids, which could also help many parents save an enormous amount of money on childcare. While being able to work from home can be beneficial for parents, it can also create difficulties. Working to your full potential can be hard when you have little ones to look after, and you will not want your work performance to suffer. At the same time, you want to make sure that you are able to be present and look after your kids. Here are a few tips that should help.
Be Flexible With Your Schedule
First, you will need to be flexible with your schedule. It is important to set yourself a daily routine and schedule to structure your day, but as any parent knows, things rarely go according to plan! Therefore, it is important that you have some flexibility with both your work and parenting duties.
Speak With Your Boss
Following this, you also need to let your boss know your situation. A good boss will be understanding of your situation and allow flexibility. You do not want any preferential treatment or to get a bad reputation, but it is important to let your boss know that you are looking after your kids in case you have to leave your desk. You should also let them know that you will always catch up if required.
Arrange High-Speed Internet
When working from home, you need to have an internet connection that you can rely on. This is particularly important if you will be on video calls throughout the day. In addition to your own work, you may also require streaming to keep your kids busy (more on this below). Therefore, you need to have internet that fulfills your household’s needs. You can get fiber internet in Los Angeles with speeds of up to 5 gigabits per second without any usage restrictions or data caps.
Find Activities To Keep Kids Busy
Often, there will be times when you need to work without being distracted (such as during meetings). During these times, you need to have activities that will keep your kids occupied. This could be streaming films/TV, arts and crafts, or board games.
Seek Support
You should also reach out for support if you need it. If there are times when you need to focus on work, then it is worth asking a loved one to help you look after the kids. Alternatively, you could hire a sitter or arrange to take them to childcare for the day.
Take Advantage of Nap Times
Nap time can also be a window of opportunity to knuckle down and tackle any tasks that require your full attention. Similarly, you might be able to finish off a few tasks once they have gone to bed.
Remote work can enable parents to juggle work and parenting, but this can also create many challenges! These tips should help you look after your kids without negatively impacting your work performance.