Getting Used to Working From Home With Little Ones

All of us have different approaches to working and parenting. Some of us decide to step away from our careers when we bring little ones into the world. Some of us will take some time off for recovery and bonding, then return to work on a part or full time basis. Some of us will jump straight back into our roles, opting for childcare and minimising time taken away from the workplace. There is no right or wrong way to go about work and parenting. Instead, you need to find what works for you and go with it. One new phenomenon in the workplace is remote working, which allows you to work from home on a more flexible basis. This has encouraged many parents to work part time, as it makes work and parenting much more compatible. You don’t have to worry about the costs or time involved in commuting and you don’t have to worry about taking time off for basic activities such as the school run or appointments, as work can be rearranged around your needs. This isn’t to say, however, that remote work with children is without its challenges. Here’s some more information that can help you to balance this lifestyle

Know Your Capacity

First and foremost, you need to remember that working from home doesn’t mean not really working. You will still have to work set hours and complete the tasks expected of you. It’s important that you know your capacity and don’t end up overloading yourself. You may want to consider part time remote work, or even full time remote work, with the help of childcare. This can ensure that someone is minding your child while you commit yourself to your workload. 

Create a Work Space

There’s a lot of temptation in regards to workspaces when you work from home. You may find yourself wanting to work from bed or the sofa. But you should avoid this where possible. You’re going to want to make sure that you have set spaces for set tasks. You don’t want to start associating your comfortable and relaxing spaces with work. You also want to make sure your body is well supported to prevent long term issues like repetitive strain injury or back issues from bad posture. Invest in a desk and a good chair, preferably ergonomically designed. You also want to invest in the equipment you need, as well as software to take care of it, for example, you may want to secure your Mac.

Practice Work-Life Balance

When you work from home, you need to make sure to manage your work-life balance. It can be tempting to work over, or open up your laptop outside of hours “just to check” on different emails, communications, projects and more. But this can blur boundaries between your work life and your home life. Instead, you need to have your set working hours and stick to them. Make sure that you give yourself to completely disconnect from work, focusing on yourself, your children or anything else that you want to.

These simple tips can make all the difference to getting used to remote work when you also have children. Keep them in mind – they can really help.