Tips For Parents Working From Home

Tips for Parents Working from Home


Any parent working from home knows how difficult it can be for you and your children. It can get quite hectic and stressful, not just for you, but for the rest of the family as well. That is completely normal, and I'm sure most families experience this when one or both parents work from home. There are some ways to help reduce, and possibly even avoid some stresses as a work at home mom or dad.

4 Tips to Reduce Stress for Work at Home Parents:

1. Meetings: Hold family meetings as often as you can - weekly, biweekly, or monthly. Discuss your work schedule, what the next week or month will be like for you, etc. Then let your family talk, ask questions, and voice their concerns. If you have children under five years of age, this will be hard for them to understand, but it's still a good idea to get into the habit of having family meetings. Your other family members won't feel left out or confused, and will have a better idea of what you do when you are on the computer and why. Believe it or not, they may even be interested in what you do.

2. Scheduling: While it's difficult to set any kind of schedule when you have children, you should have one, even if it changes sometimes. Try and set a routine for your work time, and the rest of the family will know what to expect each day.

If your kids are napping or sleeping, go to daycare or camp, do homework, etc., squeeze in some work during those times. If you can have a relative or a babysitter take your kids a couple times a week. If you and your spouse both work from home, you can take shifts. One takes morning time, playing with and caring for the kids while the other works. Then, the other takes afternoon/evening time caring for the kids while the other works.

3. Privacy: This may be the most challenging thing work at home parents can try to get! If your office has its own room, close the door when you are working if you can. You can even make up a "do not disturb" sign to hang on the doorknob. If you have your office in the corner of your living room, kitchen, or bedroom, you know how hard it is to get some privacy when working. This is a great point to bring up during a family meeting. Explain to them that while you are working, you shouldn't be bothered unless it's an emergency. For younger kids you can set them up with coloring books, paints, crafts, or a great cartoon to squeeze in some work.

4. Kid's Play: We know, that as parents working from home, we can sometimes get lost in our work, or even become workaholics. It's just so easy and convenient to access our work, and sometimes it's hard to turn away from it.

Make sure you set aside as much time as you can for your kids each day. 1-2 hours would be ideal, but that could vary depending on a lot of things. Just be sure to set aside some time to spend completely away from work, and only with your kids. No matter what kinds of activities you'll do together, your children will appreciate it.

Possible Resources:

http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Organized

http://www.sba.gov/