How to coexist with kids during summer break

“People who violate your boundaries are thieves. They steal time that doesn’t belong to them.”

― Elizabeth Grace Saunders

This summer, my SO and I decided to try something different: instead of shipping our son off to child care for the normal 2-3 days per week, we decided to keep him home and juggle him between both of our businesses.  We're both self-employed and have flexible schedules, so we figured that would be a piece of cake...and so far, so good.

This isn't a new concept - there are a TON of work-from-home parents who juggle their career with their kids' lives, and come out on the other end just fine.

I don't want you and your experience, be it just summer or be it year-round, to be "just fine."  I want to give you a few pointers, so that you can work efficiently and effectively and give your kids all of the mom or dad time they need.  It's true - you CAN coexist with your kids and have a successful career.

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Here are my 8 tips for coexisting with your kids as a work-from-home parent:

1)  Understand that you may have fewer unproductive hours

Depending on the age of your child(ren), you may have to adjust your expectation of work that you can get done at home.  You may enjoy having more access to them and may want to work less.  You may have more interruptions, or may have to play referee too often.  Maybe you just don't have a lock, or a door to close at all.  Accepting that you might have to change your productivity for a couple months may keep you from unnecessarily blowing your top.

2) Adjust your schedule - and stick to it

For some of us, having fewer productive hours just won't cut it.  If that's the case, then you need to find time to work.  For example, I wake up at 5am.  My son doesn't wake up until 8am.  By adjusting my schedule in the morning, I found three uninterrupted hours to get work done (and that's more than most employees in an office)!  When my son wake up, we spend a solid hour and a half together before I have him do solo activities.  For the rest of the day, we block out "me" time and "us" time. If it's a "me" time and he wants my attention, we've worked out a note-writing system.  I don't feel interrupted, and he can communicate.  Win-win.

3) Use Parkinson's Law to your advantage

If you only have a half hour block of time, try to fit more than thirty minutes worth of work into it.  Sounds crazy, but it works.  You'll figure out how to work efficiently when you have less time than you need.  It's almost like cramming in college, but it is actually effective.

4) Plan your meals and make it easy on yourself

This is a topic that will come up again, but here's a pro tip: plan your meals.  Shop for those meals.  Prep your ingredients when you get home from the market (separate and process your meat and vegetables).  Develop an arsenal of crock-pot meals.  Freeze leftovers.  Try not to deviate from your plan unless it's a special occasion.  Another quick tip: keep a basket of snacks in a low cabinet and one in the fridge - allow the kids to pick their own snack when it's time for one.

5) Let them watch a movie or play a video game - and DON'T feel guilty

Here's a fact: as much as you love your kids and as much as they love you, they don't want to be around you 100% of the time.  I'm not saying you should let the TV babysit your kids while you work, but once in a while, when you need to get something done, it's allowed.  You shouldn't feel guilty that they are doing something they enjoy - and chances are you'll get another hour of uninterrupted time.

6) Schedule time for just the kids

I touched upon this on #2, but this is key: if you expect them to let you work, then make time for them.  Schedule it.  Stick to it.  We eat meals (no electronics welcome) together, do chores together, exercise together, and spend at least an hour outside every day.  We build in quality time, so that our separate time together doesn't feel as isolating.

7) Call in the reinforcements when you need to

Once in a while, especially when I know I have to have an in-person meeting, I call a babysitter.  If I'm working on a big project and need to devote a bigger block of time to it, I'll call them as well.  Without guilt.  It doesn't make you less of a parent to allow someone else to handle child care duties.  It's not cheating.  It's just business.

8) Give yourself a break

You're going to have a bad day.  You're going to get frustrated.  The kids are going to get frustrated.  You're going to need to recharge, so make sure that you spend quality time by yourself, with your SO, and with friends.  It can be fun and worthwhile to spend two solid summer months working-from-home with kids, but take time away from them too.

What are your favorite tips for working-from-home with kids?  What hasn't worked?

Nicole
The Restless Entrepreneur

Not work...just life

“Persistence. Perfection. Patience. Power. Prioritize your passion. It keeps you sane.”
― Criss Jami

It's almost June.  Schools are getting out for the summer.  Office-bound adults are trying to figure out how many times they can swing getting out of work at 3 instead of 5.  Freelancers are waking up early and squeezing as much work out of their morning so that they can order a noon margarita from their local wi-fi engaged restaurant while they work from the patio just an hour or two longer.  Sound like you?  No?  Well why not?

In the summer months (mid-May through mid-October here in Michigan!), I prefer to wake up early (5 - 5:30), get in as much work as I can before 7:30, have a leisurely family breakfast, do some yoga or a HIIT workout, then get back to work around 9:30/10am.  I'll do meetings or correspondence until 11:30/12, then have another leisurely meal.  Between 1 and 3, I turn off email alerts, phones, and any distractions and get a couple more hours of work done.

What does this have to do with life?

What does this have to do with balance?

Well, the way I see it, knowing your own energy and how it flows throughout the day can set you up for success...or failure.  Getting enough work done at peak time allows us to work fewer hours in the day in the most efficient way, allowing us plenty of playtime.  Does this happen every day?  No, but it does happen more often than not.

http://www.key-dynamics.com/blog/bid/271857/10-questions-for-you-and-your-life-balance-coach

Here's a concept that I've noticed most businesses miss: scheduling meetings first thing in the morning, especially on Mondays, is a waste of time.  Sure, once in a while it's nice to come into work and grab a coffee and bagel, then idly sit in a meeting for 2 hours before actually starting your work day, but it's highly unproductive.  How about planning your first 10 minutes around the water cooler, then getting to work?  No, not answering emails and checking your voicemail.  The other things.  Those productive ones.  The things that you get paid to do.

Most days, I don't respond to or answer emails or voicemails until mid-morning.  By then, I've had a few actually productive hours of my day, so I can sit in meetings or make phone calls or play back-and-forth on the email.  And then I can shut it down and get back to actual work.  Our corporate society makes it impossible to actually work.  According to this Forbes article, more than 50% of employees waste  up to 2 hours of their work day on just social media.  That doesn't count how often Susie over the cubicle wall distracts you, or how long it takes to get back on task after babysitting your outgoing fax for 10 minutes.  I would wager a bet that the average office worker has 4 or fewer hours of productive time a day.

So back to life and balance -

Imagine a world where you had a 4-6 hour work day, spread throughout the day to benefit your energy schedule.  Imagine that you weren't tied to your desk, and you could work from that restaurant at lunchtime with a drink and no one would mind.  Imagine that you could end your work day at 3pm every day, not just Fridays, and not just in the summer.  

What would you do with that time?  

How would you live?

Nicole
The Restless Entrepreneur