3 Tips For Working From Home with Littles
Did you know that I have a job? Haha, I know, crazy right? I think a lot of people assume that I don’t but blogging is my job (along with a few other projects I have my hands in) and I feel so blessed to be able to do it and to create new content for my audience every week. It’s amazing! Since beginning blogging when Truman was born (I can’t even believe it’s almost been 7 years!) I have been working from home with little ones. It has almost never been smooth sailing but there are definitely things that I’ve learned throughout the years that have helped me be able to focus and complete the tasks on my to do list. Also, do what works for YOU.
We all have different schedules, spouses with different schedules, etc. Over the years, ours has changed time & time again, so it’s always a process making things work smoothly for us. I fit in work before kids wake up, nap time, and after they go to sleep. Of course there are days I have to work mid day. So here are some of my tips on how I make working from home work for us!
Stay On Top of Regular Chores
Seems counterintuitive right, to focus on household chores over work? But that’s not exactly what I’m saying. I’m saying that to try to work in a messy, disorganized home, will affect how productive you are with work. I can’t explain it scientifically, but I feel this so much! A messy space creates a messy mind and when things are cleaned up and tidy in our home, I have so much of an easier time being able to focus and produce with work.
I’d recommend creating a regular chore schedule and even a chore chart for anyone in the home who is able to do chores and staying on top of that. Don’t feel like your house needs to be immaculate in order to work (it doesn’t and probably will never be with littles around) but create a system that keeps things tidy and put away. This tip helps SO much.
Invest in Quiet Activities
Two of my kiddos are in school and they absolutely love it, but we all know that hasn’t always been the case and I do still have sweet Porter at home with me while I work and he just loves to get into things. If you invest in anything to help your productivity, let it be quiet time activities (and good ones). On top of having the ability for your child or children to be able to stretch their imagination with solo play, quiet activities that require skills like stacking, coloring, matching, and things like that will help their brains grow!
In our home, we absolutely love coloring books, legos, learning apps and games, play-do kits, pretend play with dolls and doll houses, and books. These are life savers when I need 30 minutes to an hour of real focus.
Plan Intentional Time With The Kids
Mom guilt has been a very real thing for me and I know it’s a common problem with women who work (or just moms in general) and one way that I’ve found to help ease my mind when it comes to feeling guilty is to make sure I schedule intentional time with my kids each week. I definitely will schedule play time, play dates, individual dates, and recreational activities on my calendar. So that I know that I will be able to interact with them and what time. That way, my brain knows that I also have work time and that it’s OK to be working. At the end of the day, my kids are my number one priority and I always want them to know that. They are so loved!
I hope you found these tips as helpful as I have! And cheers to all you hard working mamas, I hope your caffeine is strong and your focus is too! XO