One of the top five tips that I got from the more than 110 professional working moms who I interviewed was to get help. Let’s face it, though, right now that is hard. Some daycares are closed and not everyone is practicing social distancing the same way you are. Maybe it’s a random teacher’s workday or perhaps one person at the daycare tested positive, so everything shuts down. Whatever the reason, it boils down to you must be productive when working at home with kids during a pandemic. Let’s talk about how you actually get work done with kids around.
Be flexible
First things first. Let’s talk about the need to be flexible. All of our camps in June were canceled practically overnight as our city leaders shut our city leaders created the initial lockdown requirements in late March. It could also be that your daycare suddenly closes because someone tests positive or that it’s a random teacher in-service day.
I remember hearing on the radio when I was taking my boys to school early last school year that a strip mall had lost power. In that strip mall was a daycare that couldn’t take kids for the day. What were those parents to do?
Waking up early
My boys have always been early risers. Sleeping in is sleeping until 7 – maybe 7:30 if the day before was packed full of activities. During a normal school day, our boys were up by 6:30 each day, even on weekends. I couldn’t wake up earlier than that. When we switched over to remote learning and summer, I had wiggle room. I could wake up a bit earlier and they could sleep in a bit longer. And having an extra 30 or 45 minutes before everyone else gets up matters.
The benefit of doing this in summer and during online school is that I get my most important work done early (remember, work on your priorities first). Then I have the wiggle room to have fun with kids in summer or help them with school work during the school year. That dedicated time makes a huge difference when it’s uninterrupted.
I’ll share this, though. Long story short, if you want to know about how to wake up super early, I’m not your gal. If you do wake up super early and your kids don’t wake up at the crack of dawn, I think you’re amazing! If you have thoughts on how to help others with this, please do share in the comments.
Prepare the night before
Take time to plan for the next day each evening. See what you can get ready for the next step. Grab a few articles you need to read to write a blog or white paper, add the titles of the PowerPoint slides, or simply set up your goals for the next day and understand how your day will flow. That way you can hit the ground running instead of trying to figure out your plan. You’re literally able to get more done because of the 10-15 minute preparation you did the night before.
It’s super helpful to do this on Sunday evening for the week as well. Figure out what you need to accomplish each day to meet your weekly goal(s). It will take 15-20 minutes to get this done and you’ll feel the benefit all week. You’ll likely be more productive and better manage your time.
It might seem like something small but also see what you can you prep for lunch. If kids are home, you need to feed them. See if you can do something the night before to help move that process along, especially if you have slightly older kids who can take care of themselves in many ways. That way you spend the time eating with your child(ren) instead of prepping and then eating. It all adds up, so see if you can shave off a bit of time.
A little more planning
Two additional things have helped me when it comes to planning during the coronavirus. Yes, it takes more time in the evening, but it has really helped.
First, I plan for my kids’ day the night before as well. When we switched to online school this meant laying out their school day. Their teachers shared the following day’s assignments each night. This really helped me create a schedule for their day. During summer we do a bucket list and try to create themes for each week. Or some weeks I simply make sure I have whatever I’d like them to work on easily available to grab and share. That might require a bit of prep on my end. Doing it the night before when I’m not trying to get work done really helps.
Consider how you work
You’ll hear me and many others talk about batching. It’s the idea of working in large blocks of time to get things done. You hit your rhythm faster and for longer periods. It works really well when kids aren’t around or when you have someone watching your kids.
Let’s face it. It can be hard to do when you’re working at home with kids. Kids will likely interrupt you, which is totally normal. This is why the Pomodoro technique might serve you better. You work for 25 minutes and take a break for 5. If you want to know more about this method, including tips, check out my recent blog post on productivity methods for working moms especially.
Special toys when you need to work
This was incredibly important while the boys were young. At times I needed to be flexible and found myself doing interviews for the Mompowerment books or getting interviewed for a podcast. I might have even had to schedule a strategy call with a client that needed to be scheduled after the boys were home from pre-school. Whatever the reason, I found myself with a toddler (or a baby and a toddler) and I needed to get stuff done that couldn’t be moved.
I always had a few games or toys that were specifically for these moments when I needed to work. I would bring them out only when I need to get things done. Since the kids didn’t play with them often, these games and toys were special for the kids.
Really, though, you can always use the TV as an option in those cases when other things aren’t working. Don’t assume that the TV will keep really young kids engaged, though. A random 30-minutes in front of the TV is OK and it won’t make you a bad mom. You need to use the resources you have when you can. And right now especially, we’re being pulled in so many directions.
Nap Time Hustle
Know what you want to accomplish during nap time ahead of time. Don’t sit down and figure it out once your child goes down for a nap. Start working the minute you’re back from putting your baby, toddler, sick child down for a nap. It can be the difference between getting one more thing done or not. Essentially, don’t lose time because you didn’t pre-plan. This is part of why creating a plan for the next day can be so helpful. Use that time to set up your goals for the nap time hustle.
Break every goal down into smaller goals. The idea is to keep moving toward whatever goals you’re trying to achieve. For example, the goal isn’t “build a website.” It’s write the “About Me” page and choose visuals for the page. You break everything down into smaller bites. And then prioritize them. As I share in the book, it’s great to have them in 10-15-minute bites to help you be more productive and enable you to better manage your time.
While the nap time hustle is your time to get things done, the one thing I don’t recommend you do during this time is to make calls. What if your child goes down late or wakes up early? You never know what can happen during this time frame.
Prioritize (and reprioritize as necessary)
As I’ve mentioned, you want to prioritize your to-do list. I’ll be writing about prioritizing in a few weeks, so I’ll keep it short here. So much of moving the needle in your business is prioritizing and then reprioritizing as you get new information. It’s even more so the case when you have kids at home. Take that to-do list and prioritize it always.
Find small ways to connect
It’s not only about how to be productive when working at home with kids during a pandemic. Let’s face it. Part of why we’re struggling to get things done is that our kids want our attention. It’s hard to keep saying, “Not now.” A question that I see keep coming up is how to find easy ways to connect with your kids. Working moms want to create small moments with their kids that don’t take massive amounts of planning or loads of money. I’m sharing a few here:
- Car wash for toy cars on your patio/back porch. Take your child’s toy cars and a bucket and sponge out outside and literally wash cars.
- Fill up different containers of water. Get different size plastic containers and pitchers and let your kids pour water from one container to the other. Better to take this one outside or put down towels inside for spills because they’re going to happen.
- Build a fort. My kids are building forts almost daily these days. Instead of telling them to clean up, break out some sheets or blankets, and help them build. The clean up can happen later.
- Bubbles! What young child doesn’t love bubble. Pro tip: buy a big bottle and only fill little containers.
- Duplo blocks or LEGOs. Our boys could spend hours building, taking apart, and then building something new. Take time to help them create a masterpiece and maybe even build one of your own if you’re feeling inspired.
- Dot art. This one requires a bit more planning since you need to buy the Dot markers and potentially a coloring book or paper that works with the markers.
- Sidewalk chalk. Have your kids create a pattern with painters tape. Or you can create the pattern one small break and let them color. You’ll be surprised at what they can create.
- Puzzles. You can find age-appropriate ones, starting at about age 3. They are great for children’s development. During the pandemic, we’ve done small moments of puzzle time as a family, which we’ve all enjoyed. This one also takes some preplanning since puzzles can be in short supply. I will admit I find this helpful with stress management as well. I slow down and focus on what’s in front of me instead of all the other stuff that’s going on.
- Color in a coloring book. Get your kids some coloring books and crayons (get fatter crayons if your kids are younger). Get your older kids an adult coloring book, but don’t forget the colored pencils if you go this route. Coloring is a great form of stress management as well.
- Shoot a few baskets with your older kids. Sometimes it’s easier to connect over physical activity. Get away from the computer or cellphone. And having that burst of physical activity can wake you up as well if you’ve been sitting at your desk for a while. Don’t worry if you don’t have the skills as it’s more about the interaction than the skills themselves.
You’ve read 8 tips on how to be productive when working at home with kids, especially during a pandemic, when you might not have childcare. So, what things will you change? What tips would you add? I’m always interested in hearing what’s working for fellow Mompowerment mamas.
Want to read more practical tips to help you maximize your time as a working mom, whether during the summer or the rest of the school year? Check out the award-winning Mompowerment Guide to Work-life Balance (affiliate link), available on Amazon.
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