Working from home seemed like the best solution to keep businesses running and to keep people safe from COVID-19. In the beginning, it seemed easy enough. It’s manageable. All your company needed to do was give you the proper equipment you need to work. For many of us, our company leaders just sent us home with a laptop. It was fine. It’s all we needed anyway to accomplish our work online.
The beginning of the pandemic was leading to children’s summer vacation. So, as a parent, you just had to make sure that your kids aren’t distracting you too much. So long as you keep them occupied, then you were fine to go back to your work.
But that all changed when the challenges of remote working started weighing down on your shoulders. Parents, in particular, are having a much harder time. It’s been months since the remote working setup started. But you’re still trying to get used to this new normal. What you need is stable work-life balance.
Parents Struggling the Most with Remote Working
Before COVID-19 caused such a ruckus and drove people to start working from home, parents are already struggling with keeping work-life balance. Yes, having a competitive and demanding career can be rewarding for you. It led to financial stability and career growth. But it also led to spending less time with your kids. There were too many nights when you were stuck in the office. You couldn’t make it home in time to read a book for your kid before they go to sleep.
This is why working from home seemed like the best solution to this problem. It would feel impossible to not spend enough time with your kids when you’re at home with them all day. So, when companies offered (or even mandated) remote working setups and submission of deliverables online, parents jumped at the chance. But it wasn’t as easy as we thought.
Data from eMarketer.com shows that 31% of responders say that trying to work from home while taking care of kids is the biggest challenge they’re facing. This is a cause for concern because it’s the highest percentage on the chart. Only 14% of them are more troubled by the concern for health safety.
When school started again, your kids attended distance learning sessions. It’s not easy for them, being away from their teachers. So you, as a parent, took on that role as well. All of a sudden, you’re juggling three major jobs: working your full-time job, parenting, and teaching. So how can you balance your time and stay sane until the pandemic ends?
Having a Separate Workspace
As much as you can, avoid working in bed or on your couch. It seemed fine because you only needed your laptop anyway. But having a separate workspace would help your mindset separate work and life as well. If you can, invest in creating a home office. What’s best is that you can even invite your kids to help. It would turn into bonding time. Just make sure that everyone is properly equipped with Speedglas helmets, gloves, and vests to protect from dust and paint.
Enforcing a Schedule and Routine
Even if you’re at home and have a flexible work setup, it’s still important to have a proper schedule and routine. This makes sure that you don’t lose track of time and burn yourself out. What you can do is coincide your work schedule with your kids’ schoolwork. That way, you can work side by side and keep each other focused. Divide your time between focusing solely on work and having a teaching session with your kid.
Making Household Work Bonding Time
After a full day of working at your job and teaching your kid, doing chores seem like the worst thing you can do next. No one would look forward to facing a sink full of dirty dishes or an overflowing laundry basket. But you can make doing household chores a fun affair. Invite your kids to do them with you. That way, you’re bonding with them. And you’re also instilling a sense of responsibility on them.
Scheduling Fun Activities
The pinnacle of having work-life balance is knowing when to rest and have fun. What you can do is set up routine activities that would help you and your kids take your mind off of work and school. You can have baking nights on Wednesdays and game nights on Fridays. It gives you and your kids something to look forward to after working so hard.
Having work-life balance is all about knowing how to separate work and life. You have to know when to focus on work, and when to rest. And you have to know when and how to reward yourself for all the hard work.