Navigating The Holidays As A Work-From-Home Parent

The school holidays are here! Whilst your kids will probably be ecstatic about the prospect of the freedom they have, as a work-from-home parent, you might be worrying about the overflowing piles of washing, mountains of ironing, struggling to hit deadlines etc. Sound familiar? You’re not alone. 

Trying to handle the delicate work-life balance can be daunting. I am in the same camp as I start off on my freelance ecommerce consultant journey so I thought I’d share some of my tips that might help you navigate the summer holidays smoothly. 

Nobody wants to extinguish the excitement that your child has for these next few weeks so let’s take a look at what we can do to make our lives easier.

Planning Is Key:

• Shuffling your schedule: It might not be possible for everyone but if your company has flexibility in your working schedule, take advantage of it. Consider starting earlier or working on an evening to free up some dedicated working time whilst you try and keep your kids occupied for a few hours during the day. Use planners to keep track of everything you need to achieve that week.

• Lean on relatives: If you have the luxury of having parents that live nearby, ask them if they could help on certain days where you might have meetings booked or need to get that report finished. It might feel like you are putting on to them but consider that they might appreciate the time to see their grandchildren. Asking for help isn’t a weakness. Could you also look into sharing childcare with other parents you trust nearby if you work part-time and share the responsibility?
• Research local events: There are usually plenty of activities that kids can get involved with. Whether it be a football summer camp for a set amount of days or craft sessions at the local church, it may be a cost-effective way to give yourself a few hours here and there to yourself with the kids being looked after in a safe environment. 
• Add to your activity arsenal: Younger kids especially get bored very easily and take more looking after. Ensure you have enough activities to keep them occupied when you really can’t take a break. This doesn’t need to break the bank either. Sites such as Mondaymandala offer free colouring pages to print so you don’t have to buy colouring books. 
• Plan your meals: Use the weekends to plan your meals through the week. Try and buy your food for the week and prep meals in advance if possible. Batch cooking, freezing leftovers or having grab-snacks available will really help to take the thinking away from the process.

• Communicate with your child: If they are old enough, prepare your children that you are likely to be busy over the holidays and that you’ll try your best for them. Ask them what kind of things they would like to do during the holidays and see if you can accommodate them at some point to give them something to look forward to each week.
• Communicate with your boss and wider team: Let your colleagues know that you might not always be available on Slack or Outlook to respond to a message instantly but that you will get all of your work done during the day. 

Setting Boundaries

• Tech timeouts: Whilst it’s easy to give your child an iPad or Youtube access, they can become hooked very easily, which turns into a nightmare when you ask them to put it down. You don’t need the headache. Let them know how long they can spend on the devices before you want them to spend some outdoors time with friends or creative activities. 
• Delay / turn down opportunities: Whilst it might seem madness for freelancers to turn down work, it might be necessary to maintain your sanity. If you explain to the client that you have extra responsibilities at the minute and a jam packed schedule, they are likely to understand and potentially delay the project until you are ready if they really need you.
• Go with the flow: Expect the unexpected. Your days will never fully go to plan, no matter how much you have planned. You may have to adjust your schedule so be prepared for it. A quick 15 minute break to play a game with your child might be easier than having them whining that they are bored. It is their holiday after all.
• Creating a working space: If you have worked from home for a while, you should have a working space set up that you normally work your day from. Ensure your child understands (if they’re old enough) that this is your area and if you are sitting here, you are busy working. Whether that simply means a door being closed or seeing you sat at the computer, there should be a clear indication. Dont lie in your bed with your laptop and then expect your younger children to not want to climb in with you.

Time For You:

With increased pressure and responsibilities, stress can easily build up, making your situation much harder to manage. The cycle will keep repeating unless you manage it early on. 

• Get your steps in: Maybe your walk to school in the morning / afternoon was a 15 minute break that you are now not getting. You could still go for a walk with your child during these periods. It’s amazing how much getting out of the house for a short while can help with stress.

• Destress with audio exercises: There are many people who practise breathing exercises or meditation through Youtube or audio. Try incorporating these if you are starting to feel overwhelmed. 10 minutes is all you need with videos like this from Calm

• Do what you enjoy: Some people, myself included, unwind on a computer game or watch some tv at the end of the day. Whatever it is that you’d normally do, try to make time for it. Feeling recharged is very important and will allow for better focus during your working week.
• Get your beauty sleep: With potentially working longer into the evenings or preparing for the next day, it’s easy to slip into a habit of going to bed later. I find that this makes things worse with you feeling more tired the next day. Aim for your normal amount of sleep 
• Eat and drink: A really simple one but you need energy to get through the day. Dehydration can impair your thinking and a hungry parent is never a fun one. 

Additional Tips:

• Speak up: Do not be afraid to ask for help! You are not failing if you do so, however if you don’t ask for help when it’s required then it may lead to a vicious cycle that is hard to get out of. It may even just be a case that you need to ask your boss for a few hours off during the day and that you’ll make it up later. You’d be surprised at how many will be fine with this if they understand the situation.
• Involve your child in household chores: Involve your kids in age appropriate tasks such as tidying their room or washing the dishes. It makes your life easier, teaches them to be responsible and the younger kids sometimes love having a go at a job that mum or dad normally does. Seriously, give them a duster and watch your surfaces get cleaned with a smile on their face. 

The summer holidays should be a period when families can reconnect and spend some time with each other, making memories. We only have a short while when our children are at an age when they want to spend extended lengths of time with us so we should make the most of it. It is something I often have to remind myself of. 

A happy parent helps to make a happy home (and a much more productive remote worker!).

If you have any ideas on how we can all make the most of this period, I’d love to hear your comments below.

Images sourced from Unsplash