Working from home is great in terms of flexibility, and once your little ones are at school, it can be a fantastic alternative to having to juggle childcare arrangements as well as your work load.
Of course that’s all well and good until the holidays roll round! Even the most organised work at home parent can be forgiven for a slight groan at the thought of entertaining the kids full time while still trying to keep their work life in order too. Don’t panic though, it can be done, and here are some top tips to help:
Plan Ahead! The more work that you can get off your plate ahead of the holidays, the better! Anything that can be done ahead of time, scheduled in advance or even postponed until the kids are back at school will make life easier. Pulling a few late nights before the holidays might not be fun at the time, but they’ll be worth the effort in the long run!
Prioritise: Be realistic about what really has to be done, and what can probably wait. Knowing that the important tasks are taken care of will help you take things easier while the kids are off.
Schedule time to work: If possible, schedule times throughout the holidays that you’ll be working – whether that’s an hour a day or a couple of days a week, and stick to them! Don’t be tempted to ‘pick at’ bits of work outside those hours – give yourself a break and enjoy the time with your family.
Ask for Help! See if a family member is free to take your tots out for a day – it’s amazing how much you can achieve if you know you have a dedicated block of uninterrupted time to use! Grandparents love to take the kids out, or why not come to an arrangement with your child’s best friend, where you each take all the kids for a day so that the other can get on with everything else?
Get the kids involved! Children love to be treated like grownups, so let them take on some new responsibilities during the holidays – for example, they could set the table for dinner while you take ten minutes to check your emails.
Have a back-up plan: Those wails of ‘I’m bored!’ can be an inevitable part of the holidays, so stock up on a few ‘emergency activities’ for the times you need to keep your little ones occupied without giving them your undivided attention – a jigsaw puzzle, a sticker book, even just good old fashioned colouring, can all provide you with a precious 20 minute window if something urgent crops up.
Outsource: Handing the reigns to someone else for a few days might sound scary, but so long as you use an experienced company, you can be confident your business will be in safe hands. Social Sparkle offer a wide range of support to small businesses – from keeping your Facebook page updated to adding content to your blog.
What are your top tips for working from home when the kids are on holiday?
Source: http://www.mumpreneursnetworkingclub.co.uk/articles/20140403
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