Ideas for Working at Home If You Have Kids Out of School

Intro by Skip Cohen

All over the country, everyone is home, and often so are the kids. That respite parents usually have, when the kids head off to school for the day, has evaporated. This week Sarah Petty shared some outstanding tips to help you get some work done while the kids are home.

Even in the f64 Lunch Bunch, the topic came up. One especially helpful idea with young kids at home is a project you can also do with your clients.

Convert images in your files to line art, and they become coloring book pages. Now take it a step further, and if you’re a child and family photographer, create pages like this for your past clients. Mom and Dad are home with the kids, and as their photographer, you’re not only keeping in touch but giving them something to keep the kids busy!

The pandemic has changed all of our lives for the moment, but that doesn’t mean you have to lose touch with your clients or your own sanity!

By Sarah Petty

School is canceled. The kids are at home. And you have to get work done! How do you stay productive while working from home? Here are some tips that can help you.

Designate a spot as your work area. Pick a quiet area of your house as your designated “office”. It should preferably be a room with a door you can close, but if that’s not possible, then a corner area where you can put up some partitions to discourage family members from interrupting you. Make sure your family knows that your work area is for work and not interrupt you while you are in there.

Continue your work routine. In order to be productive, you have to switch your mind from personal time to work mode. How do you do that when you’re stuck at home? The best way to stay productive is by continuing your normal work routine while at home, including waking up at your normal time, getting dressed in appropriate clothing (i.e. no PJs), taking your lunch at the same time and maintaining your same work hours.

Schedule phone calls and meetings while your kids are napping or having lunch. Take advantage of the times during your day when your kids are busy or asleep. Use those times to make your phone calls or video meetings so you don’t have to worry about interruptions or distractions.

Get your kids on a schedule. We’re all creatures of habit and your kids are no different. Sticking to a set schedule even if they don’t have school will make it easier to plan your workday.

Wake up earlier. You’d be surprised how much you can get done when you wake up an hour or two before your kids do.

Set up a boredom box. This can be a lifesaver when you need to get work done and have run out of ideas to keep your younger kids busy. A boredom box is a crate of craft materials and a list of activities they can do using the materials in the crate. You might have them create their favorite animal using pipe cleaners and cotton balls for example.