Working from Home with Kids: 7 Essential Tips for Success

Working from home is hard enough. When you add children to the equation, it becomes almost impossible. Working from home with kids is hard because kids have a natural desire for your attention.

 

They would do anything to make you play with them, even if that meant making you angry. However, being emotional is the last thing you want when working.

 

How do you deal with this situation? 

 

Fortunately, we can cope using some tricks, and you can read about them below. 

 

 

7 Tips for Working from Home with Kids

 

1. Hire a babysitter

 

If you can afford it, this is the best option for your family. As long as you provide enough dedicated time to your children after work, your relationship with them will not suffer.

 

When choosing someone to care for your child, you must decide how much time you need for work and the traveling time to and from your workplace.

 

You can work from a separate room in the same house, but that can only apply if you have soundproof walls or don’t mind background noise.

 

If you don’t have another place to complete your tasks or working outside is not your thing, working in your home office might be your option. 

 

Communicate this with the babysitter, and make sure your child clearly knows it shouldn’t come inside and interrupt you.

 

We are most productive when we maintain our entire focus on an assignment. Being constantly interrupted will slow down the process and compromise your work quality and accuracy.

 

 

 

2. Get help from another family member

 

If hiring a babysitter is financially unsustainable, the next best option is counting on your family. Your spouse, a grandmother, or a grandfather can support you in caring for your children while working.

 

In this case, you still have the options from the point above – work outside, in a home office in the same home, or in a separate remote workspace.

 

If your children go to their grandma’s house, it’s even better for you because you will have a quiet and relaxed atmosphere to perform at your maximum.

 

However, some people should use their other options as, in many families, people are busy with their professional lives. Children are a blessing, but work should also be taken care of to ensure financial freedom.

 

Related Post: Simple Time-Saving Tips for Working Moms

 

 

3. Work while they sleep

 

Here comes the third option. Try working while the kids sleep if the other two variants are outside your bag of tricks. 

 

If the children are still napping, use the time to complete some assignments.

 

Two hours in the afternoon should be enough to finish some of your work. It is your next best opportunity when they fall asleep in the evening.

 

Remember that you also should leave enough time for your sleep to keep yourself healthy and productive the next day.

 

 

4. Keep them busy

 

You could have plenty of tasks to fulfill in your job, and their completion time exceeds the sleep period of your children.

 

If you experience this situation, the wiser approach is to find an exciting activity for your kids based on their interests.

 

For example, if they like puzzles, have a new one at hand when you need some quiet time for working. If they enjoy watching educational TV series, you can allow them to use the gap to engage in your own activities.

 

Make sure to choose games that require a lot of the child’s attention and will engage him fully, and will also be beneficial.

 

Here are some examples of tricks you can use:

• Jigsaw puzzles
• Constructing doll house
• Clay art
• Diamond paintings
• TV kids’ series

 

You can come up with more knowing your kid’s preferences. It should be a game they enjoy, can play for longer, and doesn’t require your involvement.

 

 

 

 

5. Set rules for interrupting

 

At this step, you must explain to your child in a language they can understand that interrupting should happen only in an emergency.

 

You can tell them your work is essential and beneficial to the whole family and help them learn to respect it. Offer prizes for positive behavior to encourage them to follow the rules.

 

This is a necessary conversation because children will be more likely to cooperate if given convincing proof of the value of your work.

 

For all children, especially younger ones, it is hard to understand why work is such a big deal. It is a normal reaction because it is challenging to understand something you’ve never experienced.

 

Be patient and loving, and with time things will get better. If you are calm in this situation, your kids will be relaxed, too. It’s incredible how these little creatures reflect our emotional states.

 

 

 

6. Be persistent

 

When applying any new technique, it’s vital to give the necessary time for it to take to its full effect. Don’t assume a game is not working if you fail to implement it the first two or three times.

 

Once you create a habit in your child to play alone when you are busy with work, your productivity will start increasing. It’s a matter of time and perseverance.

 

Kids are important, but sacrificing work for them is not an option. Building a career is a big part of your self-confidence and development as a human being.

 

Allow a month or two for adjustment, and you will be surprised how caring your child becomes.

 

Related Post: Uplifting Quotes for Working Moms

 

 

7. Put a DND Sign

 

I mention this as the last point, as it is meant for cases where nothing else works. The idea is to have a sign (from paper or cardboard) with the text “Do Not Disturb.”

 

This scenario is especially effective when you don’t have a strict schedule and work on demand. 

 

Whenever you receive an urgent email or a task, you can put the sign in front of you, and it will let your family know that you are unavailable at this time.

 

It is an easy way to inform people about your assignments without going overly explanatory and without the risk of them forgetting about your job.

 

 

Conclusion

 

It’s best to combine the methods above for better results. I have arranged them in order, so the lowest numbers are the best methods I have used in my practice.

 

You may find it difficult to adjust initially, but you and your kids will become better at applying the rules in some months.

 

Many people successfully take care of their children along with being great at their remote jobs. Why wouldn’t you do the same?

 

It’s simply a matter of choice and patience to get the right results.