Working While Parenting

Are you a busy parent who is lucky enough to work from home when needed? Many employers are becoming more flexible with work hours to help parents lower their child care costs and ensure that they have enough supervision. According to GlobalWorkplaceAnalytics.com, almost 3.7 million workers complete their shift remotely at least twice or three times a week. If you have children around, you might have a few unexpected distractions. Below are just a few ways to maintain your focus on those days where your kids are running around your house.

Work When Your Child is Sleeping

If you know what time your child awakes each day, you can try and get some work done before then. Finding uninterrupted time can help you get more work done. If you have an older child, let him or her know what your work schedule is and ensure that you stick to it. If you need to schedule a conference call and your child is younger, make it for before he or she wakes up or during naptime.

Phone A Friend

If you know that you will be telecommuting on a certain day, see if a friend or another family member can watch your child for a few hours while you work on an important project. This is a good idea during the summer, where your child might want to spend some time with friends. This will allow you some time to work on your most important projects, while your child remains entertained.

Create a To-Do List for Him or Her

If your children are older, you can have them help you with some small tasks. If you have a lot of papers that need to organized, you can have them help you with that. Once they are finished, have them work on their homework or pick a book to read. You can also create a folder with activities they can do if they have down time. Give them something productive to do, and avoid having them sit in front of the TV.

Take a Break with Them

Spending more time with your children is one reason why you might telecommute. Consider spending your lunch break with your son or daughter. Take him or her out for a walk or a bicycle ride. Even if it’s something as simple as eating lunch together, giving them a portion of your attention during your workday can lead to fewer distractions.

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