This health crisis in our country is something that none of us expected. It has taken a toll on many families, in various ways, across the entire country. While the best thing we can do to help each other is to stay at home and help flatten the curve, there are also things that we can do inside our home to make this quarantine more manageable for everyone.
Many of us still have responsibilities at work and added responsibilities at home, so must continue with life, just not as usual. Here are a few tips for managing work and home during the corona virus quarantine.
Map out your new daily routine. Setting expectations and routines for your family is healthy for everyone, regardless of age. Knowing that breakfast is at 8am and everyone is going to do quiet time in the middle of the afternoon puts structure and order in a place where chaos can easily take over.
Make an idea jar. Come up with a list of activities with your child that he or she can do when they get bored. This is especially helpful for those moments when you need focus time to complete a project or will be in a virtual meeting. The idea jar should be filled with independent and relatively quiet activities, but that are still really fun.
Involve your kids when you can. Let your little ones snuggle in your lap during a conference call or sit in your lap and bang on the disconnected keyboard. My experience has been that colleagues love getting to see their cute faces and will often chat with them a bit too.
Keep your home clean. This will be the only place that your family will spend for the next few weeks. Keeping it clean is important to stay positive and for a healthy environment. Involve the entire family in chores and make it a part of your daily routine. Little ones can help dust or pick up toys and other small items. Older kids can keep up with the dishes and sweep the floors. Try to get the whole family involved. We all have a lot on our plates and having others involved can help share the load.
Let go of perfect. This is perhaps the best opportunity to really bond with your family in a unique way and take advantage of flexible work. Don’t expect things to be quiet and controlled all of the time. For example, kids in the background on a conference call are ok – just set expectations with your colleague at the beginning of the meeting.
Take care of yourself. Plan out breaks. Make exercise part of your routine. Take a walk around the block or sit in your backyard and enjoy the fresh air. A change of scenery and a break from work and chores will keep both your mind and body healthy.
Utilize the Pomodoro technique- quick 15 minute bursts of work can be helpful for managing getting things done and managing time with the kids.
Don’t feel guilty about screen time. TV and ipad use is ok. Do your best to monitor usage and help your children to choose educational and culturally diverse programming and activities. There are lots of great educational apps, many of which are being offered for free during this unusual time. Technology can be a huge benefit for when you’d like to get some work done, uninterrupted.
Start using printables (or create your own). If you have a printer at home, you can find free or inexpensive printables on any topic you can think of: coloring pages, educational games and activities, journaling pages, brain teasers, and more. Google your interests (for work or pleasure) and tag “printable” at the end to see what you can find.
Be open with your work community and your family. How are you holding up? If this situation is feeling overwhelming, or you simply cannot work as productively and project deadlines need to be pushed back, be as open and honest with your colleagues as you can. Everyone is going through this together, and you’ll likely be offered solutions to help.
If you are struggling with managing work and home during the corona virus quarantine, please let the Parents Pivot team know how we can help.
