How to Juggle Homeschooling & WFH
The last few weeks have been interesting times, with working from home now rolled out by most businesses amid the spread of COVID-19, this is new territory for all of us over the next 3-6 months and potentially beyond.
With majority of children now homeschooling it has put additional stress and pressure on parents to not only perform work duties but also ensuring our children are receiving the right support both mentally and educationally from us.
So how do we juggle this you ask. Can it be done?
Yes, it can - It’s all about routine, routine, routine!
We all love a routine; children especially love routine. Make sure that as a family you are sticking to your daily routines as you would normally. Wake up, get dressed, make the bed, exercise and be ready for breakfast together as you would on a normal work/school day. This is the most important piece of the puzzle; it sets the tone for the day for not only your children but most importantly yourself. It will also make returning back to work and school in the future so much easier.
Discuss together at breakfast what your day looks like –
What are your plans for today?
What does everyone have on their “To Do” list?
Is everyone ok with our first break being 10:30am?
This is time as a parent to set guidelines, goals and daily structure not only for your children but yourself. Make sure they have a daily timetable created, similar to a typical school day. Block out times for them to focus on their school tasks with regular breaks outdoors. Make a habit of discussing this with them daily.
It is also important to set your own goals for the day ahead. This will help structure your day and give you focus through the chaos of multiple people in the house. Put together a list of important tasks for the day and stick to it! Set yourself a target of achieving 5-6 tasks daily. This will give you direction throughout the day and also create a sense of achievement.
Balance is key. You and your partner will need to rely on one another more than ever to get through each of your daily workloads. Designating and staggering work hours so you can each focus on work or the children is crucial. Without this in place over time you will feel swamped and overwhelmed.
Set up individual workstations. Make sure it is similar to the office or school. Try and make it as ergonomic as possible, have a comfortable chair and correct lighting - I know this might seem obvious but something we forget when WFH. If you can, try and set each workstation with decent space apart so you’re not all on top of one another – this is when the stress levels can really kick in! Living and working together 24/7 can be intense so you will all need your space – kids too.
Set regular breaks. I choose to stick to the break times my boys currently have at their schools, it’s what they are familiar with. Make sure you are having regular breaks as well. To reduce digital eye strain, it is recommended we take a 5-10 minutes break every 60 minutes.
Try and deter from using electronic devices during your breaks - trust me I know it’s hard. I am a major culprit of checking social media when I’ve got a quick 5 minutes or handing over the closest iPad to my kids for 30 minutes of peace and quiet, however it is important as ever to encourage healthy habits.
Have a decent lunch break. Take the hour together making sure you ALL leave the house. Go for a 30-minute walk, sit in your backyard and enjoy the sun, walk your dog - go out and get some fresh air. We all need solid breaks too destress and recharge for the afternoon ahead.
Make sure you are supporting one another throughout the day. For the children, check in at the start and end of their school task, support them with any advice and keeping them on track. For you and your partner, make a habit for checking in at least four times a day to make sure one another is ok. These are unusual times – mental health is important.
For the kids, finish up their day as per their normal school hours – it’s three o’clock for my boys. This is free time now till the evening routine kicks in. Let them enjoy the afternoon – go outside, run around, ride their bikes or even sneak in some Netflix time. You want your kids to enjoy this time (and it gives you a chance to finalise your workload for the remainder of the day). Make a conscious effort to log off at your usual time, working long hours into the night will make productively low the following day.
Most of all make each day as enjoyable and stress free as possible. Put on some music, have a laugh, celebrate the wins, take regular breaks, support and check in with one another daily.
We all know what is happening currently is not the norm and it might be like this for the next few months but let’s make best of the situation - we will get through it together.
Contact the Stitch Team for advice with working from home for both yourself and your Team.
