Professional activity helps both men and women feel a sense of fulfilment, significance and self-realization. The development of thinking, memory and many other vital skills also occurs in a natural way at work. And the family, in turn, gives emotional fulfilment, the feeling of the rear, home and care.
These are two halves of life that complement each other. It turns out that a person needs to find a balance between both a job and a personal life. This task is especially difficult when you work from home. Here are some tips on how to successfully combine family and work.
First, we need some ground rules:
The first rule, the main one. Nobody should see your screen. This will save you from unnecessary questions like: “What is it you have there?” or “I thought you were working at work, not scrolling through Facebook.”
The second rule is the most important. If you have children, you need to agree with them on the shore: if dad or mom are working, you cannot interfere with them. Some parents use painted cardboard boxes on the table: green means that the parent is free, red means busy.
Now, let’s get to the tips:
Set a schedule
The schedule is a very important thing when you need to manage your time wisely. Plan at what time what tasks you will do.
For most people, the morning is the most productive part of the day So it is better to do the most important tasks for which you need maximum concentration in the morning.
Routine tasks like checking email, setting up ads, or something like that can be done whenever you want – even when your child is bawling songs in his own language a meter away from you.
Keep a list of tasks
Multitasking is impossible, but it’s hard to stop trying. With family and children at home, it is not only a problem to do several tasks in parallel, but in general not to get lost in them. Make task lists. Don’t forget about the work plan with colleagues. Use employee engagement software for this.
When making a to-do list, don’t forget about personal tasks like pay bills or buy a birthday gift.
To do this, you can use a notepad, whiteboard, or special applications.
Estimate the time correctly
Everything is simple here – in order to draw up a competent schedule and have time to complete tasks on time, you need to understand how long will each task take.
Set tasks for children
If you have children, you will love the concept that children are new colleagues. You need to interact with them not as an abstract parent, but as a leader.
Just like you, the working parent, have your own list of tasks, the child must have his own. For children under three years old, this is not relevant, but with older children, it is a great help.
It can be both housework tasks and some useful, interesting and entertaining activities: from drawing to tidying. So you will keep the child occupied and free up your time.
Reward children for good behaviour and completing tasks
Like real employees, kids need motivation. If your child enjoys drawing on an iPad or watching cartoons, make a reward out of it for completing certain tasks: putting away toys, making a bed, or something more difficult.
Have breakfasts, lunches and dinners with family
Avoid meals near the computer. That way, you won’t be helping yourself or your employer. Let that time be dedicated to a conscious, healthy meal and quality time spent with the family.
Go to sleep earlier
Many parents take care of their children during the day and work at night. When to sleep is not clear. Yes, children sleep longer than adults, but this is still not enough to keep up with everything. And, to be honest, by 11 o’clock in the evening you will no longer be in a condition to work.
Therefore, try to switch to a different regime: go to bed with the child, and wake up early, at about 5-6 in the morning. As we already mentioned, the morning is the most productive time, use it wisely. By the time everyone wakes up, you’ll finish the most important work.
Don’t be afraid to close the door
Do not be afraid to close the door to the room where you work – sometimes being alone in order to concentrate is simply necessary.
Setting boundaries is important. This is a good example for children too – so they will understand that without work in their life there will be no toys, no books, no delicious food.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
There will be a time when you need to ask for help. And it doesn’t matter from whom it will be: wife, husband, mom, dad, sister, brother, neighbour, nanny or someone else – you can’t do without help.
Share the responsibilities. For example, one day you can cook breakfast, feed kids dinner and put them to bed “at night.” Your partner will do the rest. And vice versa.
Conclusion
We hope that this article was helpful for you. Make sure to use our tips. They will help you to be more productive at home, be less distracted and get more done. Don’t forget about the healthy balance between fork and family and its importance.
