Anna Maria Richards
After the coronavirus pandemic broke out, it was clear life in 2020 and 2021 wouldn’t look like it used to. Kids are learning from home, and many parents are choosing to homeschool rather than risk sending their little ones this year. Parents are also working remote, and many moms have had to start juggling education, work and home simultaneously. You were always busy, but now the balance you worked hard to achieve is completely overturned. Even though it’s been months since quarantine and lockdown, you may still struggle to find a normal rhythm and routine. This post is for you. It can’t solve everything, but it can give you some tips for working from home that make it easier to balance your two full-time jobs, which are being a mom and earning a paycheck.
Make Breakfast Fun
Extend breakfast by an hour or two and turn it into educational play. Once the kids have finished eating, turn on the TV and let them have a dance party to start the morning off on a fun note. They’ll love getting to hop, jump and sing while you can knock off the less demanding but all-too-nagging things off your to-do list. Catch up on your emails, log into your Slack group and get your bearings in order for the workday ahead. After some active playtime, the kids will have extended a lot of the energy that keeps them squirming in their seats during the day and be more focused during classes.
Turn Naptime into Self-Care Hour
When your little ones go down, you can either focus on tackling household chores or use it for yourself. If you have any essential tasks to do that are often impossible with children around, now is the time to do it. If you’re able, use this period to take your lunch and recharge. Enjoy a coffee with no tech distractions, or perform a quick, brain-boosting yoga routine to help you refocus for the rest of the day. Self-care isn’t always glitz and glamor; it can be something as simple and essential as tackling that Zoom meeting with your coworker that you’ve been putting off.
Decrease Your Screen time
Not possible, you say? Think again. There are many ways we can still use technology without having a phone, tablet or computer affixed to our hands. The easiest way to cut down time spent plugging away at the keyboard is to use a transcription service. You can easily convert a voice file you record on your phone into text that you can edit and use later on; convert mp4 to text in a matter of seconds, and use that time you’d be sludging through a long document to prepare dinner, help the kids with their homework or just fix yourself a hot cup of tea.
Another way to reduce screen time working from home is to prioritize your tasks by their technology demand. Everything you do will likely require an internet connection, but is there a way to swap a lengthy email chain for a phone call? Could you have a face-to-face Zoom meeting with a client instead of texting or emailing back and forth for hours? Eliminating screen time entirely isn’t possible, but you can reduce it by choosing less time-consuming practices to achieve the same results.
