Recently I had the opportunity to speak during a webinar about best practices for working from home. While preparing for that event, I realized there could be a lot of stressed parents looking for advice, and wanted to gather tips to help them during this time.

The thing is, even though I’ve been working from home full-time for over a year, I don’t have children - so I know my experience will be different. That’s why I connected with some of my favorite women who I knew would have some great advice to share.

I first called my sister Becca, who has been working from home since her daughter was 18 months old (she’s six now). I also chatted with another sister Rachel, who is a stay-at-home Mama of three kids, the oldest of which is four. She’s a master at prioritizing her downtime, so I knew I had to get her insight.

Lastly, I spoke to my good friend Lauren, one of the awesome bloggers behind Six Sisters Stuff. She has been working from home for years and has a one-year-old.

Here are some of their top tips. I hope these help you as you’re working from home during the quarantine and beyond. If you have questions along the way - be sure to reach out!

Family Meeting

If you’ve never worked from home, your kids may be used to having you on-demand when they’re home. If you haven’t yet, have a chat with them that is age-appropriate about what you need from them while you’re working from home.

Create a quiet place

This tip was a game-changer for my kindergartner niece. Her teacher suggested that parents create a quiet place for their kiddos - a place they can go when they need to take a break, or are feeling overwhelmed or frustrated. This works for grown-ups too!

Tag-team, back again

If you have a partner and are able to have a more flexible schedule, switching off who is in charge of the kids vs. who is working can be huge. This lets one of you concentrate while the other runs the show.

Figure out age-appropriate solutions to get some time

If you have older kids that are able to babysit - have them pitch in when you need to get some quality work time in. Or if they are old enough to play independently, sometimes encouraging solo play time is a great way to keep the peace for a bit. Create a list of the things you know your kids like to do alone, that will give you 30 minutes of quality time - refer to this list often!

Set your expectations correctly

You will not be 100% as productive when you’re working from home with kids as you will be in the office. Don’t set your goals too high - give yourself LOTS of grace during this time.

Be intentional with your time

Be really intentional about your time and how you’re spending time when the kiddos are occupied. Also, separate work time vs. parent time so that you’re not parenting all day and vice versa.

Work on easier tasks when kids are around

If you’re a fan of to-do lists, make two: one for when you’re able to get that heads-down work time, and another for when you may be pulled away at any moment. Plan to work on the easier items when you’re on kid duty.

Work from home tips for parents during quarantine

Take advantage of your school’s resources

One mom said that her kiddo’s school was lending out ChromeBooks. While they didn’t think they would need one at first - she quickly found it much easier to get work done while her daughter was doing computer-based work (vs. having to lend her daughter her laptop for school work).

Don’t go crazy over the schedule or “regular” rules

Give yourself grace. This is a stressful time for everyone, especially families. You might be operating differently than usual - that’s fine. Along the same lines - your own rules for screen time might go out the window right now - that’s ok too.

You’re not a teacher

If you’re feeling like a crappy teacher right now, go easy on yourself. Remember, you’re not a teacher. (And if you ARE a teacher - you’re a hero. Give yourself a high-five!)

Work from home tips and tricks for parents and kids

Give up your phone for the greater good

If your kids are a little bit older, and can FaceTime alone - one mom said it’s SO WORTH giving up her phone for 45 minutes so that they can have a virtual play date with a friend from school. If you don’t know where to start, check your class’ family roster or message board - you can post that you are looking for a play date. If you don’t have FaceTime, other platforms for virtual play dates include Zoom, Google Hangouts, Facebook Messenger & Skype.

Education can get creative

Aim to keep kiddos entertained in new ways. One Mom shared that her daughter is playing pretend store - using play money - so she has to count out their cash with every sale.

Teach new skills that save YOU time

Pack lunches at the beginning of the day so kids can grab it when they’re ready for lunch. If your kids are old enough, now is the perfect time to teach them how to make lunch - about serving sizes, healthy sides, etc. Older kids can learn how to do the dishes, make beds, or do the laundry. You don’t have to do it ALL - teach your family how to take some things off your plate!

Free resources

To find inspiration on everything from activities for toddlers to keeping older kids busy - a great resource is the COVID-19 board that Pinterest put together for their community. You can find all the resources here.

This is undoubtedly a stressful time for all. My goal is that you are able to use some of these tips to make your workday a little easier. If you need personalized assistance, including tips to keep your own work-from-home space organized, connect with me for a Virtual Session. We’ll be able to strategize the best setup for your workspace, get you personalized product recommendations, and more. Use code WFH to get 10% off your first virtual session.