Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has recently put the country into our 3rd National Lockdown in order to fight coronavirus cases. This means that again, schools and some work places have had to shut their doors. Many people are now forced to work from home and will have to juggle both their workload and looking after their children.
Here at Delegate Me, we understand how challenging this can be, and so have put together our top tips to help get you through the next few weeks.
Create a schedule (Prioritise):
Making sure you have a schedule for the day is important, although you need to remember that you may not fully stick to it as you have children to look after too! Break down the tasks starting with the most essential. If you do not complete everything you had set yourself to do in that day, you will have at least completed the most important.
Have a designated workspace:
Make sure both you and your children have a suitable place to work. If your children are younger than school age, ensure that you can still supervise them, but if they are of school age and are continuing with online learning, then a place of study or work will help you to all be more productive.
Have regular breaks:
Plan breaks throughout the day; this is essential in helping you all re-charge and de-stress for the rest of the workday. You will find that this also helps you to be more productive and allows you to spend some time with your children! If you can, try to get some fresh air after lunch, even if it is just a 15-minute walk.
Plan ahead:
A good tip is to schedule each day as it comes, when working from home, things can quickly change and you are less likely to stick to a strict routine. Each evening, spend some time planning out the following day for example make a list of what work tasks you need to complete and when your children are most likely going to need you.
Prepare meals and snacks in advance:
Having healthy snacks readily available and a lunch prepared the night before saves time and stops the children constantly raiding the fridge!
Time management:
Maintaining a regular schedule can be challenging at times when working from home with kids, this is because you have to manage your own time as well as your children’s and ensure they are doing their schoolwork (if of school age). To help with this, ensure they are keeping to their normal routine as much as possible and keep checking up on them throughout the day, when you have a spare minute!
Most importantly: Be kind to yourself!
One of the most important tips that you shouldn’t forget is that these are completely unprecedented times. You are trying to continue to earn a living whilst becoming a school teacher for your children, it is hard! Anybody that says it is easy is telling porkies!
You can only ever do your best so do not pressure or berate yourself when a day doesn’t go to plan. You need to keep yourself well, and adding stress to an already stressful situation will compromise your wellbeing. Be kind to yourself and give your self-allowances.
Soon, normality will begin to return and these days spent juggling everything will be a distant memory.
Take one day at a time and continue doing what you do best!