By Kimberly Crossland, Owner of The Focus-Driven Biz
There’s a secondary type of fever, outside of the viral one we have all heard about, that’s hitting homes in force — cabin fever. While kids are grounded at home, parents have adopted the new role of teacher overnight. For working parents, there are immense pressures to juggle obligations at work and priorities on the home front.
And yet, there’s a bittersweet nature to these times. The bitter part is clear enough — we want our freedom to let the kids explore while we keep earning a healthy paycheck to support their adventures, as well as our own. The sweet part often gets buried though. Perhaps it’s time to reframe the challenges of working from home as one that’s allowing us to reconnect with the people we love and set an example of what work looks like today.
Whether you’re battling a partial furlough, attempting to find a new job after being laid off, which is a job in itself, or are hustling now more than ever because of increased demand, your kids are watching. They’re learning. And they’re absorbing what split attention looks like.
As we navigate what the remainder of 2020 will look like, it’s safe to assume we’ll continue on a trajectory of social distancing to some extent. That means the work-from-home orders may remain for some time. Summer camps might be closed. To stay sane, it’s helpful to adopt a few strategies for your household.
How do I know? I’ve walked this walk of balancing work and kids long before the pandemic hit. In doing so, I had some days where I wanted to pop the cork on a bottle of wine at 9 a.m. and hide in my closet, and other days when things were smooth sailing. In doing so, I learned the reality of juggling family and professional lives under one roof — you’re going to drop a few balls now and then and that’s okay. Striving for perfection on both fronts is a dangerous endeavor. Adopting strategies that can keep you present as a parent (because family always comes first) and productive in your work can save everyone’s sanity. These are the strategies have helped me.
Before anything can feel fluid, you must clarify your priorities. We spend an extraordinary amount of time on things that aren’t important. When you lose the comfort and flexibility of an office with minimal interruptions, you’re forced to maximize every minute of your day. As pockets of time open up, you’re better prepared to chip away at your to-do list, top to bottom.
Getting a realistic timeline of what your days look like is equally important. You can’t understand how to prioritize your time if you don’t know what that time will look like. Outline your work routine alongside your children’s school obligations and emotional needs. Doing this sets up a visual expectation for your family. They’ll know when you’re working and why you’re unavailable, and you’ll know when you can give yourself permission to turn off the phone, close the laptop and disconnect from the virtual office.
Sometimes you’ll need to show up at work and at home simultaneously. To the extent you can, tether your time together. Have a project that requires focus? Tether it with naps or quiet time. Have small tasks that you can mentally flow in and out of throughout the day? Tether those with your kid’s homework or while they play outside.
As we come to terms with what this pandemic summer will look like, it’s important that we abandon the urge to muddle our way through the day-to-day. Adopting new strategies for how to achieve balance in your home can have a profound impact on your family’s overall happiness, and may tip the scales towards more sweetness than bitterness during these unsettling times.
Want more strategies? The free, detailed guide for how to stay present and productive while working from home is available at TheFocusDrivenBiz.com/Guide
