Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many of our daily activities are taking place under the same roof. For many parents, this means working remotely while their kids participate in at-home learning—an endeavor that is even more challenging than it sounds.
How are you supposed to tackle your regular workload while juggling the role of a full-time teacher? As you adapt to this new normal, try implementing some of the following tips so you can maintain your sanity.
Get Organized
First and foremost, make sure your home is ready to handle everyone working and learning under the same roof. You’ll never be able to work productively at the dining room table! Set up a home office for yourself and a homeschooling area for your kids so you can keep everyone focused on their respective tasks.
If you need help getting organized, consider working with a virtual organizer. Hiring a professional will make quick work of your decluttering projects so there’s plenty of room for everyone to work and learn comfortably at home.
When it comes to your home office setup, CNN recommends choosing a secluded and quiet area of your home that has good lighting and easy access to outlets. Consider getting a good standup desk and chair to avoid aches and pains during long work days. If you work on a laptop, do your neck a favor and get an external keyboard and mouse so you can prop up your laptop to eye level.
Remember, your kids can also benefit from a dedicated home learning space. Organize homework and supplies on wall-mounted shelves, get some noise-canceling headphones to block distractions, and pay attention to lighting details that can reduce eyestrain. Finally, try to implement a solid family schedule so everyone knows exactly what they should be doing and when.
Outsource Anything You Can
Your productivity is bound to take a hit when you pivot to remote work. Consider outsourcing a few time-consuming tasks to make your life easier. For example, you can offload many of your work-related administrative tasks to a freelancer so you can spend more time focusing on high-priority projects.
You can hire an assistant who can handle mundane tasks like making appointments, responding to emails, scheduling meetings, and doing research.
You can even outsource many of your personal responsibilities, like dropping off dry cleaning, grocery shopping, walking the dog, and meal prep. Even something as simple as hiring someone to clean your house on a weekly basis can free up a lot of your time and help you feel a little less stressed.
Make Learning Fun and Engaging
When it comes to at-home learning, keeping things fun for your kids will give you many hours of distraction-free time to plug away at work. Whether it’s online activities or virtual reality games, many educational technologies aim to gamify learning for kids. Make sure your kids have access to these tools!
Of course, you’ll also want to ensure that your internet is fast enough to support these online activities without disrupting your own work. Consider upgrading to a faster, more reliable internet service, like Verizon’s Fios Gigabit Connection, to allow for smooth gameplay and flawless conference calls.
Keep Everyone Active
With everything going on in the world right now, everyone is bound to feel a little more stressed than normal. Staying active is important for relieving stress and keeping everyone focused—whether on remote work or in-home learning. So, find ways to get your family moving throughout the day!
Verywell Family recommends kid-friendly exercise games that involve running, jumping, squats, lunges, and simple stretches. After your kids have a chance to burn off all that pent-up energy, they’ll be able to settle down and focus on learning—and you’ll finally be able to get some work done too!
Parents have had to navigate several new challenges as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, and it hasn’t been easy adapting to this new normal. Working productively from home and keeping your kids engaged in virtual learning are lofty goals. But with a few simple preparations and the right mindset, you will get through this!
