It’s sunny, the kids are fun to hang out with and work is important. How do you make the most of it all?
- Concentrate on one job at a time. Segment your day into time slots and work on one thing at a time. You don’t need me to tell you that ‘working’ while ‘looking after your children’ usually ends up with work half done and an emergency dash into the kitchen to stop one of your children doing something insanely dangerous with something you didn’t know they could reach.
- Dedicate a specific space for working. Preferably where you can shut the door. You have 2 hours to focus on your work this morning, don’t spend it being asked where things are, or with half an eye on the children.
- Be realistic about what work you can do when. It would be optimal for me to be up and working from 5am. I could get 2 undisturbed hours in before the day has begun. But also I don’t work well at 5am so that won’t work well for me, also I don’t know how happy my clients would be about me calling them for their coaching session that early.
- Be honest with your support network. Your partner, your boss, your team, your kids. Lay your cards out on the table and just see what happens. I told my husband I intended to work and share the childcare with him 50/50. I told my supervisor that I was limited in meeting times due to childcare. I give my clients really clear boundaries as to my availability and politely explain why I can’t make a specific time. And I’m honest with my children. They know that if the door is closed then they can’t come in and that it’s important for their parents to work in order to keep feeding and clothing them.
- Be creative. Now is the time to try something new. And that’s being creative at work and at home. Necessity is the mother of invention, and if you can find a quicker and more efficient way of getting your work done then that’s great. Equally, you are (probably, hopefully) never going to have as much time indoors again, use it to your advantage. Pick one thing you would like to try and then try it out.