It might sound like the art of the impossible to work from home with a baby on your arm. Make the time pleasant and enjoy it while it lasts. All of a sudden it's everyday again.
Working from home when you have children is hard. I speak from experience. I've been doing it since 2003 and I highly recommend it.
The path to success with homework is, among other things, the ability to structure one's day so that everyone gets something out of their waking hours. You have to work, your children have to know that you are there for them and that you see them, and it should preferably be pleasant at the same time.
When schools and kindergartens close at such short notice, as they have done now, the challenge can feel extra big, but if you consider the coming time as a huge opportunity to try something new and have a little more time at home - together - then it maybe the best 14 days of your life.
I have collected some of my very own tips for working at home. There is so much you can do with your children at the same time that you get something off your hands in terms of work. Sort through my tips and use the ones that suit you. Make the 14 days at home your very own and learn from them. If you're ready, let's get started.
Tips for those who have a baby at home:
- Put your baby on. Quite literally. Use your baby harness or Babybjörn, and walk around with baby, for example if you have to talk on the phone. Baby needs closeness a lot of the time, and you'll probably find it quite cozy too.
- Schedule quiet work time before baby wakes up and after baby goes to bed. Just 1 hour early in the morning can feel like a miracle during the day. Experiment for yourself and find out what suits you.
- Work on a platform that you can access both from your mobile and your Mac/PC.
- Should you write? Find an app that you can use to dictate when you're walking around with baby.
- Use the hours when the baby sleeps to get something done that requires you to sit and immerse yourself.
- Now that you're at home, get a handle on the routines. If baby has difficulty sleeping during the day, now is the time to make a difference. Remember that children have no sense of time. You have, and you need to set your sense of time to 'infinite'. Only by having more time than the children will you incorporate the important routines that can give you peace of mind at work.
- Turn off the television, put the phone on silent and turn off the music. Enjoy the peace away from the large shared office.
- Enjoy being home with baby. The time will never come again. On the contrary, it does the work.
