Working from home with a child

During the current coronavirus crisis, more people are working from home than ever before. Parents too. However, daycare centers and schools are currently closed or only operating to a limited extent. So the question suddenly arises: How do I reconcile care work or homeschooling and my job? We have put together a few useful tips for working from home with a child.

Every family is different

If there is no external childcare or schooling, it depends on how the family is set up: if only one person works, the partner can take over childcare. In many cases, both work, in which case shifts have to be alternated.
Of course, it also depends on the weekly hours. Both parents working full-time plus childcare is a huge challenge that doesn’t get any smaller with two or three children.
The age of the children also plays an important role. Are they of pre-school age and independent enough to keep themselves occupied for long periods of time? Or do they need constant care and supervision?

Realistic expectations

Depending on the individual composition of these factors, it will be easier or more difficult to get started working from home. Every family is different – it just depends. In any case, this new intensive family routine is a test of parents’ organizational and conflict management skills. Despite the additional burden, stress levels should not rise too high. That’s why we have some helpful tips here.

Working from home with a child: specific tips

You can spread out the daily routine a little by using off-peak times. Are you an early bird? Then get up some time before the family and get to work early in the morning.
Do you prefer peace and quiet in the evening? Open your laptop as soon as your children are asleep. The important thing here is to really choose one of the two options throughout the day.
In addition to the prudent working method mentioned above, partners can also alternate on a daily basis.

Involve your children if their character and age allow: they can “join in” and do handicrafts at the large table or simply let them play in the next room. If the children interrupt your work, stay calm. You will also be interrupted in the office. Or you can use the time when your children are watching a movie or listening to a radio play.

Precisely because it is so difficult to work at home for long and concentrated periods, the following tip could be something for you.

For work that can be completed in short time intervals, the Pomodoro method, which we have already presented here in the blog, is a good option. This is a good way to manage the following concept:
Dedicate your attention to work and children “slice by slice”, i.e. in short intervals. This also allows you to accumulate working hours and complete time-critical tasks quickly – bit by bit.

Conclusion

The new intensive time with childcare in the home office is a challenge. But it’s also a good opportunity to try out new forms of task and project management. Perhaps you could try out one or two of our tips today.