Balancing working from home and caregiving
It’s 2:00 on Monday, my youngest is hanging on my ankles yelling “up” as I try to warm her afternoon nap bottle; while replying back to a coworker from my phone. Meanwhile my oldest daughter is on the couch saying, “Mom, I’m bored what can we do?!?”. At this moment I look at my husband and say “it’s almost the weekend, right?!?!”.
Let’s be honest- working full time, homeschooling and being a stay at home parent is three separate jobs – however, for many across the country, working from home is our new reality for the foreseeable future as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread rapidly. For some, this arrangement is business as usual. But for others, including parents and caregivers, they now face the difficult task of balancing their working from home and caregiving responsibilities. For those of us in this situation, it may be difficult to navigate.
THIS DOCUMENT WILL GIVE YOU SOME TIPS ON CAREGIVING AND WORKING FROM HOME.
- Set a schedule
- Humans crave structure – it is important to set a schedule and stick to it!
- Create separate spaces
- A closed locked door is your new friend!
- Take breaks
- Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean you can’t take your usual breaks with your loved ones
- Communication is key
- Communicate with not only those you’re looking after but with your management and coworkers too.
Navigating our new normal can be hard, but it is also a blessing, many others I know are stuck at home without any income or ‘work from home’ avenue. The thing we have to all keep in mind is: balance. Making sure to set a realistic schedule will help you to set aside time to focus on your work and your family separately. Creating a separate space will help with so many of the unnecessary distractions of home life. Taking breaks keep you focused and productive, and communicating with all around will help you to keep expectations accurate.
And when all else fails there is always Disney + to help with ‘electronic babysitting’ so you can get a little alone time!
For all things COVID-19 visit our website – we even have a dedicated page for everyone stuck at home – check it out!
