Working from home can be a difficult transition. You are trying to balance your own work, your children’s work, household chores, and organization. We collected tips from online, our clients, and our mentors on how to balance and stay sane during this time.
Tips from working from home during the coronavirus
weekly family meetings
You can check back this weekend in our interview with Mary Armstrong, veteran homeschooling mom and educator, where we discuss the importance of weekly family meetings. This is where every Sunday you sit down and plan out everything that needs to get done: assignments, work, time dedications, personal goals, appointments, etc. Check back on our blog this Saturday morning to learn more.
set hours
You and your kids are probably used to a more scheduled life so let’s get back to it! Sit down at your family weekly meeting and make a daily schedule. Write in times for play, art, school, breaks, meal times, or whatever your family needs!
Designate a work space
We talked about this tip on one of our last blog posts but we wanted to reemphasize the importance of having a designated work space. No room in the house for a work space? Check out our tutorials and examples below! This is a space where all of your work or school materials go and when it is time to dedicate your attention to work, you go here physically and mentally and then you leave all of your work there when you leave. We are sure it will cause you less stress and make sure your spaces in the house don’t all collide.
build in transitions
Our minds have trouble focusing on one thing for long amounts of time so try filtering in transitions such as meals, pets, brain breaks on YouTube, exercise, outside recess, etc. This will be sure to give YOU a break but also help your kids refocus and look forward to a reward once they complete something.
get dressed
Yes, your PJ’s are comfy but psychologically we tend to connect our comfy clothes with lounging around. If you get dressed like you would on a normal day, you may see a difference in your motivation and focus. Try it out!
No room in the house for a work space?
Here are some makeshift study space ideas so you can squeeze a desk on the porch, in a hallway, or in the garage. You may have these items around your home already!
All you will need
– Flat Top (piece of wood, several pieces of wood, old door, etc.)
– Ideas for a base (check out below)
file cabinets
check out the tutorial here
cinder blocks
check out the tutorial here
plastic storage bins
check out the tutorial here
wooden crates
check out inspiration here
Here is a DIY garage office project from one of our mentors, Sarah Clausen! She used an old door and cinder blocks to make herself a desk in her garage work space.
Sources
The Muse “7 Essential Tips from Working from Home during the Coronavirus Pandemic”
Study.com “How to Create a Good Study Space for Online Learning”