Working at home during the summertime can be a delicate balancing act. With kids out of school, but perhaps not quite yet in summer camp, you may find yourself struggling to entertain the kiddos and still accomplish your work demands, too. But it doesn’t have to be a cruel summer when you work at home. Here’s how working moms can make the most of summer hours when you work at home.
Start Earlier
You can take advantage of summer’s deliciously long sun-filled days by starting your own workday earlier. Even if you shift your schedule an hour or two earlier, you might be able to get a lot more accomplished than if you stick to your normal 9-5. And with kids home, you’ll have a greater sense of peace knowing that you’ll have more time to enjoy being with them doing fun activities instead of being stuck in your home office.
Get Organized
When you work during the summer, it definitely feels like everyone is in a calmer, more relaxed state. That’s why this is a perfect time to try to tackle projects that may have been impossible to do during the fall/winter months, when things tend to be even more hectic. So look at your to-do list and determine what assignments you’ve always wanted to accomplish but never had time to do. It could be anything from changing certain aspects of your workflow to simply trying to be more organized. The changes that you make during the summer can be super helpful to you as you move into the cooler months, when things might heat up for you work-wise.
Involve Your Kids
Sure, it might seem like a contradiction in terms: asking your kids to help you, so that you can work. But by having your kids involved, you can actually get more work done. For example, you might have an older child help you file documents, or shred the ones you don’t need. Little ones can sort and group like items (think pens, paper clips, and other items cluttering up your junk drawer). It might not make you the most productive, but you can definitely get more done.
Learning how to make the most of summer hours when you work from home can be challenging. But by finding ways to work around (ha) having your kids with you while you’re trying to perfect that presentation, you just might be able to get (almost) all of it done — and show your child how to make work-life balance work for you.