Trying to be productive while working from home with kids takes a lot of patience, organization, and dedication. This is no easy task for the new work from home parents, but it is possible. If you’ve found that you’re struggling with productivity levels while working from home with kids then I have some tips to help you overcome this challenge with success.

Keep it Realistic

Be realistic about what you can handle for tasks during the daytime hours while your kids are awake. If you keep your goals realistic then you’ll be better able to focus on productivity whenever you sit down to get your work from home tasks completed. Allowing yourself to have realistic expectations for your work from home day will also reduce stress and anxiety about getting specific things completed. I make a to-do list with all I need to accomplish beginning with the most important and work my way down, moving what didn’t get completed to the next day. Slow and steady wins the race, right?

Set Boundaries

No matter how old or young your kids are, they should be able to learn how to respect your work from home hours. Set forth some boundaries and create signs for your workspace area so that your kids know when you’re working and when you’re able to be interrupted. Sit down with your kids to go over activities that they can do while you’re working and rules for your work from home hours. 

Hire a Sitter

If you can budget a teenager sitter into your household finances, it may be worth a shot to hire a teenager to keep your kids entertained while you work from home. A teenager is usually more cost-effective than daycare or hiring an order person to babysit while you work from home. Call your local high school or ask friends about teenagers who can babysit in your home.

Make a Schedule

Now that we have all of the little pieces of information to keep the kids occupied and with boundaries in place, it’s time to think about how best to use your work from home hours. To start, you’ll need to make a schedule in order to be productive when working from home with kids. This schedule will ensure that you use your time to the best of your abilities for maximum productivity levels. 

Be Honest

Many people who hire work from home parents understand that you have a family life. While you can’t allow the kids to get in the way of you making a living, it’s perfectly acceptable to be honest about the fact that you’re simply having a difficult day with your kids and that you’ll have to put a deadline out a day or two, or maybe just put a deadline out for a few hours until the kids are asleep.

If you follow these tips for how to be productive when working from home with kids you’ll soon find that your work from home day runs smoother and your productivity levels soar. The key is to have realistic expectations, set boundaries and truly use a schedule that works best for your work from home tasks. 

Be sure to click here & visit my page of online job listings that I update bi-weekly!