Kids at Home + Working from Home

Working from home has always been a welcomed benefit or work perk, but now the entire nation is shifting as many jobs as possible to remote work in response to COVID-19. At 30 Lines, we built our company knowing that our team members do their best work where they work best. We’ve had a Work from Home (WFH) option in place for nearly a decade.

We recognize that over 70% of the full-time workforce in America are parents, and a majority population of that percentage are now taking care of their children while juggling a full workload and homeschooling expectations. It’s tough, we get it. Here are some best practices that have worked for us, hopefully, they will help you navigate the new normal if you’re working from home full-time and educating your children.

Set Expectations

Some parents do this by creating a schedule or planning the day. Others do this by creating a looser approach “we read in the morning” or “we practice math before going outside”. One of our team members creates a daily scorecard for the kids. If they check off math, reading, and one other subject they’re good for the day. Setting expectations is important with your kids and family, but with your employer too. 

Learning Doesn’t Always Happen at a Desk

The kitchen is a great place to learn math. Scrabble is a great game to teach vocabulary. The garden is a great place to learn about science and facetime with a grandparent is a great way to learn about history. Even better if your kids are at the age where you can set them free to explore these things independently. 

Take Breaks Together

Block time on your calendar so you can all have lunch together. Eat breakfast together while you’re at it. Treat the family meals for what they are. A quick 15-minute walk after breakfast can burn a little early-day energy and kickstart the day as well. Use these breaks to check-in and see how everybody’s day is going. 

Revisit Your Calendar

Having a day that has meetings packed back-to-back is not reasonable for the life you’re living. If you have the opportunity to control your schedule, add in 30-minute breaks between calls. This can allow you to do work, or help your kids with their schooling. If you’re working from home with your partner, try to create complementary schedules. For example, you get two hours of uninterrupted time while they’re with the kids and vice versa.

Set Goals

Just like you set goals and KPIs for your work, do the same at home. If your kids complete their math assignments for the week, that calls for a reward. It could be Facetime with a friend, a treat, or a movie night. Reward yourself, too. After a tough week of work, have see if a few friends will meet for a Virtual Happy Hour on Friday. 

Above all, remember this: If it’s not working for you, it’s not working. Just because your friend has a regimented schedule and they are thriving doesn’t mean that is the solution for you or your family. If you need to revisit an approach and change it so that you are less stressed and your kids are happier, then do it. We recognize that working from home is new for some of you, so let us know how we can help. 

Looking for communication or marketing support? Drop us a line–we’re here to help!