As school rolls into session, and parents find themselves grappling with time management, many of us are looking for ways to stay sane. 

And even if your children are going back physically into school full time, there is still the looming fear of them coming back home because of a Covid - 19 outbreak. Anxiety, fear, and depression are all natural feelings! 

Here are a few tips that we found to help balance working from home with kids complimentary of  https://www.indeed.com/career-advice.

1. Remember that you’re not alone

According to a June 2020 Gallup poll, the majority of US parents felt remote learning was difficult when the 2019-20 school year abruptly switched to the home. Six in 10 working parents said remote learning was difficult for them, compared to 44% of non working parents. In addition—likely a reflection of their children’s ages and the amount of supervision they require—parents younger than 45 were significantly more likely than older parents to say remote learning was difficult.

If you’re feeling stressed that you might not be able to keep up at work with your colleagues who don’t have children—or that your kids might fall behind in their learning—keep in mind that others are likely struggling just as much (or perhaps more) this year.

2. Be transparent with your manager and coworkers

The summer break may have made it somewhat easier for you to balance working from home with kids at home, but it’s important to let your team members know the shift you are preparing for if your children are returning to virtual learning. Communicate to your coworkers and supervisor which times during the day you may now be unavailable. For example, if your children need guidance in the hour before online school starts, or they need help with a particular subject, block off that time on your calendar. You might also ask your team members to let you know if your attendance is imperative at meetings with conflicting times.

Communication is vital when telecommuting, so ask your supervisor how—and how often—they’d like you to update them about your progress on any work projects. And if you think you need extra help from your team or time off to guide your children through online lesson plans, vocalize that. Tone can get lost in email, so consider other methods of contact.

3. Use visual cues to designate workspaces

As courses resume online at home after an extended summer break—much of which may have been spent playing and relaxing at home—students might struggle to use the same environment for their school work. If your child has difficulty focusing, clear out the clutter. Just like adults, kids focus best when you remove distractions. If a separate, closed-off room isn’t possible for every remote learning and working individual in your household, look for places where you can introduce a threshold.

If your child wasn’t successful studying in their room last semester, consider switching it up for the new school year. Set up desks facing a window, or use cardboard boxes to make a makeshift cubicle at the dining table that allows you and your children to work quietly side-by-side with headphones.

4. Open up a line of communication with your child’s teachers

Remote learning doesn’t mean that you are your child’s homeschool teacher. Educators have had to prepare for a remote school year without much notice, but they are still experts in developing lessons for your child’s stage developmentally. Think of yourself as a partner in the learning process. Check in with your children’s teachers and try to develop a relationship with them by email, phone or video conference to ensure your child is keeping up with their assignments. Teachers may need your support this year as much as you typically require support from them.

5. Build structure and routine into your day

If your child’s school doesn’t offer a structured schedule for online school, it can be helpful to establish a basic but flexible schedule that mimics a regular school day to maintain consistency. Set up learning routines, or small actions that indicate it’s time to learn, such as putting certain devices away or moving to a specific place in your home.

Experiment with different schedules to find a routine that works best for everyone in your household. “Finding what fits for a family involves a fair amount of trial and error over time,” writes Pamela Price, author of How to Work and Homeschool. “In other words, homeschoolers are always tweaking their plans. Sometimes what works one year doesn’t work the next. And sometimes what works with one child or household doesn’t work for another.”

6. Schedule breaks for your kids and yourself

Prioritizing breaks throughout the day can help boost productivity and reduce burnout. You might try the Pomodoro Method, a time-management method where one focuses for 25 minutes followed by a mandatory five-minute break. Price recommends breaking down daily schedules by the hour, so you can schedule things with some precision, while still being careful to not overschedule. “It may be tempting to schedule every minute, but no one likes to be micromanaged. Allow free time to play, stare at the wall or take a walk. Breathe a little. Make space to give grace.”

7. Set realistic expectations

The COVID-19 pandemic is a historic interruption of education. Don’t expect perfection this school year. Instead, the baseline goal is to protect your family’s physical and emotional health—and to keep your job. As that baseline becomes more manageable over time, you can slowly introduce new milestones, like reading a set number of books per month. Look at every new day as an opportunity to strive toward your goals.

8. Seek out support

Every person you know holds valuable knowledge they can share with your kids to help ease the burden of schooling at home. If you have older family members or friends who don’t have kids or are retired, consider asking them to act as a virtual tutor for a few hours a week so you can carve out some extra time to focus on work. It doesn’t necessarily need to feel academic—rich learning opportunities are prevalent in daily life, such as cooking or talking about a documentary.

Alternatively—or additionally, if your budget allows—you might be able to find childcare in your community for a second environment for your children to focus on their online schooling. This may be necessary if your job doesn’t provide you with enough flexibility to manage your children’s schooling at home. Introducing other people to your pandemic circle can help your kids develop valuable social skills—conflict management, empathy, respect—all of which can be difficult to build remotely.

9. Prioritize sleep

While the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 8-10 hours of sleep for teens 12 to 18 years old and 12 hours for children ages 6 to 12 years old, a 2018 study of high school students in the US found more than 70% of students were not getting enough sleep during the school year. Use the flexibility of this new remote school year to your advantage. If your child’s school allows it, let your children start their day later than they would if it were a normal school year or schedule time for a midday nap. This can give them the opportunity to get the recommended amount of sleep for their age, while also allowing you some quiet time to focus on your own remote work.

10. Keep a positive mindset

The distance-learning era might have some unexpected benefits. LM Preston, author of “Homeschooling and Working While Shaping Amazing Learners,” says familial bonds are one of the primary benefits of parents being able to influence their children’s lives by supervising their schooling: Your attitude about this “new normal” will influence your childrens’. Try to adopt a positive outlook every morning, even if it seems impossible right now.

11. Be open to other options

Assess whether your school’s plan for the upcoming year will work for your family’s personal situation. Does your school board seem prepared? If they are planning a hybrid model with in-person schooling, will students and staff be able to quarantine if necessary without penalty?

When you’re evaluating your school’s plans, account for the time you (or other adults) will need to spend supervising them. The younger the child, the more help they will need. Budget one to three hours a day for older children, while elementary-aged children will need assistance for four to six hours a day. If your school’s current plans won’t work for your family—for example, if your child has special needs, but will be required to sit at a computer for five hours straight, you may need to consider other options, such as homeschooling or transferring to another school that better suits your family this school year.

Good luck and remember, we are available if you need some help managing your current workflow!