For those of us who work from home and have little kids, we know there are going to be challenges. Kids walking into the office in the middle of an online video call. Hearing children cry in the background. And what happens if one of the kids gets sick and must stay home?
I’m an entrepreneur who works from home and the dad of three young children. I specialize in business coaching, especially with homepreneurs who are juggling being present with their families while trying to grow their business.
My wife and I have faced it all and are here to tell the tale. You can work from home. Here are top tips we’ve learned along the way that may help you be more effective while also treating the people in your home a little kinder.
1. Establish Working Hours
I don’t do work from 5 AM to 8 AM and from 5 PM to 8 PM. That is family time. I’ve blocked off my work calendar at these times and have verbally shared this commitment to my wife and kids to help hold myself accountable.
When important client meetings or media interview requests arise, I make the uncomfortable request for an alternative time option. It gets easier to make this ask over time. Setting this parameter has saved me from being “the guy checking my phone” instead of engaging with one of my kids.
2. Train Kids on Your Workspace
Once you have kids, set boundaries to maintain your mental and physical health, so you can be present with your family but also deliver on professional commitments.
When we moved into our new home, my wife and I trained the kids on what it means for daddy to be at work. When the door is closed to my office, it means that I am in work mode. When my door is open, it means they are free to come in and say hello.
To keep it clear, I quickly realized that I should always keep my door closed. This way there’s no miscommunication. Even during nonwork hours, they rarely come into my office. Keeping a separate place for work can be essential in finding that balance while working from home.
3. Include Your Kids and Spouse in the Vision for Your Day
My family makes it a priority to start our days together by sharing a meal. This is what the conversation at our breakfast table usually looks like: the kids talk about with their day is going to look like, and I talk about what my day is going to look like.
The kids know the days that I have a webinar at night. They know the days that I will be busy filming videos all day. This helps them to understand my demeanor and temperament for that day. It also makes them feel more actively involved and therefore excited for their dad’s job. Celebrating the wins and some of the losses with your kids can bring healthy family discussions and times of joy with one another.
4. See Kids as a Blessing, Not a Hindrance
Everything changes when you have kids. Before our three kids, I could stay up until two in the morning working on a project, with very few consequences. Today, I’ll likely be spending my evening cleaning up the house, tucking a kid back into bed or grabbing someone a glass of water.
All parents feel a tension between being with their kids and getting necessary work done. Depending on the hour, you child can feel like the greatest blessing or can feel like a burden. Your child does not have to be a liability. Instead, they can become your legacy. Rather than being a reason why not, they can become a reason why. Your dreams matter because of your children, not despite them.
5. Use Kids as Productivity Machines
Having kids automatically limits the time you have available. What if you looked at your limited capacity of just an hour or two of free time per day, and you get your best work done? If I only have an hour to write a chapter of my book, then that chapter will only take an hour. Your children can help set you apart, because you have clarity of purpose and limited availability.
6. Establish a Morning Routine
A morning routine can help you set up the day right. I find having an hour to myself before any of the kids wake up is enough for me to feel like I have my own life. I need this time to think, read, write and breathe.
This may require going to bed shortly after your kids or setting your alarm clock even earlier, so you can press snooze a couple of times. Having some much-needed alone time is always worth it from a professional and personal perspective.
