After posting my recent blog on our experience as full time work-from-home parents, we got more questions like “So, how do you actually make it work?”.
If you are a working parent, you’re likely no stranger to the daily juggling act of work and childcare. As I shared in the last blog, it’s a delicate balance that requires a unique set of skills, like joining a virtual meeting while holding a plushie on the side to keep your ‘co-worker on a high chair’ entertained. But fear not, because you can do it in your own creative way. I’ll be sharing some practical tips and tricks that we’ve learned along the way and seemed to work for us, to help make your life a little easier. So grab a cup of coffee or beer (no judgement here), take a deep breath, and let’s dive in!
Scheduling Your Tasks
In my previous blog post, I touched on how having opposite work schedules with my wife worked to our advantage. It allowed us to have designated times for work and household responsibilities while taking turns with our little one. However, for those who don’t have that luxury, scheduling your tasks and prioritizing your time can still go a long way in making things more manageable. Here are some practical tips:
- Schedule meetings and focused work during times when your partner is on baby duty. This will give you the undistracted time you need to be a valuable team member and employee, and the same for your partner. This will also still allow you to have some quality time with your little one — and believe me, feeding, diaper change, and playtime won’t feel like a task when you have allocated time for these.
- Use your break times to prepare or actually have meals. Skipping meals can lead to a lack of energy and focus, so it’s important to make sure you’re eating properly. If possible, try to eat with your partner and child to make mealtime a family affair.
- Avoid letting household chores pile up by tackling them right away. For example, washing dishes can become overwhelming if you let them accumulate throughout the day. Try to wash them immediately after using them, so you don’t add unnecessary tasks to your to-do list.
- Be intentional about planning your meetings, collaborative tasks, and projects with your work team. Try to schedule them around your childcare routines to avoid any conflicts. Communication is key, so make sure your team is aware of your schedule and any potential conflicts that may arise.
By prioritizing and scheduling your tasks, you can reduce the stress of juggling work and childcare responsibilities. Remember, it’s important to be flexible and adaptable as things can change quickly with children. But with some planning and effort, you can make it work.
Meal Preparation
It’s important to make sure that your family is eating well and getting proper nutrition despite the hectic day to day. It can be tempting to rely on fast food or food delivery services for convenience, but this can be both expensive and unhealthy. Here are some tips for meal preparation:
- Prepare a menu for the week. Planning ahead and creating a menu for the week helps manage your budget and ensures that you have a variety of meals that support your family’s nutritional needs. You can take turns with your partner in preparing the menu and do the shopping and cooking accordingly.
- Prepare ingredients in advance. For example, defrost the protein for the day, cut the veggies, and prepare other necessary ingredients during your break time. This way, when it’s time to cook, everything is ready to go. This saves time and allows you to be more systematic and strategic which are good skills to develop even from simple chores.
- Simplify your food choices. Keep in mind that the most important thing is proper nutrition. Create a menu that is enjoyable for everyone, including your little one, but is simple enough that it won’t take too long to prepare and cook. Save the complex dishes for the weekends when you have more time to prepare and enjoy the meal. For us, it’s fine to eat the same viand for lunch and for dinner — maybe just add some fruits to make the variation.
- Load up on fruits. Kids enjoy refreshing foods that also provide good nutritional value. Try to avoid junk foods as much as possible. Encouraging healthy eating habits and food choices at a young age can have a positive impact on your child’s health in the long run.
The goal is to ensure that your family is eating healthy, nutritious meals, on time. Remember, it’s not about creating elaborate dishes but about providing proper nourishment for your family.
Housekeeping
Housekeeping can be a daunting task, but with a little bit of organization and planning, you can make it more manageable. We’ve learned that keeping the house clean and organized is essential for a stress-free work environment. We had to figure out ways to make it possible without the help of a nanny or house helper since it’s just the two of us and our little one.
First things first — accept the fact that a little mess can’t be avoided with a toddler playing all the time, pulling things out of containers, and tossing them around. This is something that I had to remind my wife about from time to time and until now, it’s hard to be still at peace with it.
- Return things to their proper places after use. It’s easy to leave things lying around, but taking the extra few seconds to put things back in their proper place will save you time and energy in the long run. I am guilty of just putting stuff beside me — and my wife hates it. This maybe is not the section for me. But you get my point, if things are in their proper places, it minimizes cleaning efforts and just give more peace of mind.
- Set up a play area for your child. Having a designated space for your child’s toys will help keep them organized and easily accessible. It also teaches your child to put their toys back where they belong because they can easily find them in the same spot.
- Sanitize regularly. If there is one key takeaway that we got from the pandemic, it’s how proper sanitation is crucial in keeping your home safe and healthy. In your busy schedule, you don’t want the extra burden when someone gets sick. Take a few minutes each day to wipe down surfaces and sanitize high-touch areas.
- Baby-proof your home. Keep your child safe by removing any items that could be potentially dangerous. While you are making sure you have your eye on your kid, there are unavoidable circumstances where you might be glancing at something else and suddenly you have a crying little one. Housekeeping is not only about keeping the house in order but also ensuring safety. Remove any unnecessary decorations that may be unsafe, especially if they have sharp edges, small parts, or too heavy and unstable.
- Prioritize your energy. It’s okay to ask for help with tasks that really takes so much time and energy (like general cleaning and laundry for us) . If your budget allows, consider hiring someone to help you with these tasks so that you can focus on spending quality time with your family.
Remember, maintaining a clean and organized home is a marathon, not a sprint. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you fall behind or can’t keep up with the demands of parenthood and work. Take things one step at a time, and you’ll find a routine that works for you and your family.
Ultimately, it’s a TEAMWORK. Be kind to each other and make sure to communicate — share your exhaustion, your excitement, and definitely your plans and potential adjustments to make homemaking as fun and less stressful as possible.
Cheers!