10 Productivity Tips for Work-at-Home Moms while Homeschooling Kids
Because of the pandemic, thousands of schools have closed. The demand for housework and work duties has become more challenging for moms since then. Mothers are struggling to juggle their roles as moms to their homeschooling kids and as work-at-home moms.
This can be difficult, but don’t worry, with the right hacks, you can get through this. If you are a work-at-home mom, here are 10 productivity tips that you can take into consideration.
Create Routine for You and Your Kids
To help you manage your time, you need to create a schedule that you and your kids can follow. The secret of most teachers in managing kids is creating a routine in the classroom. As a mom, you can also apply such a technique at home.
When kids know what they have to do and when to do certain tasks, they can take responsibility and do tasks on their own. However, you still need to consider your kids’ ages. If they are between preschool and elementary, they might need more of your supervision.
Middle schoolers and high schoolers can already work independently, so you do not have to worry so much about them. But that does not mean that you do not have to assist them at all. You can check on them and see what tasks they have accomplished and what they still need to finish.
By doing this, you are not only making your work easy. You are also teaching your kids how to be productive and to accomplish their goals.
Work at the Time You are Most Productive
The secret to finishing a lot of tasks is to work on time where you are most productive. You need to assess first which time you think you can work more efficiently. Once you have established that time, do the most important tasks such as your work duties.
For example, you can work well at night. Then during the daytime, you can focus on doing house chores and other mom chores. And at night, that is where you can spend your time for some office work.
It would cost you more time to do tasks where you don’t feel like working. So, make sure that you are in good condition when doing extensive tasks.
And when you think you are not in a good condition to do your office work, you can spend it on other things. You can do house chores and help your kids finish their school work.
Take Small Breaks
Taking small breaks will help you and your kids avoid exhaustion. Allocate a specific time for your kids to take a break from their school tasks. You can give them snacks and tell them to do other activities.
By doing this, you can also take a break from assisting them with school activities. You can also have time for yourself. During breaks, you will be tempted to use your phone and browse on the internet.
This can put you in a pit, so be wary every time you use your phone. You might indulge in your phone so much that you may lose track of time. Try to step away from your phone during breaks.
Allot a Time to Spend with Your Kids
When it is time to be with your kids, try to assist them and be with them full-time. Do not bring or do your work while you are with them.
Do not use your phone or browse on social media. If you do, your time will be wasted without doing your duty as a mom to your kids.
Make a schedule where you get to spend time with them. For example, you are scheduled to work at night, then do not start working without tucking your children to bed. As much as possible fulfill your role as a mom, before doing your role as a worker.
And when your kids are taking a nap during the daytime, you can take a nap with them. This way you get a good rest while being able to spend time with your children.
Make Your Kids Responsible for School Tasks and Homework
Make a to-do list for your kids where they can check on tasks that they are done doing. Making a to-do list can help you and your kids track their progress. At the same time, you are teaching them to be responsible students even when they are at home.
Assign your older kids to monitor their siblings’ work. Also, show them a plan of activities and tasks for the next day. That way, they will be prepared.
Plan a Night Before
Aside from making plans a week ahead, you should also make plans the night before the next day. Planning ahead can keep you organized even when your schedule is hectic. Spending at least 30 minutes for planning at night will help you get through the whole day.
Create a checklist to help you keep track of your tasks for the whole day. Aside from that, it would also help your kids to finish their tasks on time. Knowing to prioritize tasks will help assist in not overlooking important tasks.
However, you need to remember that there are tasks that you might not be able to finish within a day. Do not be discouraged when there are uncompleted tasks. It’s unavoidable!
Setup Your Workstation
Setting up your workstation will help set boundaries. Your workstation will be your room to yourself where you can do your tasks. You will also be able to avoid getting distracted by unnecessary things like the TV screen or house chores.
Aside from that, having your workstation will set your mind that you have to focus only on one thing. That you cannot do any other tasks except for your duties as a worker. Your kids won’t be able to distract you as well.
You can set a table outside your workroom or workstation where your kids can leave their questions or their finished homework for you to check.
Designate Time for House Chores
Most moms get distracted by house chores while they are working. They even have to stop doing their job, just to finish chores. The secret to avoiding doing this is to designate a specific time for household chores.
You can allow at least thirty (30) minutes to one hour for chores like doing the laundry. You can also spend it by cooking a meal early for dinner. By doing this, you can also take a break from your computer screen and office work.
Reward Your Kids
Giving rewards to your kids will give them motivation in doing tasks that are assigned to them. Your children are probably doing more tasks with homeschooling than when they are in school. So, to appreciate them, you can offer gifts and rewards for every task they finish.
You can give them small tokens like cooking their favorite snack. You can also allow them to play games that they like playing. That way, they will be more confident and responsible with their homework.
Make Time for Yourself
Not only your kids but you also need a reward for yourself. It could be exhausting to do multiple roles every day. And the best reward you can give to yourself is by making time for yourself. Living in condos like a condominium in Mandaluyong is great when you just want to hit the gym for a while or take a short shopping trip to ease your mind. There are a lot of condo units you can rent on real estate website Philippines. Condos are your best bet if you want to work at home and homeschool your kids since it has a convenient location with services that will make life easy.
You can take a warm bath, take a walk or jog in the park, or take a nap. What’s important is that you get to spend time on your own. Take in mind that you need to recharge yourself from time to time while doing your office work and mom chores.
As a work-from-home mom, you kids and your job as your priority. But do not forget to prioritize your rest too. So that you can perform your tasks efficiently while being in your best physical and mental state.
Being a mom is rewarding! Especially if you are able to fulfill your roles in both two worlds: your world at home and at work. But if you see yourself struggling sometimes, these ten productivity tips will be your guide.
