How To Be Productive Working From Home... Even With Kids

“Working from Home” is scrolled across my calendar and will be for weeks to come.  For some, this is a big change in how they work but for many of us, it’s business as usual. I have for many years had a very flexible schedule.  On any given day I can be grabbing a coffee with a client in the morning and then back to the office for some meetings.

I can be on a video chat or conference call or have some downtime to catch up on paperwork or planning in the afternoon. Some days are spent completely at my home office catching up on report writing and chatting with clients or wholesalers on the phone. So for me, my daily routine is anything but routine. I have come to enjoy the diversity in my days.

My business was built with work from home capabilities for my schedule as well as my staff’s.  Many employees of Johndrow Wealth Management over the years have needed flexible work schedules because they are Moms, students, and caregivers. Every employee takes his or her laptop home at night and has access to all the software and cloud-based tools with which to work remotely.  This is our plan when it snows, when their kids are sick, or have a day off.

I began writing this blog before COVID 19 was at hand but that has made it even more relevant as we all shelter in place and work from home.  Using video conferencing tools was a way of business for us but it now has been the way to stay in touch on a daily basis with staff and clients.

Zoom is as important to me now as is my daily calendar.  Seeing faces that smile back at you as you log in or wave hi makes all the difference in these days of social distancing.  Reading body language is what we do and when we are limited to just a phone call so much of the message is missed.

How to maximize productivity while working from home

Here are some thoughts I’d like to share that just may make your work from home experience more tolerable:

• Create a separate workspace that is quiet and allows you to focus on the task at hand.  Make it a space you can also get away from when you need a break.

• Allow your schedule to be more flexible at home. You can get the work done but possibly not all in a typical 8 hour day. You may need to attend to a child, take a dog for a walk, or answer the door. Throw some laundry on while you walk past the laundry room while you are at it.

• Take several stretch breaks and get out for some fresh air and take a walk if you can. It does wonders to clear your mind and help you be more productive while you are working.

Most importantly, cut yourself a break.  These are difficult times.  We will get through it and maybe we might even pick up a new work habit to replace an old one.

Working from home with kids

While these tips may help you, there is an elephant in the room that we have barely addressed: how to work from home with kids. Moriah, our Financial Analyst, does just that. Here’s her advice on how you can too:

Like many other parents, I’ve found myself lucky to still be working, able to work from home, but challenged by the added demand of homeschooling my three children. I’m not going to sugar coat it, this experiment has not always been our shining moment as a family.

There has been plenty of yelling, too much screen time, and possibly some drinking of wine while locked in my bathroom at the end of the day. With three weeks of half-baked homeschooling while working under my belt now, here are some real world tips that have helped us muddle through.

First things first, prioritize. 

For work that means talking to your supervisor about what projects and responsibilities are critical.  I’ve found that sending around a simple weekly email with my to do list and asking colleagues to rank their needs has helped me focus and plan my week. 

I’ve found many projects that don’t need to be done in the 9-5 time frame and have taken advantage of having some late sleepers to get through the tasks I need to focus the most on before the three ring circus arrives downstairs.  If you are an early riser or a night owl, think outside the box and see if you can clear some space for the times your kids need more supervision and help.

For kids, that means talking to your children’s teachers to see what skills they need to work on most, and concentrating your one on one time on those.  I think by now most working parents have abandoned the color coded daily schedules and thoughtful curriculum guides from our schools. While many kids thrive on routine, that’s unfortunately not something we can give them in our house right now. 

We have found that a check list works best for us.  For example, for our first grader we try to make sure he’s done a reading activity, a math activity, and some writing each day.  Reading is his biggest challenge, so we make time to do that one together.  Add in some exercise and maybe something creative and we’re calling it a day.

Second- try giving your kids more responsibility at home.

Those instagramable baking projects look great, but you’ll make your life a lot easier if you teach your kids to make their own breakfast and lunch.  Even kindergarteners can manage a PBJ or bowl of cereal.  Take some time over the weekend to clear space to keep the supplies they need in reach, have fruit washed & ready to go, and pre-portion some snacks. 

If you’ve been slacking on chore enforcement (guilty as charged), now your kids have no excuse not to pitch in.  At my house we call it “home economics” and though I was skeptical, my kids have actually surprised me on this one.  

Third- try to hack a better workspace.

Thanks to the magic of Zoom, I know not many of us are working from a design magazine-worthy home office and many of us are crammed in dismal basements and that weird corner in the guest room.  Take a few minutes to make whatever space you’ve managed to scrounge up work better for you. 

I scavenged a dining room chair with better back support. My husband cobbled together a ridiculous looking standing desk using some saw horses, a stack of books and an old desk top.  Borrow a plant from the kitchen, an unused light from the bedroom and your child’s old step stool as a footrest and make your workspace as comfortable and ergonomic as you can. 

For the kids- we weren’t set up with desks, and the rotating need for chrome books, iPads, and better WiFi have our children roaming the house at times. I cleaned out some old toy bins and filled each one with whatever supplies we had on hand to give them each a little school bin they can take wherever they need to be. 

Finally- go easy on yourself.

I know many others in our community and around the world are facing far worse hardships, but that doesn’t lessen the struggle working parents are coping with. Accept that some days are going to go south and your best course of action might be putting on Netflix, tossing a package of Oreos in the TV room and hoping no one pokes an eye out. 

You’ll make it up tomorrow… or the next day. This difficult time won’t last forever.  Kids are built for resilience and in the long run, this may actually end up being a fond memory from their childhood. As ugly as some of our days have been, we’ve discovered new interests (who knew our 7 year old wild man was also an avid bird watcher), put some sibling rivalries to bed and I think we’ll come out of this stronger as a family. 

Written by Lori Johndrow

Lori is a 35-year veteran in the financial services industry. She is both a Retirement Income Certified Professional ® and Accredited Investment Fiduciary ®. Both areas lend themselves to helping her aid people in creating lasting wealth.