Remote Work Parents: 15 Ways to Get Stuff Done While Kids Stay Safe and Occupied
I talked to dozens of WFH parents on LinkedIn and gathered their ideas here.
The shift to remote work has reshaped parenting for thousands of employees, bringing new opportunities and new (sometimes awkward) challenges.
This balancing act is especially tricky with younger children who depend heavily on parents for structure and/or entertainment.
Perhaps like you, I've been navigating the challenges of working from home with kids around. I've got three little ones - two in school full-time and a younger one who's usually with my wife.
But, life's full of curveballs. There are days when all three are home, bouncing off the walls, while I'm trying to focus. Or times when they’re around, and my wife's busy too.
I recently had conversations with working parents on LinkedIn, where I've picked up a solid list of strategies and tips to make this work-life-parenting blend a bit smoother.
In this newsletter, I'm sharing these insights with you.
We're tackling a big question: How can you create an environment conducive to work while ensuring your kids are safely and happily occupied? This isn't just for full-time remote parents; it's for anyone who's ever found themselves typing away on a laptop while juggling the joys and juggernauts of parenting.
Stay with me for the ideas, gathered from parents who’ve been there.
Fifteen Strategies for the Remote Work Parent
Here are the 15 strategies crowdsourced from working parents on LinkedIn, designed to help you navigate the complexities of working from home with kids:
Embrace Quiet Hours: Wake up early or stay up late to enjoy guaranteed quiet time for focused work.
Desk Hygiene: Clear your desk when the empty cups start outnumbering your fingers. This makes disaster spills less likely.
Protect Your Workspace: Avoid having your office or workspace be used to store kids' things like clothes or toys, even temporarily. Of course, everyone’s space reality is different.
Whiteboard Wonders: A whiteboard can be a versatile tool for kids of all ages in a childcare pinch. I’ve often sacrificed having my younger one get 50% on the wall, 50% on the board because the activity is so occupying for him.
Soundproofing with Earplugs: I use Loop earplugs to block out unexpected noises, from leaf blowers to backyard games to a kid waking up early from a nap.
Strategic Snacking: The right snacks can buy a solid 10-15 minutes of uninterrupted time, say many parents I spoke to.
Affordable Time Fillers: Explore the dollar section at stores like Target for affordable distractions like scratch art pads.
Create Safe Zones: Use a playpen to safeguard your work area, especially around electronics. This is perfect if you do not or cannot close a door into your workspace.
Video Call Camaraderie: Let your kids occasionally join calls to humanize your workspace. My unscientific hypothesis is that this could also reduce any allure kids have to checking out what you’re doing if you try to 100% block them from coming in during meetings.
Visual Communication: Use signs to indicate your availability. For this example, I always think of the famous episode of the 90s classic show Full House, where Uncle Jesse, perhaps the original work from home hero, had a red light at the top of the stairs when he was recording music in his basement studio.
Bluetooth Keyboard (Turned Off): Distract toddlers with a non-working keyboard.
Mini Workstations for Kids: Set up a small desk for independent play, so kids feel like they are part of the WFH experience.
Stop Light System for Interruptions: Implement a traffic light system for kids' questions. Green means come in, yellow means knock, red means don’t come in except for emergencies. Haven’t tried this one.
Checklists for Kids: Use laminated or wipeable checklists for daily activities. Ironically, this system works well for older kids on the weekends, too. It turns out that adding structure to a kid’s day and ensuring that they do a diverse set of activities is good for the whole family. They can help with chores when they’re younger than you think, too.
Exclusive Worktime Stationery: Have special markers or pens for kids during work hours. I’d doubt I have the foresight or restraint to make this work, but this was a tip from several parents on LinkedIn.
It’s a bigger topic; but for today let’s stay practical.
While it sounds a little dramatic, the ideas in this list point to a bigger truth about remote work with kids: the whole concept is about redefining what it means to be a working parent.
There are plenty of bigger topics at play here, like who is working vs. who is watching the kids; how working from home might impact parents’ relationships or social lives; back to office vs. hybrid vs. WFH; the extent to which WFH leads to more offshoring of jobs; how to maintain physical and mental health while WFH, and more.
This post wasn’t intended to be philosophical. Just practical.
After seeing the energy and creativity with which parents shared their ideas on working from with kids, the information was too valuable not to share here, too.
Hope you add your own ideas to the comments or on the original LinkedIn post.