The working situations have drastically changed when the pandemic hit. That was the time when everybody was ordered to stay home to prevent the spread of the deadly virus. But of course, industries need to keep on going otherwise, they’ll lose revenue. This is where they thought of adopting a working setup that’s been implemented in some industries but still considered unconventional. That’s working from home.
Remote work became the norm as everybody was waiting for the effect of the virus to subside. Most companies are now allowing their employees to return to the office. But it looks like the working-from-home setup still won’t go away any time soon. In a Business Insider article, it’s discussed how jobs with remote work setups are becoming more common.
So if you’ve taken a job with a remote work setup, you must prepare if you have kids. Your children can be a distraction that’ll keep you from doing your job efficiently. So how can you prevent your kids from disturbing you while you’re at work? Here are some useful tips you can follow.
Turn the television on
If you don’t want to get distracted by the kids, distract them first. The best way to do this is to let them watch television. It’s easy to divert kids’ attention. Just make them some sandwich or anything that they can eat while watching the television. Make sure that they’re tuned in to something they love watching. That way, they won’t do anything anymore. Their eyes would be glued to the TV while you are working.
But of course, you’re not supposed to make them watch television all day long. You have to designate a specific number of hours for them to watch. Once they’re finished watching, you can make them do something else. At least, you were able to do a few hours of your work uninterrupted.
Designate a play zone
Speaking of doing something else, your children may want to play right after TV time. It’s a good way to keep the children busy, so they won’t disturb you while you’re working. But of course, you can’t let them play in the same space where you’re working. You may want to designate a play zone for the kids.
You can work inside your room and tell the children that they’re not allowed to enter unless there’s an emergency. They can then use the rest of the house as their play zone. Or if you have the budget and you know that you’re going to be permanently working from home, you can renovate a room in your house. Hire a general remodeling contractor to renovate a storage room you don’t use anymore. Make it a place for your children’s playtime.
Work in their study hours
There’s one perfect time of the day when your children won’t disturb you. That’s when they’re busy studying. If your job allows you to work any time, you can work during hours when your children are at school. It’s going to be the best time to concentrate on your tasks without getting disturbed. Good thing, children are now allowed to go to school so you can have your own time at home. Just remember that your children will come home hours after. You should maximize the time for working while they’re away.
Offer rewards
Giving children rewards is a classic method to keep them behaving. You can actually use this method to have peaceful hours of working without being disturbed. What you can do is talk to your children and tell them that you’re giving them something if they behave while you’re working.
Some say that this rewards system isn’t good for children. But they’re actually beneficial according to a study. So think about it. Doing this not only gives you ample time to work efficiently. It also teaches your children good behavior when someone doesn’t want to be disturbed.
Hire a babysitter
Some people can’t look after their children while working even at home. If you’re in this situation, you may want to consider hiring a babysitter. That’s the best way to keep your children safe and distracted while you’re doing your tasks in your job. Look for someone who truly knows how to keep children behaved. It’s better if the babysitter you’re hiring is someone your kids already know. This can make it easier for the babysitter to take good care of the children. It’ll also be easier for the kids to get along and follow instructions from the babysitter.
Working from home has become a normal setup for most people during the pandemic. That’s despite the problems and inconveniences that affect the setup. But people have gotten used to it and made it work. Pretty sure it’ll be the same in your situation. Just follow the tips above to ease the hurdles of working from home with your children.
