Working from Home in the Age of Coronavirus

It took DH and I a long time to learn how to work together when we both started working from home. It's a delicate dance that requires some patient and the ability to explicitly state what you need in a diplomatic way. And in homeschooling GK, it became an intricate dance.

Now, a lot of folks who've never worked from home before in their lives are being forced to figure out how to keep home and work separate. Even worse, they're dealing with kids at home because schools and daycares are closed.

So here's some tips to survive living, working, and schooling from home:

1) Figure out who's a morning person and who's an afternoon person. Seriously, this can go a long way into maximizing your productivity and minimizing your frustration.

Example: DH had to be online at 8 a.m. Monday thru Friday. GK played quietly in his room until I woke up. I handled admin tasks, homeschooling, and errands that needed done before 5 pm. After supper, the guys left me alone so I could write.

2) Who needs to be on the phone for their job?

Our mistake was having DH's office in the loft of our house Houston. In the beginning, he was constantly on the phone with clients, and the sound echoed through the entire house. Now, he's in the spare bedroom. He can close the door for calls. We don't interrupt him, and we don't hear everything.

3) How to signal you're in the middle of something?

The closed door is a good way, but we don't have an extra room for me. I was often in the living room on my laptop. The key for us was to check if Mom's wearing her earbuds. If she was, leave her alone unless there's blood or someone stopped breathing. However, GK was old enough to take care of himself.

But what about that magic time between learning to walk and can make their own peanut butter sandwich where you need to keep a closer eye on them? Look at it as a training period for boundaries. Give them some paper and pencils/pens/whatever and have them draw a picture for you while you're on that conference call with the main office in Miami. Now's the time to use bribing to keep your sanity.

4) Kids and screentime.

The coronavirus pandemic is a unique situation. Parents, don't get hung up on your kids' screentime right now. Even though it's spring, a good chunk of the country still has chilly weather. And even if it's nice outside, it's not smart to go to the playgrounds or have playdates right now. It sucks for all of us. So if a Harry Potter or Trolls movie buys you two hours of peace to get that spreadsheet done for your boss, don't sweat it!

I hope everyone's hanging in out there! Stay safe!