How to Manage Work and Kids During Covid-19

Spending more time at home has become the new normal thanks to the recent occurrence of Covid-19. Sure, things are easing up, but with the virus still swirling around, Mama bears have to take up arms, try to keep their kids safe and some even have to juggle work. The truth is that Mums are nothing short of incredible. Nevertheless,  a little guidance here and there is much-needed in these dire times. So, here are some tips that’ll help you juggle work and kids a bit easier during Covid-19.

1. Go in with realistic expectations

Let’s start off by stating the obvious, mums are superwomen. But we’d like to believe that even superwoman needs to take it easy on some days. If you are going to juggle life with both kids and work (from home), then you need to set realistic expectations. You are probably not going to meet your quota every single time. In fact, it’s advisable to take your regular to-do list and cut it in half. If you push too hard, the effects could be dire, especially if you are a new mum.

2. Equally set realistic expectations for your kids

Especially if you have infants and toddlers, you are in for a real ride. With most kids still learning from home, it is very possible to get frustrated. Unless you were a teacher before the world had to deal with Covid-19, the notion of teaching your kids can be frustrating. You need to come to terms with the fact that you may not be able to stuff all the necessary knowledge in their heads. You may know your kids more than anyone else, but it takes a special grace to teach them. So, endeavour to set realistic goals for your kids and you’ll all feel less unfulfilled.

3. Find new ways to distract them while you work

You will really have to step your distraction game up while you work, especially with toddlers. Kids require a lot of attention and you need to try to guard against distractions during work meetings among other processes. The truth is that this is going to involve a lot of screens. Desperate times call for desperate measures, they say, well these are desperate times. One thing to note during this all is that you need to take your child’s mental health into account. Don’t overdo it with the distractions.

4. Digitize everything

Since you’re probably working from home, it’s important to have everything you need at one point. You’ll have enough to tackle during the day, so it’s best to have everything in a digital form. For instance, you can take a swing at physicalAddress.com, a service that can create a digital P.O box for you. With that one act, you can eliminate the time it takes to get the mail and sort through it, then use it to get something else done.

5. Specify roles

If you live with your spouse and have older kids, you are actually in luck. That simply means that you can delegate duties and share some. Chances are that your significant other is working too, so it is very important that you know who does what. As earlier mentioned, having older kids here is a bigger help. You can lean on them a bit more, but try not to go overboard. It’s a trying time for every single member of the household, you need to band together.

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