The pandemic forced many companies to ask their employees to work remotely, with some of them planning to let their employees work from home permanently. While this is ideal for many people, it is challenging for mothers who work at the same time to take care of their families.
This is even challenging for working parents who are already working from home before the pandemic started. Additionally, it’s more challenging since the kids started remote learning after schools were closed due to the pandemic.
If you’re in this situation, you should go through the following tips on balancing remote work with family life.
Plan for All Possible Scenarios
Winging it might have worked in the past, but you need to plan for all possible scenarios these days. And when you plan, you should make sure to prepare for the long term rather than every day. While everything might not go according to your plans, you can still take control of the situation so that it will follow what you wanted to do in the first place.
As they say, if you don’t have a plan, you’re planning to fail. This is particularly important with everyone staying home due to the pandemic. Without a plan, everything might fall apart, and you’ll end up trying to catch up on your work and home duties.
You can share parental duties with your spouse, who also have to work from home. The older children can even help in taking care of the younger ones. But if you’re the only caretaker of the young children, then you’ll have to multitask. Whichever the case, it’s always a good idea to have a plan ready for anything that might happen.
Come Clean with Your Boss
Working from home is a privilege not many people can have. They get to keep their jobs while working in the comfort of their homes. But if you’re a parent, the situation is different. You need to consider other factors aside from your work. Taking care of your kids while working can affect both your professional and family. You will either neglect some duties as a parent or have lower work productivity.
Due to this, be honest with your boss and your colleagues. Explain the situation at home while remaining committed to helping the company’s productivity during the pandemic. It’s not a good idea to leave let your boss and colleagues make their assumptions about your capabilities.
You can inform your boss about the areas in the job affected by the remote work situation. This will allow your boss to make the necessary adjustment to prevent any issues that can happen in the future. While you can do your best at work, avoid overpromising.
Acknowledge New Priorities
The current situation is different from the time before the pandemic started. It compelled companies to take a look at their priorities to ensure they will thrive in the middle of the crisis. For instance, restaurants might not emphasize deliveries to reach their target market rather than increasing the number of walk-in guests.
Your work-from-home situation also changed even if you were already performing remote work before the pandemic came. With the kids at home the whole time, it is now challenging to get some work done. For people who are new to the remote work setup, their productivity will likely suffer due to their unfamiliarity with the situation.
With this, you can discuss with your boss the situation and the possible changes in priorities. These changes result in adjustments to the deadlines and workload. It can even compel you to focus on other things to ensure you can deliver the results your clients are looking for.
Manage Your Energy
At this point, you should manage your energy to ensure you’re healthy enough to work and take care of the family. This requires a healthy diet and enough rest. Additionally, you should keep yourself hydrated and exercise as often as you can.
If you feel your health is suffering, you can get in touch with a reliable women’s doctor in your area. Since the pandemic isn’t over, you can use telehealth resources to consult the doctor. Moreover, skipping the news on some days is also good for your mental health since you can keep your anxiety level low.
The pandemic has affected the physical and mental health of people around the world. But if you can manage your health and energy levels, you’ll have a better chance of keeping a good work-life balance during these trying times.
Working from home and taking care of the family is quite challenging for anyone. But if you plan properly while taking care of your health, you’ll likely find that work-life balance everyone has been looking for even before the pandemic started.
