How to Balance Working from Home and Remote Learning

For working parents, the pandemic hasn’t just been stressful, it’s felt impossible at times. Not only have you been challenged to meet the needs of your children as they adapt to remote-learning set-ups, but your career has evolved too, creating additional curveballs around every corner. 

You need realistic coping techniques to make the juggling act of working from home and proctoring your kids’ remote learning a little more manageable. Take a deep breath, sip some coffee and get inspired.

1. Let go of your old standards.

Pre-pandemic, navigating schedules was a task, but it probably wasn’t quite as overwhelming as it is now. At the very least, it used to be a busy and familiar schedule you knew. Since we’re living, breathing, working, playing, learning, exercising and eating all under the same roof, all the time, it’s stressful to keep your home and routine up to the same standards. Don’t do it. Times are different, so your standards should be too. Let the house be a mess, order takeout and relax about screen time.

2. Try the “hardworking interval” timer method.

While parents shouldn’t have to supervise their children during homework, it’s hard not to hover when you’re concerned about the quality of their virtual education. Kimberly Nix Berens, PhD, author and the founder of Fit Learning, recommends training your kids to work independently through the hardworking timer method. 

Start by setting the scene: Sit them down at their school station and remove all distractions, like phones and tablets. Set a timer for 10 minutes. Tell your kids they must work as hard as possible, staying focused and on-task until the timer goes off. 

“When they complete a 10-minute working period, provide lots of praise and give them a short break away from their workspace where they can check their phones, stretch their legs, and so on,” she says. “After a short break period, instruct them back to their workspace and begin the timer for another hardworking interval.” 

Once they’ve gone through this process three times, you can start to increase the ‘hardworking’ period to up to 30 minutes.

3. Schedule play.

We all know routines matter for kids’ (and, frankly, anyone’s) productivity. But during the pandemic, when everything and anything can change without notice, having a schedule can feel like a waste of energy. That may be true on some days. However, it’s still important to make one. You don’t have to map out every second, but do create chunks of time for work and chunks of time for play. 

Schedule breaks and time to do things kids normally do at school, like running around, drawing with chalk and so on. By creating routines around play, kids can remain focused when it’s time for schoolwork. 

4. Create a kid-friendly spot at your workstation.

It’s unrealistic to expect your kids—especially younger ones—to stay away from you all day, every day, when they can hear you working in another room. Instead of battling them, try creating a special basket of toys they can play with while sitting at your designated workspace. It could include items like sticker books, notebooks and washable markers. 

5. Set an alarm just for you.

Your calendar is probably filled with meetings and appointments, but most of them are probably not for you. Instead, they’re for your kids, your clients, your boss, your partner and so on. It might not seem like much, but a 10-minute investment in yourself can be a game changer in your personal mental health. Try setting an alarm on your phone that’s just for you. It should go off every single day at the same time so you can plan for it, and when it does, it’s your signal to participate in self-care. This could be going for a walk, taking a hot shower, having a solo cup of coffee, a meditation session or just sitting quietly.

6. Maximize movement whenever and wherever you can.

Burning off steam and energy is a surefire way to make your household more manageable. That’s why it’s critical to try to squeeze in movement as much as possible. Kids are sitting more than ever during the pandemic thanks to online learning and socially distant activities at school. Incorporate consistent movement breaks into your family’s daily routine, such as a morning stroll for early risers, a ‘lunch hour lap’ around the house or an evening bike ride.

7. Do as much as you can on Sundays.

Some weekends, we need the whole two days to decompress from a monstrous week. And that’s OK. But when you have the energy to roll up your sleeves on a Sunday, it can help make the next five days run a tad smoother, with less pressure.

Try doing meal prep on Sundays, or using that time to order groceries for delivery.