Mom’s Summer Home Office Hours

It’s full swing into summer, and you may be finding yourself a little less productive. As a parent, you are happy to see the kids home, relaxing and enjoying summer vacation. After all, you were a kid once, and you remember how much fun summer was.

But now, you have to fit work into the day too. This can be a real challenge, especially if you manage a home office. How are you going to get your work done with the kids running around all day?

Well, it can be done, but it may take some flexibility and focus. Here are some tips to help you get through your to-do list and stay productive through the summer:

• Be sure your kids understand your expectations. Have a family meeting and discuss everyone’s needs and how important it is that each family member does his or her part.

• Assign chores to your children. Not only will this help them stay busy in the morning when you are trying to get some work done, but it will instill a good work ethic in them. It helps them understand “work” versus “play”.

• Be flexible. If you have a home office, you already know that flexibility can be a pro and a con. During the summer months, you may re-think your projects and set up your schedule accordingly. For me, I’ll save bigger projects for the fall, and maybe only do the research and work out the plan during the summertime.

• Write up a new office-hours schedule. Post it on your door and let your children know what the rules are. For me, morning hours are most productive. Figure out what works for you.

• Hire some help. If you have young children, your best bet may be to hire a mother’s helper a few days a week. This way, your children can play all day, get plenty of fresh air outside, and you won’t feel guilty about ignoring them or keeping them cooped up indoors.

• Think of this as your summer vacation too! If you don’t have a laptop, now is the time to seriously consider purchasing one. Go for a wireless network too. This offers you so much more flexibility in your home office. Take your work to the porch, the beach, or the backyard hammock this summer! Make the most of some family time, but don’t forget to “unplug” at least 2 days a week too.

• Don’t rule out weekends. While you do want to enjoy some weekends to yourself, you may want to consider working a few Saturdays or Sundays through the summer, and taking one or two weekdays off instead.

Working at home can be the best of both worlds, but it still has its challenges. Enjoy your children, use your office hour time to be as productive as possible, and you can have a productive yet relaxing summer!