How To Plan Ahead While Working From Home With Kids
I am a working mom who also works from home, and I cannot talk enough about how much brainstorming and planning ahead has helped to keep my son entertained – and most importantly, helped me get. my. work. DONE! during the week.
If the thought of planning your work-from-home week makes you want to turn around and run, or if you want to do it, but just don’t know where or how exactly to start – today’s show is for you.
Grab your favorite drink and hit play on the episode above (keep scrolling to read along while you listen!)
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Today’s post is part 2 of a 3-part podcast series on working from home with kids.
In my last episode of The Sweet Brand Show, episode #18, I gave out 9 of my best tips on how to get work done with kids by your side.
On today’s show, we’re going to progress to that next step and talk about brainstorming and planning ahead. (Tap the play button above to list, or keep scrolling to read.) When it comes to getting this right, there is no perfect science, and there are no perfect days.
Things won’t work out exactly how you picture it, and you will still have hard days. However, the things I’m covering today WILL 100% help you get work done and learn to figure out how to navigate whatever the day or week throws out at you.
Here’s how I recommend you get started:
Step 1: Start with two lists
First up, you want to think about making a few types of lists to help you during your work week:
#1. Things your kids can do BY THEMSELVES while you supervise them and get work done
#2. Things that are hands-on activities you will do WITH your kids, and not be working
Only you know your kids and the things they can (and will) do while you work. These are going to be the activities where you’re still there with them, but they don’t need you right there next to them, hands-on, in order to be occupied (such as playing in the living room, for example).
Then there are the activities where you’ll need to be there, not working, such as if you want to take them to the zoo – you know you aren’t going to be working during that time.
If you’re like, wait a second, I thought we were going to talk about things that my kids will do while I work – yes, that is the main point of this episode and this series, HOWEVER, I do want you to think about incorporating things you and your kids will do throughout the week as well, to help balance out your schedule.
Like we talked about in the last show (episode #18), it’s really important to block off your schedule so that they get much-needed facetime with you throughout the day.
That said, for me, it’s been really helpful to have these two lists on-hand and working together throughout the week.
So, your first step is to make those first two lists: things they can do while you work, and things you’ll do together.
Step 2: Brainstorming
So you’re probably thinking, “Okay great, I can make those lists and try to have fun with it, sounds easy enough… but I have no idea what to put on them.”
And all I can say is yes. Same.
That’s kind of always a thing, because schedules are always changing and kids are always changing, so just to prepare you that, you will probably always be in search of ideas of things for your kids to do while you work at home with them.
That doesn’t mean you can’t be prepared and have your lists ready – so what I’ve done in the past and what I still like to do is go to Pinterest to get my “idea bank” or my running list started.
Pinterest is my #1 spot for sourcing and brainstorming ideas for a lot of things really, especially my work week with my son.
What I really love about it is the abundance of information from other moms you can find on there, and how granular and specific you can get with your search terms and see results – such as searching, “how to work from home with kids” or “activities for 3 year olds” or “toddler backyard activities”.
You may have even found this podcast via Pinterest – which is so cool first of all, and that’s also how you know that what I’m saying actually WORKS to help you find the ideas you’re looking for!
There are a few people I’ve personally found via Pinterest and other ways, that I look to specifically for ideas, the first one being:
Susie from Busy Toddler
Susie with busytoddler.com is a previous school teacher and has a plethora of ideas for littles. What’s really great is that she categorizes every single idea based on age, activity type, and indoor or outdoor. I can’t tell you how many ideas of hers I’ve tried while working from home with my son! I also purchased and went through her Playing Preschool book as well, which was really fun to do with my son before he started school. There were some activities I did hands-on with him, and there were others that he could do by himself while I worked. Overall, it helped him and I both prep for school days, so I highly recommend that as well as browsing her website for ideas!
The Simplified Podcast with Emily Ley
Another resource I love is The Simplified Podcast with Emily Ley. I actually don’t think she’s recorded any recent podcasts, however, if you search through some of her older ones, she does have some great tips on Summer Bucket Lists for your kids and something called “How to Be a Person Camp” for kids. Check out those episodes if you get a chance, I know I enjoyed them and got some good ideas from them.
Side note: I know summer is coming up FAST, so those work from home days may be getting harder or easier depending on your work and your kids’ stage of life, so you could also start a few more lists to work into your summer schedule, such as a Summer Bucket List and a list of things you want to teach your kids this summer. (This is also my reminder so I do this for my family, because I haven’t yet!)
Cultivate What Matters
One more great place I love to look for work from home mom ideas is the blog and podcast from Cultivate What Matters. They talk about allll the things: motherhood and family, goals and habits, schedules and routines, finances and health and joyful living and so much more.
If you’ve been around my podcast and content for longer than a minute, you’ve probably also heard me talk about their goal planners, which I love and have used for years now. And full disclaimer, I am an affiliate of theirs, so any links or codes that I share are exclusive to my listeners and readers. You can grab 10% off your next order with my link and code in the show notes!
They have a great blog post called “Our best tips for working from home”, which I’ll link in the show notes as well if you want to check that out.
Step #3: Utilize my “48 Content Ideas” exercise
(ICYMI: Listen to The Sweet Brand Show episode #06)
Okay, if you’re still needing some help getting your ideas together, you could also try my “48 content ideas exercise” as a hack for this.
Now, I started this exercise a few years ago as a way to help me with creating content for my podcast and blog, but it has since been adapted for different situations where I need to think of ideas – such as ideas for working from home with kids.
If you haven’t heard of this, head all the way back to episode #06 to listen to the full concept, but the gist of it is that you start brainstorming ideas in a blank document, and use categories if needed, and try to get to at least 48 ideas.
I know 48 ideas might sound like a lot at the moment, but believe me, once you start this and use this exercise, you will be able to get to way more than 48 ideas.
For instance, you can open up a blank document right now (I like to use Google docs) and call it your “48 Work From Home With Kids Ideas”
Create those two lists we talked about earlier: make one header titled “Kids Solo Activities”, and then press that return button a few times and make another header titled “Kids Hands-On Activities”.
Then, begin brain dumping ALL the ideas you can think of for each of those categories. I mean ALL of them – the silly ones, the ones you don’t think will work, the fun ones, all of them.
Come to think of it, I have not actually formally done this for myself using my own exercise so now adding that to my to-do’s… not sure why I haven’t thought of doing that before!
And again, I know I talk about Google docs a lot but it really does make it SO simple and easy, because it’s accessible from my phone from anywhere AND it’s searchable, so I could use keywords or the categories to find what I’m looking for easier!
Along with this, I have a couple “pro planner tips” you can use as you’re making your document/brainstorming:
PRO PLANNER TIP #1: Categorize your list even further
If you want to get super planny with it, you could break up your lists further into different categories, such as things you can do out of the house and things you can do at your house.
Adventures Outside Of Your House
As I mentioned in episode #18, getting out to try to work with your kids might be too much sometimes, and other times it might be just what you need, it just depends on the activity and everyone’s moods that day.
Either way, having a list of things you can do outside the home is so helpful to get a change of scenery and a change of pace during the work week with your kids – and if you take the time to write your ideas down, you won’t have to scramble to think of them when the time comes.
Adventures At Your House
The same goes with adventures at your house. Now, obviously these are the types of activities that are going to be the best for getting work done. When you go out, you never know what’s going to happen, so activities at your house are a bit “safer” to do so that you can work.
It might seem simple enough in theory, but the point of writing them down now and having a running list of ideas is so that, during the craziness that comes with kids at home, you’re not having to tax your brain to think of things to do when you really need to get work done.
PRO PLANNER TIP #2: Include things on your list that your KIDS love to do AND things YOU love to do, too
This might sound kind of funny to even mention but what I mean by this is: Don’t plan things every single day that aren’t going to be enjoyable for you, too. Don’t put things on the schedule that you honestly just dread doing.
Of course, if going to the park isn’t your favorite thing ever, but your kids love it, still take them. But then, you do have permission to do different things with your kids that are also fun for you, like I don’t know, going on a walk at that park rather than playing on the playground.
(That was a very simple example, I actually haven’t met a mom yet that doesn’t like taking their kids to the park, but I needed an example so that was it).
More than likely, your kids will have fun on a walk out in nature just as much as you would.
The point is to not shy away from something just because you think your kids won’t like it. Try to think of things you BOTH enjoy doing, not just things your kids will find entertaining.
I don’t know what that looks like for you, but I wanted to mention it because I saw something on instagram a long time ago and it was this mom that was basically saying like, you can do things with your kids that you BOTH find fun.
You don’t always have to let your kids pick the activities and the schedule and only do things that you’re just not super thrilled to be doing.
And the idea of it was, yes, of course, do things your kids love – even if you don’t – but also, remember that you’re a person too, and your kids should recognize you are a person, too, that also likes to have fun and wants to do certain things and to kind of share that with your kids and let them see you as a person with likes and dislikes just like them. (Rather than, you know, only as someone that gets them snacks when they’re hungry.)
The whole point is for both/all of you to have fun during the work week, right?!
Step 4: Planning Ahead
Once you have a list of ideas and activities for working from home with kids written down, you can take those things and begin to schedule your kids’ days, much like they have a schedule during the school year. If they’re not in school yet, or if it’s summer break, you can use this as an opportunity to prep them for the upcoming school routine, no matter how far away that might be.
Kids love structure, and they love having choices.
Making a daily schedule for them and breaking it up using the activities on your list is not only a great way to get through the day and have some fun, but in my experience it’s also proven to help me get some work done in a way that’s not white-knuckling it or making it unenjoyable for everyone.
(Believe me, you will still have those times even with planning out your days, but utilizing these tips will make it so much better, even on those hard days!)
Keep the lists that you make handy, so that you can reference them every week or however often you need to for fresh ideas and fresh scheduling.
Sometimes you’re going to plan stuff out and one week your kids will be interested and the next week they’re not going to have any of it.
It really just depends on the kid, the day, and what’s going on.
What I typically like to do is plan things out at the beginning of the week as best I can, and then keep my ideas handy for whenever I need to switch things up and pick something on a whim. This way, you’re not putting yourself in a bind.
I’ve had weeks where I’ve scheduled everything out and it has gone so much smoother than the weeks when I don’t schedule anything and I feel like I’m running around and I don’t know what to do.
I end up stressed because everyone’s bored and frustrated, and then I’m not getting any work done, and it makes the days a lot longer and a lot harder.
Keep your list handy in your notebook or planner or on your phone so that you can reference it whenever you need.
Kids love structure, so planning is not your enemy!
We may not be having a conversation face-to-face right now, but I hear the non-planners and the pushback you’re giving out – and I see your point.
You want to be free to do whatever and see how the day goes. And sometimes that does work!
I just wanted to share this because having a plan is not a bad thing, and I’ve seen it work out for me way more than trying to wing it has ever worked.
You can still fit in spontaneous trips and activities and playtimes with your kids.
But, in my experience, having a schedule does help your kids keep a routine and know what’s going on, and it will definitely help you get work done – especially if you’ve found it really hard to do.
You would be surprised at how interested kids could be in certain things and how much they love structure and schedule and you inviting them to do things with you.
It could be a mix of things that you NEED to do, things that YOU like to do with them, and things that THEY like to do. The point is to have those times set aside so that they know and you know what the plan and schedule is.
And again, if they’re a little bit younger, they might not understand, but like I said earlier, there are a ton of resources and things that you can look up to gain ideas from other people to help you through your work days.
If you can make yourself plan ahead, you’re going to have a little bit easier time trying to work while your kids are home with you.
I really hope today’s episode has been helpful, and has inspired you to get creative and have a plan.
Coming Up Next on The Sweet Brand Show
Coming up next on The Sweet Brand Show, the final episode of this 3-part work from home mom series, I’m talking about different scheduling methods and types. I feel like I’ve tried all the things, so I have some thoughts and suggestions and ideas I wanted to share. Stick around for that episode, coming up next! Subscribe and stick around so you don’t miss an episode!