Many people think working from home with a child must be easier than going into the office, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. There are endless distractions when you’re working from home with a little one running around. Some days, it can feel impossible to complete the most straightforward task.
Even if you work in an office, balancing your business with your toddler’s ever-growing and changing life can be a real challenge.
There are universal ways to balance your business and your toddler’s schedule, no matter what type of job you have. Here are a few tips:
Stick to a Routine
The most important way to balance your business with your toddler’s needs is to make a schedule and stick to it. Knowing what you’re going to do each day makes the whole process smoother because you know what to expect.
Plan out important activities on your calendar and set realistic expectations for each day. When you have a predictable routine, you can get a lot more done.
While a toddler’s schedule may change a bit (e.g., doctor’s appointments and extracurricular activities), knowing what to expect for most days can help you be productive.
Put Your Toddler on a Schedule
If you’re running your business from home while watching your toddler, it’s important to keep them on a schedule along with yourself. Without a schedule, daily life with a toddler can get hectic.
Make sure you have a list of things ready to keep your kid on track each day. For example, have a scheduled time for meals, naptime, and bedtime throughout the day.
Also, get up around the same time each day to keep your toddler on a regular sleep schedule. This will encourage naps, as well.
You can also have different times of the day scheduled for different activities so that your toddler knows what to expect. Scheduling time for quiet play can give you a chance to get more work done.
Hire Childcare
If your toddler is at home with you, it’s essential you get some help so you can sometimes focus on work without distractions. While you may not need full-time childcare, it’s unrealistic to think you can run your business without some assistance.
Look for childcare options to unload some of the work. You could hire an experienced babysitter to come to your home for a few hours each day, or you could search for daycare options near you.
There are also tools available to help with your business. For example, you may not be able to answer the phone when you have a needy toddler, so you can use a voice system like cloud auto attendant to ensure a friendly voice still answers your calls.
Raising a toddler and building your business can be a challenge. However, you can balance it all with the proper schedule and some flexibility.