How to Manage Your Business and Life with Kids During the Coronavirus

 

Ladies! How are you feeling?

Are you stressed? Overwhelmed? How many of you are now homeschool teachers? I am and I have to be honest, it is not fun. Learning and teaching 6th grade math is NOT my jam! Man, oh man, do I appreciate teachers! Ok, so the coronavirus has thrown ALL of us into a spiral and we are trying to adapt to the unexpected, right? Today, I have for YOU 5 tips to help you run your business efficiently, manage your new home lifestyle and still have time to take care of the most important thing… YOU!

 

Tip #1 Establish a morning routine that is just for YOU!

If you haven’t already done this, I would really encourage you to do so. I understand that if you have teeny tiny little ones, this might be hard. Maybe you want to shift this tip to mid-morning or make it a bedtime routine. Ok, here’s what is working for me, even though my kids are home and my husband now works from home, I still get up before all of them. I get up, feed the dog, make coffee and take 5-10 minutes to journal. What exactly do I journal? I write 5 things I’m grateful for like coffee, my health, a pantry full of food, toilet paper (!!!). Don’t over-complicate this part. Just write down what comes to your mind immediately! Then I write my 10 dreams I want to achieve in the next 10 years, followed by 1 measurable goal I am working on right now! If this sounds familiar, this is part of the Rachel Hollis Journal called, Start Today. I highly recommend it! So why have a morning routine that only involves you? Uhhh… can you say, QUIET TIME! I love starting my day with peace and quiet before the chaos starts. A mourning routine also puts you in a positive mindset and aligns you with your goals. It sets up your day with positive intentions!

 

Tip #2 Time management!

Oh boy, this is a BIG one! Now that you are home with your kids all day, trying to run your business, along with playing teacher, a daily schedule is necessary. Create a schedule and make sure everyone in the family is on board. Here’s a glimpse into our schedule. I wake up at 6 a.m. to make the coffee and journal and I work at my desk from 6 to about 8:15 each morning. Now it’s time for my husband to use the office. Between 8:30 and 9:30, the kids are having breakfast, a couple chores, and getting ready for the day. We start school work about 9:30 and by 11, I give them a break because honestly, I need one to. They can have screen time while I check in on social medial and ready emails. They have lunch around noon and then we are back to school work. Generally, we finish up by 1:30 which typically gives me about an hour worth of work. Then I’m doing household chores, catching up on reading. At this time, we are keeping our evening routine the same as always. So far, this is working for us. Map out a schedule and just remember that this is NOT written in stone! There are days where the schedule is just tossed out the window! Trust me, it’s happened here already.

 

Tip #3 Try to be consistent and build a routine!

Let’s face it kids need routine… but with that in mind, remain flexible. A couple weeks ago, we had AMAZING weather so, I canceled school! Wait, what? Did I just say that? Oh, yes I did! I knew all of us would benefit from a day of play outside. My point? Try to be consistent and maintain flow but remain flexible.

 

Tip #4 Create boundaries!

Your business looks a bit different now. You might not be available to your clients as much as you were previously. Don’t be afraid to set new hours in your business. Now that your kids are home, you may want to spend more time with them. Don’t feel guilty about that! If your clients already love you, they will stick with you, even if your availability dips a bit. It’s also ok to set boundaries at home. I’ll admit, I was used to having the house to myself all week long and now, all 3 of them are here all. the. time! I’ll admit it, I feel suffocated sometimes. Don’t be afraid to tell the kids to go hang out in their rooms with puzzles, books, Legos, videogames, WHATEVER, for 30 minutes so you can have an empty room to yourself or a quiet place to write. It’s okay to not want to be around your family 24/7! I love my family, but I need that 6 foot of social distancing sometimes too!

 

Tip#5 Self Care!

Mamas don’t forget about you! Yes, we wear many hats in our lives. We are the nurturers, the givers, we do it all! Please don’t put yourself on the back burner! If you were working out 4 days a week, don’t stop that! If you were taking long baths every other night, keep doing it! Do something each and every day, just for YOU! You are the Captain to your ship. If the Captain falls ill, the whole ship goes down!

How to Manage Your Business and Life with Kids During the Coronavirus

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