Tips for Finding Family Balance as a Full-Time Remote Worker

By Lacie Martin

For many families, life has felt utterly out of control this year. If you’re one of the many who is working from home and raising children, you know all too well that getting a handle on family mayhem can be challenging to say the least. Things can be even more complicated if you have a special needs family member.

California Alliance of Caregivers is pleased to support you and yours during this challenging time. With that in mind, explore these tips and resources:

Address Your Schedule. A solid schedule is a key to finding the rhythm in your days, but this year, everyone’s routine was disrupted. Put things back into place so you can move forward.

A daily routine helps everyone in the house but is especially important for kids.

• Start your days smoothly and efficiently, rather than rushed and disordered.
• Take a lunch break every day, and consider it an opportunity for family time or self-care.
• Ensure the kids have a healthy bedtime routine.
• Nighttime rituals are good for you, too!

Plan fun activities. Taking time out for the members of your household is a must. Make sure it’s not just time, but quality time.

• There are entertaining activities you can do as a family during downtime.
• Make any meal more special by heading outside together.
• Plan some exercise for the sake of fitness and fun!

Keep work productive. You won’t be able to truly enjoy the time you carve out for family without a healthy and productive work life. Make adjustments so you can meet your obligations without undue stress.

• Windowed work is helpful to many families.
• Speedy internet allows you to stay on task, even if the kids are playing video games.
• If you can’t tackle everything or you feel rushed, consider outsourcing some duties.
• Another way to reduce your workload is to hire help with cleaning your home. If you can’t hire outside help, hire your kids to do extra chores!
• Depending on your family members, it may be beneficial to hire a caregiver part-time.
• And don’t hesitate to assign chores to the younger generation!
• Just make sure you distribute assignments in a manner that is empowering.

When life becomes chaotic, it can lead to an unhappy family life. Help the members of your household regain a sense of structure, have some fun together, and employ work tactics that help you stay productive. With a few tweaks in your routine, that sense of imbalance will be a distant memory soon enough.