This summer, my work-from-home schedule was off. My husband is a teacher, so we opted out of summer camps to save money and because he is able to be home with the kids. But that also meant that I had to juggle work meetings, deadlines, and projects with my kids’ noise, interruptions, and demands.
Now that the kids are back to school, I have six hours of uninterrupted time to work on my tasks and goals. But how do I make the most of my time? How do I create a work-from-home schedule that works for me and my family?
Here are five tips to help you rock your work-from-home schedule!
1. Write out what you want to accomplish in between work meetings and tasks.
One of the benefits of working from home is that you have more flexibility and control over your time. You can use the breaks between your work meetings and tasks to do other things that are important to you.
For example, do you want to exercise more? Do you want to get chores done like laundry or dishes, or straighten up a room? Do you want to read a book, meditate, or nap? Whatever it is, write it down and prioritize it.
2. Decide how you want to accomplish your goals.
Once you have a list of things you want to do, you need to decide how you want to do them. Do you want to exercise only every other day? Laundry only on Mondays, or straighten up and dust one room a day? Figure out what will work best for you and your schedule.
For example, I am currently training for the Motor City Half Marathon. I used to run marathons back in my 20’s, and then I stopped once we started a family and I got busier with work and schedules. In order to get back into it, I run three days a week. Two days are shorter, half hour runs with a longer run and distance on the weekend. So, on those days, I may try to run before school starts, or because I lean more introverted, I might run after I’ve dropped the kids off at school to avoid seeing too many people.
3. Write it out.
Whether you use a paper planner, a wall planner, or a digital planner, write it out so you can get into the schedule and remember what you want to accomplish. You can write it down as tasks for each day or even by the hour. Another thing to consider is the six-hour window (this is factoring in drop-off and pick-up–because at some schools, you have to be at least half an hour early to get a good spot!).
You could work backwards from pick-up or forwards from drop-off, as long as it will work for you! For example, my Monday work-from-home schedule could look something like this:
- 8:30 a.m.: Drop off kids at school
- 9:00 a.m.: Run for 30 minutes
- 9:30 a.m.: Shower and breakfast
- 10:00 a.m.: Check emails and work on urgent tasks
- 10:30 a.m.: Join a video call with a client
- 11:30 a.m.: Do some laundry and dishes
- 12:00 p.m.: Lunch and read a book
- 1:00 p.m.: Work on a project or a report
- 1:30 p.m.: Join another video call with a colleague
- 2:00 p.m.: Straighten up and dust the living room
- 3:00 p.m.: Get in the pick-up line at school and check my emails while I’m waiting for half an hour . . .
4. Be okay with trial and error.
Of course, no schedule is perfect, and things can change. Maybe your kids now have soccer practice about an hour before dinner, so now, you can work something into your schedule there (maybe it’s just making dinner, but that works). Or maybe you have to shift things around because you forgot you have a standing meeting every Wednesday at 9:00 a.m.
Try out your schedule and adjust as you need to. No schedule is going to be perfect, but if you keep in mind to be flexible, everything will work itself out.
5. Enjoy the benefits and give yourself grace!
Working from home can be challenging, but it can also be rewarding. You can save time and money on commuting, have more autonomy and flexibility, and spend more quality time with your family. By creating a work-from-home schedule that works for you, you can enjoy the benefits of working from home and be more productive, happy, and healthy.
You may not tackle everything on your task list, but being able to accomplish even one thing without interruptions (meetings, kids, etc.) is already the makings of a good day. Give yourself grace and celebrate your achievements, no matter how big or small!
