Many online business owners work from home. And just as many may have kids at home with them during the summer break. It doesn’t matter whether they are young children or teens, working at home with kids can be challenging. Not only do you have to find time to work your business you have to keep the kids entertained as well.
Here are 10 tricks for working at home with kids
1. Be flexible
Get up early and work before the kids wake up, or stay up a little later at night to finish projects and jump online throughout the day when you need to. Send emails while kids are napping. Don’t worry so much about how many hours you are working, and instead focus on getting your work done whenever you can.
2. Get the kids involved
Hire them to do some of the housework while you work. If they are old enough, hire them to do some of the cooking or taking care of younger siblings. Older kids can even be hired to do small tasks in your business, like packaging orders or uploading photos to your website.
3. Schedule playdates with other moms who have kids the same age
You can alternate between your homes so that one parent isn’t watching the kids more often than the other.
4. Take advantage of technology
Use your smartphone or tablet when you’re out. Check your email or make notes while you’re at the park or take conference calls on the way to an outing.
5. Outsource more of your work
Giving work to a virtual assistant can free up time to let you spend time with your kids doing fun things this summer.
6. Go on fieldtrips
Take the kids with you when you need to pick up supplies or pick up a gift for a client. Along the way, stop at places your kids might enjoy, like a new ice cream shop.
7. Go to the library
Or even a local bookstore. Check out new books or DVDs the kids can watch and read while you work. Or get some work done while older kids browse the library for their own books or DVDs.
8. Send the kids to day camps
There are many non-profits that offer reasonably-priced camps your kids want to attend. Everything from sports to music to adventures is available in almost every city.
9. Schedule work ahead of time
By doing so, you will know when something has to get done, and can make arrangements for the kids to be entertained elsewhere (either outside the home or with their own activities).
10. Don’t schedule any big projects to be due during the summer
Work more on maintenance and keeping things updated.
If you have kids at home during the summer, finding ways to work with them underfoot can be a challenge. Make it a priority to spend time with them doing fun activities while fitting your work into their schedule.
Tips and things to consider
Even if your business sees downtime and you are staying in town, there are some things you can do to get your business ready for the latter part of the year.
- Spend time looking for ways to add passive income. Create that program or eBook you don’t have time to work on during peak times of the year. Check out affiliate programs that fit your audience.
- Back up your files. Consider an online backup program like Carbonite or Mozy. These can be used in addition to external backup systems. Summertime means many areas are prone to summer storms and power loss. Print out copies of important business information like client contact information and passwords.
- Jump into a training program for something you’ve wanted or needed to learn. Or attend networking events that can help you grow your business.
- Plan marketing for the rest of the year. Do market research to see what your customers think about your business or services.
- Update your website if it needs a makeover. Improve navigation structures, remove or update old content, update the design and more.
- Look for ways to incorporate summer type themes or information into your email newsletter and your website. For example, send out newsletters that focus on summer specials, mixed with summer recipes or tips for pet care during the heat. Just make sure it relates to your niche.
Even if business slows down during this time of year, you can still make progress on growing your business. Take the time to make plans for growth, update your website and network with others.