The school holidays can be a tough time for freelancers trying to balance work life with the kids being at home.
Here are our top tips to get the most out of what can be a tricky time to manage.
The long school holidays are a great chance to spend some much-needed quality time with the little ones, but it can also lead to a lot of childcare traumas.
And when you’re a freelancer working from home, the school holidays can be an even trickier period to juggle. Here are our top tips for managing freelance work around the school holidays.
Make your own space
If you’re working from home, it’s always a good idea to have your own designated working space away from the buzz of home life where you can focus solely on your work. This space is never more needed than during the school holidays when you have kids running around the house all day long.
Make sure you set ground rules with your children to help them understand that your work space is a place for work, and that they should play elsewhere.
Be strict with time
When you have deadlines during the holidays that you simply cannot shift, be sure to compartmentalise your time so you can get it done.
Lock yourself away for a dedicated hour or so to help you complete tasks. This will help you plan your work in advance and mean that you can get more enjoyment from the hours you aren’t working.
If you need a spare hour or so, give your kids an activity that will keep them occupied, like watching a movie or playing a game.
Share the load with other freelancing parents
One of the best things about being a freelancer is growing your network of other freelancers that can help you out in times of need. When it comes to childcare, this could take the form of other freelancing parents who are also looking for someone to watch their kids.
Why not start a childcare club with other freelancing parents in your area so that each of you watches the kids one day a week – giving you four days to catch up on work.
Plan in advance
The school holidays come around every summer, so there’s no excuse not to plan in advance. If you know you’re going to be distracted with childcare all summer, then try and organise your work around it.
A good idea is to take on more work in the weeks leading up to the holidays, meaning that you don’t have to take on quite so much while the kids are off.
Give yourself time
Perhaps the most important tip of all, don’t forget to give yourself time to spend with your kids. The school holidays don’t come around that often and they can be a great excuse to spend some quality time with the little ones (while they’re still little!)
If you don’t work so much during the school holidays then don’t beat yourself up over it. There’s nothing wrong with taking some time off to spend with your kids.
Posted by The Homeworking Parent