How to Work from Home without Childcare

How to Work from Home without Childcare – Angie Cruise Blog

How to Work from Home without Childcare

Do you need tips on working from home with no childcare? I’ve been doing just that for over 10 years and pulled my best advice to share here.

Recently, I asked my email subscribers to let me know what their number one issue was with working from home. I wanted to give them some tips on their number one issue.  Not surprisingly, the responses I got back were almost unanimous! Everyone was asking how to work at home with kids. I’m not surprised that this is a problem many moms have, but I

surprised that they think I’m fit to answer the question.  I don’t feel like I have it any more together than the rest of you, but I’ll tell you how I manage my days at home with a toddler.

It’s not easy.  Not by a long shot.  I’m here to tell you it can be done. You jus need to find a system that works for you.

[bctt tweet=”Everyone wants to keep their kids happy while they work. Check out these great tips here! #wahm #mompreneur” username=”cruiseangie”]

Change Your Expectations

My number one tip for working with kids at home is to

change your expectation

.  The ideal work day is a solid 6-8 hours of uninterrupted work. That’s just not going to happen with kids around. You can’t expect to work in silence all day when your kids are home.

And really, do you want to?

I know I chose to stay home because I wanted to be present for their childhood. I stumbled into a business one day and here I am, 7 years later, working around the schedule of a tiny dictator.   That’s okay, though.  For now, she’s my number one priority.  Soon, she’ll be in school like her sister, and I’ll be able to dedicate hours at a time to my business.

While I do what I do to help support my family, my priority is first to my kids, then to my business.   I’m always reminding myself that if my kids aren’t happy, then what’s the point of it all?

I’ve learned to work in my free time.

, I work intensely during nap time, and stay up after the kids go to bed.  Beyond that, I’m able to do small tasks here and there during the day while my daughter is playing or (gasp) watching TV.  I’ll share some of my advice on how I work at home with kids further down.

This is a really big one for me.  I know as moms, we brag about how well we can multi-task. We’ve been honing the skill for years, and chuckle as we watch our husbands struggle to talk to the kids and fix dinner at the same time.  We pat ourselves on the back for being able to get more done in a day because of our multi-tasking skills.

Time Management Tips

Unfortunately, science would disagree.  Studies have actually shown that when we multi-task, we are less productive than when we focus on one task at a time.  Multi-tasking forces our brains to switch gears and split focus, so we end up working harder than we need to.  If you’d like to read more on the subject, check out these articles from

American Psychological Association.

In addition, when you multi-task while spending time with your kids, you are taking away from their quality time. Separate your time. Put away your work during quality time, and focus as much as you can during work time.

Give Them Quality Time

Instead of multi-tasking, I recommend that you dedicate your time to the task at hand. Block off times during your day that are for work, and times that are for your kids.  Keep their needs and wants in mind as you do this, so that you are working at ideal times.  You can either block off these times in your

, or you can use a spreadsheet or

to keep yourself on task.

If you’d like a more detailed look at how I block schedule my day, be sure to read

My Secret to Mastering Productivity

My morning looks something like this:

5:30-6:45 am: Work

6:45-8: Breakfast, school prep, and drop off

8-9:30:Light work/TV/free play time

9:30-11: Learning time & morning snack

11-12:30: Nap time/My work time

As you can see, I have dedicated time for real work twice just in the morning. Then, after school drop off, my toddler is usually quieter and more independent, so I take advantage of that time with light work.  Light work is anything I can do with distractions.  I might be reading an e-book, answering emails, working on a post schedule, or taking pictures during this time. I save the work that needs concentration for the times I have blocked off during her nap and in the early mornings.

It’s important to understand that balance if you want to work at home with kids.

Find Ways to Entertain

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I won’t lie. Charlotte isn’t the best at free-play.  If I let her, she’ll happily sit in front of the TV all day, so playtime requires some creativity on my part.  I’m building up an arsenal of activities that she enjoys doing alone, and those are the things I bring out to occupy her when I need to get something done. This will take some experimenting, because every child is different, but I’ll share some of my ideas below.

10 Ways to Entertain Your Toddler

: I spread this out on the floor of whatever room I’m working in.  There is just something about laying on your belly to color that toddlers love!

: These are also things we do together, but some days she asks for them during free play, and I let her.

or sensory projects:  Okay, this one requires you to be less than uptight about cleanliness, but it

When I pull out the Play-Doh or a tub of dry rice, I know I’ve got a solid 20 minutes to knock out work.

Outside play: When the weather is nice, we tend to go outside for awhile in the mornings.  I bring my computer and coffee to work while she plays on the slide or in the

.  We’ve built up a mini kid oasis out there, so she’s got plenty of options.

: This is another one that can get messy.  We tend to do this at the table and I lay out a ton of paper for her.  If you’re too leery of paints, you can always try the

Color Wonder paints

Stickers, Stamps, & markers: When all else fails, any combination of these three items usually works. I don’t know what it is about them, but they can entertain her at her crankiest.  There is just something about emptying a whole page of stickers all over your body that must be therapeutic!

: We buy the starter kids and she builds buildings and gardens on the table next to me.

: She’s improving her motor skills while she plays.

Building blocks and materials

: We get creative here.  We have foam blocks, wood blocks, Lincoln Logs, empty (& clean) cans, etc.  Used together, we end up with some really interesting structures.

Pillow and blanket forts: I know you did this as a kid!  Some flashlights, a tea set or books, and her favorite animals, and she’s set for awhile!

Music center: This can be as simple as pots, pans, and spoons, or you could go all out and buy a

There are so many ways to work at home with kids.  It just takes some creativity.