How To Successfully Work From Home and Homeschool

Top 3 tips for working from home

1. Find a dedicated space to work from home, if you can. Try to keep your home life and work life separate.
2. Follow a morning routine.
3. Take breaks to avoid burnout.

More work from home tips are at the bottom of this post.

New To Homeschooling?

Experts say the key to homeschooling success is creating structure. You might try to follow your child’s regular school schedule, or decide on a plan with a family meeting. There are number of sites that are sharing printable schedules like this one that is geared towards younger children. The Khan Academy has created schedules for all age groups. 

Here’s a list of online learning sites for homeschooling:

1. Khan Academy – K-12^th grade 
2. Scholastic Learn at Home – 20 days of lessons for grades pre-K to 9^th grade; up to three hours/day 
3. Mystery Science – K-5^th grade science lessons 
4. TED-Ed – Video lessons and series by top educators for all age groups 
5. Amazing Educational Resources – this Facebook group has created an amazing public spreadsheet with resources for reading, math, history, Chinese, coding, music and more  

Feeling Anxious About Working From Home It’s Normal 

It is more important than ever to set work-life boundaries when you are working from home. Here are some things you can do to support yourself, your loved ones, or your roommates when you’re working remotely:

1. Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories, including social media. Hearing about the pandemic repeatedly can be upsetting.
2. Take care of your body. Take deep breaths, stretch, or meditate. Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals, exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep, and avoid alcohol and drugs. 
3. Make time to unwind. Do activities that you enjoy. It is important to set time aside for yourself when you work from home. 
4. Connect with others either by phone or FaceTime. Talk with people you trust about your concerns and how you are feeling. 

How To Effectively Work From Home:

1. Find a dedicated space. If you have the space, it’s a good idea to use a work area other than the kitchen table or the sofa. When you are working from home it’s much easier to separate work life from home life if you’re literally able to close a door. And sofas have been known to cause lower back pain after prolonged sitting. Did I hear an, “ouch?!”
2. Video conference. Assuming your bandwidth can handle it, turn on the video. It’s a great way to read facial expressions and other non-verbals that typically make up 93% of our communication. And this is a bit of a no-brainer… check out your camera and see what’s in the background to make sure you’re ok sharing that wall decoration with co-workers. 
3. Plan in advance. Video calls are different from in-person meetings. Have relevant systems and files open so you can share your screen. It might be a good idea to close out any screens with private or confidential data, too. 
4. Let your availability be known. As opposed to the office, we lose the ability to see when someone’s free when we are all working from home. Sharing when you’re available on your work calendar is a good idea. Instant messaging tools like Slack usually have the option to show when you’re free, busy or away for a bit. 
5. Be proactive about staying in touch. Scheduling regular “touch base” sessions with one another is a good way to keep the communication lines . Respect other’s time by scheduling these in advance. Working from home can disrupt the amount of contact you typically have with colleagues; dedicated check-in times are a good reminder to share information that you may otherwise forget.
6. Don’t lose your work! It might be a good idea to check your applications and be sure they are set to “autosave.” This way, if you step away or get distracted (by kids, the dog, your spouse…) you’ll know your work is saved. 
7. Keep confidential info confidential. Remember to shred your printouts and be respectful of your clients’ data. There will always be garbage pickers. If you don’t have a shredder, perhaps meditate while shredding with scissors. Of course, you could also give it to your dog to shred. 
8. Follow as much of your morning routine as possible. Even though you are working from home, act as if you are preparing to go to the office. Wake up, take a shower, go for a walk or run…set your mind into the concept of being at work. 
9. Do not disturb signs usually work. Of course, if you have little ones, duct taping your door may be a better choice! 
10. Take a break! Homeschooling and working from home may be a new for the whole family. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Take a 5-10 minute break when you can. Let everyone know they’re loved and heard frequently…after all, this is a stressful time for all of us. 

Working from home and homeschooling and presenting new challenges for all of us; read tried and true tips to be more successful in this article!