Over the course of the pandemic, many couples have had to figure out how to manage working from home with children. Hopefully, children will be heading back to school soon. Moms and dads, however, may not be heading back to the office like they were before. With that in mind, here are some tips on how to make working from home work over the long term.
Carve out spaces for both of you
Sharing a home office with your partner may seem romantic at first. In reality, however, it’s only going to work if you have a single space big enough for two. In most homes, it’s probably going to be more practical to split up your office spaces. This can also resolve issues with people having different preferences with regards to issues such as heat, light, and sound levels.
Whichever option you choose, make sure that you achieve balance. In other words, if you’re sharing make sure you get some personal time even during your workday. If you’re using separate spaces, make sure to spend some time together.
Keep on schedule
First of all, make sure you set boundaries on your time. On the one hand, you and your partner (and preferably your children) need to respect your work time. On the other hand, your employer has to respect your personal time. Of course, there’s a place for flexibility, but keep it within reasonable limits.
Secondly, both you and your partner need to work together to keep on top of your family life. As the world starts opening up again, people’s lives are going to get busier. In particular, children are going to need to be taken to and from places more often.
You and your partner are going to need to figure out how to stay on top of all this. The good news is that you did it before when you were working out of an office. That means you can do it when you’re both working from home. In fact, you may be able to use much the same approach, just tailor it slightly to your new situation.
Get out of the house
When you’re working from home, it’s vital to make time to get out of the house. If you have children, you’re probably going to go on family visits and outings. You also need to make time to go out individually and as a couple without children. In fact, getting high-quality “couple-time” is likely to play a crucial role in keeping your relationship healthy.
Make a point of taking at least an occasional romantic break, just the two of you. This can be more affordable than you might think. For example, you can get excellent prices on romantic Michigan hotels with hot tubs.
If you feel guilty about leaving the kids behind, then don’t. Firstly, you’ll make sure that they’re having a good time without you. In fact, they’re probably enjoying having a bit of time away from you. Secondly, working on your relationship as a couple will improve your ability to function together as parents.
