Katie Frank on Tackling Assignments as an At- Home Working Mom with Young Kids
Working from home with young children is a scenario many of us have experienced, and some of us went through is again during the pandemic lockdown days. Whether your children are little--or you need a little help focusing when your dog wants to play, today's guest post from freelancer Katie Frank has some great tips to make the most of an at-home work setup. Let us know what you think!
Multitasking Doesn’t Work: How an At-Home Working Mom with Young Kids Tackles Assignments
By Katie Frank
I attended a conference last year and learned something that blew my mind: Multitasking isn’t real. It’s not a thing – at least it shouldn’t be. This is particularly true for at-home working mamas.
And here’s why.
When was the last time you juggled kids, several writing deadlines, dinner, laundry, and other duties? When was the last time you did all those things and thought to yourself, “Wow, I did all of those things thoroughly and to the best of my ability?”
I’m guessing your answer is never.
That’s because we are only one person. Whether you’re a parent or not, you are not meant to multitask everything for everyone. Your brain is not capable of thinking of several to-dos at the same time while maintaining sanity.
When I take on too much, for example too many articles to finish on or around the same deadline, this is what runs through my mind: I’m doing a crappy job as a writer AND crappy job as a mom. Grrrrreat.
So when I hear the idea that multitasking should not be boasted as a strength, it was like life became simplified. Pressure was lifted from my life. Working moms put SO MUCH self-imposed guilt on ourselves that doesn’t and shouldn’t exist.
Here are a few rules I wrote for working myself. And what’s crazy is these rules are a bit old-school. They’re more like boundaries I set for myself to train others what a regular work day should look like and what realistic deadlines are.
Set Working Hours
First and foremost, set working hours as if you are working in an office. This can be hard for working mamas, especially if littles are still at home.
Your working hours may not be conventional, and that’s okay! That’s a big reason why some mamas choose to freelance and work at home. Maybe your working hours are a few hours in the morning and a few hours after the kids go to bed. Just be sure to let clients understand your work schedule so they can plan accordingly.
The main point of setting working hours is so that YOU are not tempted to squeeze in a quick reply to an email or proofread an article (that in reality needs your undivided attention).
This also gives your kiddos the quality time they need from you. It’s not fair to your children to see you constantly looking at a screen. And it’s certainly not fair to your wellbeing.
Work in Time Blocks
Similar to setting work hours, it’s vital to make the most of that precious time. Raise your hand if you’ve sat down to crank out an article and instead you get wrapped up in answering emails. Poof, your time to actually write vanishes.
In your planner – yes, I still use a paper planner – block your time. Set one hour to answer emails and have a hard cutoff. Set another hour to simply brainstorm or write or whatever it is you need to do. It’s the modern version of multitasking without doing things at the same time.
Be sure to block some time away from your computer, like going for a 10-minute walk. Those chunks of time are priceless for resetting creative juices and productivity.
Allow 24-Hour Reply Time
This tip may be hard to follow. But once you start implementing it, it’s liberating. In an age where everyone expects immediate responses, it’s simply not fair to workers. It is standard, professional practice to allow a 24-hour response time.
If you see an email come across your screen, you – gasp – don’t have to reply right away. It’s like saving money. You first have to put money into your own account before spending on other things. Same with time. You need to put your time into things you need to accomplish before filling the needs of others.
If something is urgent, which does happen, then those subject lines can be marked urgent. That’s good practice I’ve incorporated into my communication strategy.
This way of working sets an example to others that hopefully they use in their work day. Imagine if we all took an extra day to reply. Is it the end of the world? Absolutely not. We train ourselves and others to plan accordingly and to allow ample time for communication.
These strategies have helped me be a more present mother and a more focused freelancer. When I work on something, like this article, it has my entire focus. If I tried to write this while playing LEGOS with my toddler, forget about it. Plus, my kiddo would be frustrated I wasn’t actually playing with him.
Eliminate the idea of multitasking and watch productivity and mental health soar.
Katie Frank is a freelance writer and editor. She is the managing editor of Beal Media (the parent company of Collin County Moms, Dallas Moms, and Fort Worth Moms), and the secretary/treasurer for Ranch Horse Association of America. She lives in Texas with her husband, two children, horses, chickens, dogs, and cat.