You Too Can Welcome Your Kids’ School Vacations
This Howler article is dedicated to some of the most loyal and responsible business owners who fill another vitally important role every day: my colleagues, the working moms. Our responsibilities fall into many different categories, and not always possible to measure. Unfortunately, they may not always be appreciated either.
School vacations every summer can be especially challenging for entrepreneur moms, and of course, the quarantine of 2020 found us coping with that much sooner with the added twist of kids having to spend part of their “break” learning at home. In any case, I’m here with some tips on coping with the annual summer blues and making it a fun time for all.
As working moms, we are practical, so let’s get to the point.
1. Use goals to prioritize your responsibilities
Let’s have no more than three primary goals. I am going to have two, for example: family and work. I will divide both into different tasks or responsibilities.
Family — kids (the main point of this article, as they are home all day), food and house. If possible, delegate difficult tasks to your spouse (like our secret weapon).
Business — action plans, marketing, delivering and finances.
2. Use a calendar to organize your tasks
Calendars, agendas and organizers are useful tools to help put all your tasks in order. Divide each day into your primary goals as addressed above.
Let’s assume, for instance, that you have two kids. Each kid will have a personalized calendar but try to plan so their activities coincide. For example, if Kid A has football at 9 a.m., try to find a similar, nearby activity for Kid B. Or both kids can be reading at the same time or spending a creative hour at the same time.
In this particular case, your primary goal “family” is covered by having a calendar for the kids’ activities and household chores. At the same time, your other primary goal of “business” will have calendar spaces for you to work when your kids are doing their scheduled activities. The idea is to have the kids distracted so you can focus on getting your business’s tasks done.
3. Do not multitask
Mom, you have a lot on your shoulders! You can lose focus by doing more than two things at the same time and this can lead to slowing down your productivity in the end. So, add in house tasks for your kids and husband. Maybe kids can make their beds or your husband can grocery shop. These actions will help you save time to spend on your business’s tasks.
Mom, you have a lot on your shoulders!
4. Set routines
Just because school is out does not mean you cannot have a routine. Wake up, have breakfast and undertake activity 1, activity 2, and so on. Routine gives you order and peace of mind.
Imagine yourself knowing you have a Zoom meeting but not knowing what the kids are going to be doing. I can guarantee you will be able to totally focus during your conference call if you know that your kids are going to be reading or making arts and craft projects for 30 minutes.
Breaking your routine once in a while is useful too!
5. Let the weekends be weekends
Plan to have fun and a lot of free time. Maybe not for you — sorry — but for the kids, it is essential to have the sensation of being on holiday.
If you have read some of my past Howler articles on entrepreneur topics, you might know that one of my principles is to keep all the areas in your life balanced. This is for the sake of enjoying good body and mind health.
You need “me time.” That means scheduling time to eat well, move your body, sleep, and relax. Highlight this as a priority. If you need help developing a schedule, let me know. I’d love to hear from you.
Contact me: joannablanco@vivesattva.com
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Online is Your Friend
It’s easy for busy working or entrepreneur moms to find ideas online for keeping their kids occupied during school vacations. Excellent resources are at your fingertips for fun and safe activities that fit all interests and age groups.
Here are some I can recommend personally:
https://www.parents.com/busine
https://www.popsugar.com/family/
Or search by topic as follows, specifying your kid’s age in each case:
- 2019/2020 best movies for kids
- Best books for kids
- Best and safe YouTube channels for kids
- Arts and crafts for kids
- Science projects for kids
- Cooking with kids
Photo Credit : Photo(s:) Charles Deluvio, Unsplash