COVID19 & working from home (with two kids)

I’m writing this post from my son’s bedroom, while taking a break from work (remote) to keep him company while he builds for the 30th time a house using his building blocks. If you are reading this you probably are (or are about to be) put in quarantine by your local government due to the COVID19 pandemic. Thanks to technology, a lot of people are still able to work from home and that’s nothing new although some companies and bosses have been against it for ages. The real test is being able to work remotely while your kids are also off school and with you at home, specially if they are a babies and / or toddlers.

As I browse my LinkedIn feed I see lots of pictures of contacts and colleagues showing their mostly perfect home office set ups; some have great views, other showcase their hobbies (origami, electric guitars and amplifiers, flowers), and other are even better equipped than their own desks at the office. I don’t have a set working space at home; I share a desk with my husband, but mostly, I work from our dining table or my couch those times that I stayed home before. I almost felt the pressure to tidy up and share a picture of our desk and me sitting by to proof that, just like everyone else, I got it together. Then, I stopped myself and thought that the reality is that we are all doing the best we can, so my picture was real: a selfie of me working from the couch while my kids play with my nieces (thank God for them – couldn’t ask for best babysitters).

I’m curious to see more examples of this because I doubt that I’m the only one. Just like we need to show management that we can be trusted to be away from the office, work remotely and even manage our own time in normal circumstances, I believe it is important to share how we are also managing to work and parent, and help each other with tips and ideas on how to remain efficient (and sane) while this crisis continues.

What do you think? Do you have any tips for those of us that are new to working from home WITH KIDS?