Are you worried about how you’re going to manage your workload during the school holidays? Do you want to spend quality time with the kids without work spoiling your fun?

If so, read my 5 tips on how to juggle the school holidays and work:

1. Use your network – hopefully you have a childcare plan in place for the holidays, but if it comes unstuck (as mine did earlier this week) don’t be afraid to ask another parent if they can step in. They’ve probably been in a similar situation at some point and you can always return the favour in the future.

2. Work different hours – could you get up early and put a few hours work in before the kids wake up or do some work in the evening instead? Be careful not to overdo it, and please ensure you have some ‘me’ time to relax, but reorganising your time like this will enable you to spend quality time with the kids whilst also getting some all important work done.

3. Use technology wisely – nowadays it’s so easy to respond to emails and social media messages on your phone, and you can even access documents when you’re away from your desk by saving them onto Dropbox or Google Docs. Where possible it’s always best to set some boundaries, with yourself and you’re clients, to avoid getting drawn into doing work when you’re supposed to be out with the family. However, a good way to manage any underlying anxiety you may have about work is by ensuring you have everything accessible on your phone, just in case something urgent crops up.

4. Get organised – if you do need to work while the kids are in the house, plan some activities. This needs to be something that will maintain their interest for long enough for you to get some work done and won’t take too much input from you (otherwise you’ll be constantly interrupted). Also, break up the day, so play with your children for an hour or two and then they may be more compliant when you need to do a few hours work later.

5. Have fun – use the holidays to create memories with your kids, they’re not young for long! Take some time to switch off from work and recharge. You may still be tired after your ‘break’ (looking after children isn’t easy after all) but you’ll hopefully feel reinvigorated to get stuck into work.

Found these tips useful and want to find out more?

If you’re finding it a struggle to juggle work with caring for your children contact me to book an introductory 30 minute consultation where we can talk through your current situation and I’ll advise you on the ways I can help.