Have you found yourself trying to navigate working from home with kids? You’re not alone my friend. After seeing many of my friends post on Facebook about their new struggle, I thought I would share some tips that have worked for me. When my daughters were 6 months old and 6 years old, I began a full-time work from home career. Fast forward THIRTEEN years, and I have learned a lot in navigating (and sometimes just surviving) working at home with kids.

I hope some of these tips will help you establish an at-home work environment that make you feel at least somewhat in control of your situation. Though, I would be a fool to say that it’s easy. Leave room for the inevitable mishaps, or you’ll get frustrated really quickly. Use these tips to help you navigate but don’t be too hard on yourself (or your kiddos). At the end of the day you’re going to get the job done even if it’s not in a conventional (or routine) way.

Tips for Working From Home with Kids

1. Block off quiet time. If your kids are old enough to be unsupervised in the house for a half hour or hour, don’t feel bad about blocking off uninterrupted periods of time. Set them up with an activity or movie and if you have a room with a door as your office, shut it. Let them know how long you’ll be busy (use this time to power through work, take a meeting, etc) and that you will open the door and let them know when you’re finished. The last part is really important, be sure to let them know you’re finished because this builds trust with them. When my daughter was younger she would get frustrated if I failed to tell her I was off a call because she had been patiently waiting to ask me something.
2. Mute is your BFF. If you are on a conference call, video call, or even regular phone call, mute is your best friend. When you are in listening mode, mute yourself. Not only is this etiquette for others on the line, it will save you feeling embarrassed when your kid squeals or your dog starts barking. Just have your mouse (or finger) on the mute button so you’re ready to talk. It’s also embarrassing when you think you’re off mute and you’re talking but no one can hear you (I’ve done this dozens of times).
3. Get comfortable with unconventional hours. This might be the hardest part for those of you used to a traditional office schedule but you’re going to need to quickly get comfortable with working weird hours when you have free time. Early mornings, nap times, and after bed times are all probably times your house will be most calm and you will get the most uninterrupted time to work. When my kids were smaller, I got the most done after they went to bed. 7:30pm – 11:00pm became my “power hours.”
4. Don’t ignore the “normal” hours though. If you work with a team, they might very well still be able to keep typical business hours. In their case, they will still be emailing first thing in the morning and logging off at a more regular time in the evening. Keep this in mind especially if you work on collaborative projects. For 8+ years, I worked remotely while my team was in an office on the opposite coast (three hours ahead of me). I was always sensitive to answer emails very early (my time) so they had responses they needed to start their day. I would wake up, and answer emails for 30 minutes at 6:00 am before I started my morning routine. I also kept this in mind because they logged off three hours ahead of me, so if I needed something from them, I had to let them know earlier in the day before they logged off.
5. Keep a pad of paper and pen nearby. If your kids can write, this will be a great way to empower them but save your sanity. If you have blocked a period of time to work, let them know that for anything non-urgent they can write their question on the paper and you will answer them when you get a moment. 99% of the time my kids were asking for a snack so this helped manage interruptions a lot. This also works if you are on a call and they just need to ask you something. I would write my answer on the paper and they would be on their way. When they were really little, they would draw me a picture of what they wanted.
6. Prep anything and everything you can ahead of time. Days go by way to fast when you’re trying to get work done but stopping (what feels like) every five seconds to get something, help someone, or make something. I learned over the years while working at home with kids that prepping ahead was a sanity (and mood) savor for me. I would prep snack bags, fill sippy cups, lay out clothes, make activity packs, pop in DVD’s ready to play, etc. ahead of time. Of course this changed based on what age my kids were but it is the main thing that helped me feel like I was not letting the kids down and not losing my mind when I was trying to get things done during the day.
7. Put in earbuds. If your kids are older and you’re not worried they are going to get hurt doing something in the house, put in earbuds and turn on music. Honestly, this is the only way I survived summers the past few years. I have had an open office space in our loft and kids are loud and my mom-ears pick up everything. Putting in ear buds and listening to background music helped me stay focused on my work and not on every little thing that the kids were arguing about.

I hope these seven tips help you navigate working from home with kids. It can be a big adjustment but you can do it. Give yourself some grace and pour a couple more cups of coffee!

Tori Tait is sharing her experience as a Content Director and Pinterest expert. Since 2006 she's been helping entrepreneurs build their businesses online through simple & smart marketing strategies.