Making working from home work: tips for balancing career and family life

The five commandments to follow

Even though working from home is a way to save commuting time and so get more done around the house, as well as to spend more time with family, it can sometimes be hard to set clear boundaries, not only to keep work and personal life from blending together, but also to make sure you keep time to recharge and rest. Our contributors at De Saison share with you, in this article, the five commandments to follow to get there! 

Working from home with young children

Working from home with young children can quickly become dizzying, so it's important, even essential, not only to be well organized but also to always have a few activity ideas up your sleeve to offer them so they can keep busy and stay stimulated despite the time we spend working. Our contributor Laurence, a psychology professor, offers in this article easy-to-do activity suggestions that will stimulate the different areas of child development.

Coming home from school

When you work from home and your kids go to school, their arrival home at the end of the day can quickly spell the end of your productivity, or even of your entire workday! So that your kids can be independent and do their routine without needing your supervision, find our tips in this blog article.

Meeting little ones' needs

Do you have young children that you've decided to keep home with you while you work rather than sending them to daycare, and you have a meeting that's going to last an hour and during which you absolutely can't step away to get a snack for your youngest, who is starving, or to find something to entertain your baby, who is loudly letting you know they're bored? Check out these lists of essentials to keep with you, so you always have what you need within reach to easily meet your children's different needs! 

Essentials for ages 0 to 2

At this age, kids generally have fun with very little and mostly need to be near you! To keep them easily occupied for precious minutes, here are a few essentials to keep close at hand while you work:

• Dry snacks that can be eaten slowly, and that suit your child's age, of course (Cheerios-type cereal, fish-shaped cheese crackers, etc.)
• A bin filled with objects your child can empty and refill as they please (crayons, figurines, etc.)
• A box of tissues your child can empty and refill as they please
• Paper and crayons (depending on your child's age, they'll surely enjoy drawing beside you)
• Little books (ones with textures or sound chips can be very entertaining at this age!) 
• A bottle of milk and/or a cup of water, depending on your child's age and preferences
• Wet wipes and diapers (to quickly and easily clean up small and big messes!)

Essentials for ages 3 to 4

From the age of three, many new play possibilities open up for children, and it becomes much easier to keep them quietly busy while you work.

• A variety of dry snacks (crackers, fruit compotes, cereal, etc.)
• Paper, crayons, stickers and stamps (give them a range of choices so they can make creations as they wish)
• Puzzles suited to your child's skills
• Little cars and roads (on a play mat made for that purpose or simply drawn on sheets of paper)
• Lego blocks and figurines
• Modeling clay and modeling tools
• Seek-and-find books
• A water bottle

And you, what are your tricks for making your work-from-home days as efficient as they are enjoyable, while optimizing your work-family balance?