Working your business when you have kids has its own challenges. Not to mention when they are at home with you most of the day! Whether it’s during summer or holiday breaks, or while homeschooling, here are a few tips to keep your business flowing.

Our first tip is to create a system that will keep you organized and on-task. This way your most important tasks are at your fingertips, whether you only have 5 minutes or 5 hours.

Be sure to check out our latest tips from the pros for planning out your month, organizing with paper planners, and using the latest digital tools!

When it comes to establishing a “new normal” with the kids being home, our friend and entrepreneur coach, Kelly Paull, reminds us to consider this:

“It’s important to distinguish whether you need a schedule or a routine. Routines are the order in which you perform certain tasks and a schedule is the order you perform those tasks with a time assigned to each of them. “ – Kelly

You can learn more about this important step in her own article, Planning Your Day to Fit Your Way!

Ultimate Kid Hacks while Working at Home

Kids thrive on routines to grow, but getting to do something out of the ordinary will keep their attention longer.

Creating a balance of these things is a feat in itself, and since every family (and kiddo) is unique, it will take time. So keep trying to create new habits to achieve a space for working your business with the kiddos at home with you.

Here are some tips to try at home:

“I try to schedule office hours that align with my kids schedule. It may mean that they have a little bit of unexpected tablet time.” – Becky Zin, The Binder Boss

• They may not know it, but during that same downtime they have everyday when they can watch a special movie on Disney+, is when you’re knocking out those phone calls, video chats, or going live.

• For some mamas it’s the early morning hours before those angels wake up, which is when they can get all those social media and Party posts ready.

• During naptime, or backyard playtime, is great for staging those product photos and videos, or messaging people.

• Prepare snacks before you start working!!! It doesn’t matter if the kids are well-fed, ALWAYS have snacks ready to grab and go! Whether it’s prepping fruit and veggies to bite size pieces in snack containers, pre-making pb&j sandwiches into quarters, or having freshly popped popcorn on hand, you will be glad you did!

• Take a drive, play their favorite tunes, park somewhere with a view, and hand out some snacks and car toys. This can become an instant small chunk of time to catch up on messages on your phone, brainstorm with some notes in your planner, or check-in on your Party groups.

• Rotate through toys! You may have seen those smart decluttering bloggers talk about minimizing toys. They may be onto something about storing some toys away for a period, then pulling them out strategically! Changing up toys makes them feel ‘new’ again and may hold their interest longer while you chat with new hostesses.

• Pinterest is overflowing with ideas, free printables, and activities for exactly this reason! Search for “quiet activities for kids (or toddlers)”, “free printables for kids”, “no prep activities for kids”, etc.

• If it makes sense to do so, budget a small amount each month just for new activities. They could be as simple as new play doh or kinetic sand, sticker or coloring books, craft sets or single hot wheels cars. Keep them in a special place and only pull out one at a time when you need to work online.

• And when you’re done with your business chores for the day, remember to take those kiddos for a fun walk to run out the rest of those wiggles! They will learn when mama is working, and when mama can play.

Kelly Paull also gives us this advice:

“25 minutes of uninterrupted work time can actually allow you to get MORE done than sitting at your desk for hours on end.” – Kelly

In her own article How to Get SH*T Done When You Have Small Children, she explains a method she’s fine-tuned to not only be MORE productive with your time, but also intentional with the time spent with your little ones. Click her article to read more!

Include Your Kiddos in Something You Love!

Get them involved! Make no mistake, your kids look up to you and are admiring how you get to make a video and talk to new friends!

They see how you get to play with your products all the time and take pictures or videos using them.

So get your little assistants involved to learn what it takes to work hard and love what you do.

Obviously, only you will know if it’s the right move to let them help, but here are some ideas to consider when you’re ready:

• Have your kiddo join you in a live video for a private Party or in your customer group. Not only will they love a chance to demo your product for you, but your guests will adore seeing their sweet faces.

• If you’re nervous about having them in a live video for a Party, give something specific they can do or say in the video (or behind the screen), and practice with them beforehand. They will get a thrill when going live with you!

• Your guests and potential team members will see that you’re a relatable family person.  You care about your family with the products you sell.So much in fact, that you’re taking time out of your busy day to show them why they need this in their lives. Plus, watching you work a business with a family at home will prove that they can do it too!

• Give your home team special business tasks that they can also help with. Such as:
  - Stuffing packets, or envelopes.
  - Cleaning or organizing your inventory shelf when a shipment comes in.
  - Helping with demo pictures and videos.
  - Older assistants can have the special task of babysitting smaller children during a specific time frame.

• When your assistants go above and beyond their own abilities, get creative with rewards! The sky’s the limit. Special dessert or treats like popsicles. Allowances, to learn the value of working for someone else. Encourage them to work their way up to earning a new item from the store (the dollar store is a great start).

There you have it! The best hacks to try when the kids are home when you’re working those Facebook Parties. Let us know what works best for you when you’re balancing family and work life under one roof!