Parenting During The Pandemic: Adding Hours Back into Your Day

Are you a parent or caregiver doing your best to keep business running as usual, even though nothing in life looks the way you expected it to this year? From school being revolutionized thanks to the pandemic, to employees everywhere suddenly becoming “remote,” circumstances in many homes are certainly new to say the least. Because of this, many parents/caregivers are struggling to feel “caught up” and might feel like they are always a step behind in every area, from backed up laundry piled on the bed, to unanswered work emails or missed business calls. We see you, and understand, and we wanted to offer a few helpful tips that might help you “add” time back into your day so you can go to bed feeling accomplished and at peace, ready to face the next day ahead.

When you’re feeling overwhelmed:

• Write it out. Sometimes your to-do list goes from chaotic to can-do with a simple pen and piece of paper. Having swirling thoughts placed into writing on a list you can physically check off as you go along each day is a wonderful way to bring some feelings of control back into your routine. If you feel like you’ll work best with a master list, that’s great, but if it just seems to overwhelm you more, divide your list into several parts or categories. Have a seperate list for work, for home, and for school (if this applies to your student). This lets you easily see a visual representation of your day ahead and can help you manage time more efficiently. Does your student have a 2 hour lunch break? This is a great time to schedule business calls for yourself, catch up on a few chores, or do a quick workout since your student won’t actively need you to assist with technology and/or lessons.
• Learn the art of multitasking. Do you have a one-hour conference call you’re required to sit in on for work? Pop in your earbuds and fold those two baskets of laundry while you listen in. Does your child have a class you need to be present for, but don’t have to actively help with? Have them do the class sitting in an area nearby while you work on breakfast cleanup, dinner preparation, or writing the week’s grocery list. Learning to do more than one task at a time without sacrificing the quality of your presence is a wonderful way to add time back to your day and get caught up.
• Consider asking for help. It’s amazing what just a couple of hours with helping hands can do. If you’re seriously struggling to catch up, it might be time to reach out for help. If you can schedule a friend or family member, or even an outside sitter (if you’re comfortable) to help with household chores, school lessons, or even some meal preparation once or twice a week, do it! Taking even a few small chores off your place can make life seem much more manageable and can relieve some pressure from you, thus relieving your entire household of stress.