Strategies for parents struggling with work-from-home interruptions

WORKING from home has its benefits. Before the coronavirus pandemic, it was one of the most popular perks organizations could offer.

Of course, this was before the pandemic sent millions of schoolage children home and disrupted other child-care arrangements. By now many parents have had Zoom calls interrupted by tech-support questions, have fielded snack requests on deadline or have tutored math learners while sitting in on a meeting. (Remember BBC Dad? We all understand him now.) Some data-driven parents have even attempted to quantify the frequency and length of the kid distractions they’ve faced while working from home in this pandemic.

Although focus feels elusive, it need not be impossible. As we stare down another semester of virtual and hybrid schooling, now is the time to get serious about managing interruptions. There is no reason to feel guilty about this. Kids need attention, but unless they plan to pay the mortgage, you also need time for deeper work and they’ll benefit if you feel less harried. These strategies can help parents get more done now and when life gets back to normal.

• Schedule the swap.

Trying to work while being the adult in charge of preschool-age children is almost impossible. So the simplest answer is: Don’t always be in charge. A few hours of paid child care per day can feel heavenly, but if that’s not going to happen, in two-WFH-parent families, your best bet is to formalize coverage for each other.

Consider an 8am to 6pm workday. This can be split into two shifts: 8am to 3pm, and 1pm to 6pm, with each parent alternating who gets which shift (1 pm to 3pm is nap time for little kids, or screen time for older kids, so it can be double-booked, with the 8-3 parent providing “if need be” supervision). When each party truly covers - keeping the kids out of the other party’s hair - each parent will get 25 fully focused, predictable work hours each week, and four to six probable hours with the nap swaps.

While not ideal, this beats both parties being interrupted all day long. This swap could also work with a relative or a neighbor with kids who is co-quarantining with you. Even in non-covid times, formal swap schedules are a smart way for parents to get guaranteed, interruption-free “me time” on weekends and holidays - which can make for a much happier home life.

• Match the right work to the right time.

Some work requires focus. Some does not. It’s tempting, when the kids head out for three hours of hybrid school, to clean out your inbox first. You see progress! But you can delete emails while sitting next to a first-grader who’s trying to complete an online assignment. You can’t write a major proposal for a new client. So plan each day’s to-do list to take advantage of any focused time - which is a good strategy for non-covid times, too. If your colleagues all become chatty in midafternoon, that’s the time to delete those newsletters - not that precious morning block when most of them are off in other meetings.

• Work before the household is awake.

Speaking of those precious morning hours, early mornings can be a great time for getting things done. On days when you know the distractions will be thick, getting up early and knocking off the day’s big must-do has benefits beyond the 60 to 90 minutes you’ll actually log.

I once interviewed a business leader who would work for an hour in a Waffle House before going into the office. Once he was at his desk, people would need things. He wouldn’t want to convey that his employees were a distraction from more important work, so putting in that early hour let him relax the rest of the day. Similarly, if you finish something big before breakfast, you’ll be more calm when somebody comes into your home office to ask where the stapler went, even though you know t hey borrowed it last night.