How To Be Productive with Young Children in the House

*PLEASE NOTE: This was written in January 2019, when I was a homemaker and homeschooling my son. I originally wrote it for anyone wanting to write with children around, but changed a little bit of wording so it could be applied to anything you need to work on, whether a business, writing, or any tasks that you need to get done, while not completely forgetting your children exist. There’s balance in everything, so remember don’t focus completely on your children (that’s never good for them or you!), but never focus completely on work and to-dos. We all need a break and we all need time with the ones we love most. They need us too.

If you’re like me, trying to find time and privacy with kids in the house, you probably feel a level of frustration. They always compete for your attention, and they’re not something you can ignore.

There are things you can do to have your time and not take away from your children. Here are some tips.

If you have more than one child, is one of them old enough to entertain the others for an hour or two? Young children love to spend time with their older siblings. I only have one child, so this could never work for me.
Ask your spouse if they could take the children out to the park, a museum, or an ice cream. That would be a great bonding time for them.
If you don’t mind the distractions, and you need to work on your computer, head out to a coffee shop or the library. Sometimes a change of scenery helps get the productivity juices flowing. I can’t do anything in noisy environments – I like to grab a pad of paper or laptop and head to the ocean or a park. Wherever works best for you.
Promise the children you will have time for them later. Be sure to give them a time and keep your promise. If you have time for them every day they won’t be starved for attention and will more likely grant you the time you need. Don’t always put off your children. Sometimes you have to let go of what you’re doing to look into their eyes and spend some quality time with them.
If you have a separate room in your home that could be used as an office, the simple act of closing the door signals not to disturb you…as long as they know not to disturb you ahead of time, except in case of emergency. Remember to tell them what constitutes emergency: blood, fire, sickness…not, “Hey Mom, come look at the Lego house I just built!”
If you don’t have a separate office, like I don’t (I hope to have my own office in our next house), then make up a sign. I did up a picture with a quill pen that says: Do Not Disturb – Writer at Work. I place it on my desk in the living room. Don’t put the sign up arbitrarily. Let them know ahead of time. The sign just serves as a reminder. Also, don’t let them disturb you, or eventually the sign will be meaningless.
If your children are babies, wait until naptime. Or put them in a swing right next to you so they can see you and you can get things done. If they’re older, work before they wake up in the morning, or after they go to bed. My prime writing time is in the evening, and my prime productivity time for anything else is in the morning. It’s different for everyone.
If you can, pay for a sitter a couple times a week to watch the kids while you work, preferably one that will watch the kids in their own home, or will take them out of the house so you can be undisturbed.
If the kids attend school and you don’t have a day job, I am envious! You have all day to work without distractions. Keep your errands all on one day a week and you will find you have more time.
Related to the last point, I have a unique situation. I don’t have a day job, and I homeschool my son. I was convinced I had to wait until he graduated to achieve my dreams. I couldn’t find any website that says you can homeschool and reach your dreams. A lot even said it wasn’t possible. I was confused. What is it teaching your kids about reaching their own goals? It’s teaching them to hold off until the kids are gone. Children don’t need to learn their parents put everything on hold for them. We don’t need them to learn they are the centre of the universe. What we could be teaching them instead is better time management skills. A great book on time management is First Things First by Stephen Covey.
Let your children be a part of your goals. If they know what you’re shooting for, you’d be surprised at how well they help you. Maybe you could reward yourself a day at the beach with the family when you complete the biggest priority on your list. If they know you’ll be having some fun in the sun together, they’ll want you to succeed. Or, if they know you are working on a business that will make money for the family, for example, they will want to help you out. Make it personal – tell them that you may be able to get a bigger house, in which they could have their own bedrooms, if they’re currently sharing with siblings. That would probably be one of the biggest motivations for children!
Remember, different ages have different needs. Babies are higher maintenance, and so will need more of your attention. It is doable, however.

Infants – work when they nap, or while they are happily sitting next to you in their bouncy chair or swing.
Preschoolers – set up an activity next to you on a little table.
Big kids (ages 5-10) – keep them busy with Lego or books. I know Lego occupies my son for hours at a time. Obviously, you would check on them regularly when you take a break, but they are able to occupy themselves for a bit. If you can work while they’re in school, or if you homeschool and can get them working on a page of math problems or a project, then that would be the perfect time. Try not to use television as a babysitter. Get them interested in reading. Or they could do arts and crafts.
Preteens – Do your work while they are doing their homework. On a side note, if you’re taking a child to an activity, you could work while they are doing whatever it is. I can’t count how many times I pulled out pen and paper while my son was in his guitar lesson. I surprised myself by how much I could get written in a half hour! This could be said of any small portable task.
Adolescents – They can usually be expected to do their own thing most of the time. Honestly, they really don’t want a lot of their parents’ time. You could work while they are doing their daily chores, or are otherwise occupied. The best is when they leave the house to hang out with their friends. Definitely use that chance! Similarly, you can just ask them to leave you undisturbed for a set period of time, say, an hour. Or Five. (Just kidding!)

That’s my advice for being productive with children around. Do you have any tips I may have missed? Let me know in the comments! Be awesome and may your life be passionate!