10+ Tips for Running Your Home Business When the Kids are on Summer Vacation

Memorial day has come and gone. And with it, are the days of quiet, uninterrupted work time while the kids are in school. As a work-at-home parent, getting work done during the summer vacation months may seem like an impossibility.

Let me first say, it might not be a bad idea for you to step back from your busy schedule and focus more on your children for a couple of months. Summer will be over before you even know it. Take this time to nurture your relationships and help your children learn things they can only learn from you.

That being said, you certainly don’t want to close shop all together for the entire summer. Fortunately, there are things you can do to manage your time between business and family on the summer vacation schedule. Check out this handy list of time management tips for working when your children are home.

1. 1. Create a kid’s schedule. Just like you schedule your day, schedule theirs. Younger kids can have a picture based schedule while the older kids can have words like this one from Iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/. Using this technique will allow your kids to know WHEN you will be available and, after some effort, not nag you for the next activity all day.
   2. Create a system for when it is OK to interrupt. I like the idea of using a stop light. Use Red, Yellow and Green circles on your “office” door. If the color displayed is Red, you may only be interrupted when the house is burning down or someone is bleeding! Yellow means you are working but can be interrupted for important needs and questions. Green means anything goes! It will take practice but consistency will allow this system to work.
   3. “Hire a nanny” – Jarrett Ransom of ReAwaken and single mom to a preschooler.
   4. Prepare your clients and customers for your scaled back hours and the possibility of little voices answering phones. Ally Loprete of This Little Parent Stayed Home believes that if a client doesn’t want to hear a child answering the phone, they aren’t her ideal client! Now, I’m not sure I would entirely go that far but I do agree that it is OK to let your customers and clients know that you are a parent and the children are at home during the summer, therefore, your time will be limited.
   5. Utilize your tech tools! While you don’t want to get too engrossed in work while the kids are playing in the park, it might be OK to respond to a quick email or make a quick call. Just keep it brief and be sure to keep an eye on the kids. After all, this is their time.
   6. “When my kids were younger I used to work when they napped, at night-time, or hired a “mother’s helper” to play with them while I was home. A mother’s helper was a neighborhood kid who was usually in middle school and it was less expensive than a babysitter. Now my kids are older 9, 12, and 15, they are more independent. and can have “quiet” time. I often have their friends over to hang out because I often can get more done when they are occupied with friends.” – Barbara Deppisch
   7. Make every minute intentional. We should be doing this anyway but the limited time we have during the summer makes it even more important. Think carefully and plan ahead so that you are getting the most out of every minute of the day.
   8. Let go. There are certain things you may need to give up in order to free up time (and sanity) during the summer. Maybe the refrigerator doesn’t get cleaned during the summer and the car isn’t washed as often. What routine tasks in your business and personal life can you afford to give up, at least for the next 8 weeks or so?
   9. “Jaislyn joins me at most events putting her entrepreneurial skills to work drawing people’s inner animals. As an only child, she’s an independent trooper & great sidekick.” – Jaimie Bishop of Soul Heart Entertainment. I find huge value in exposing our children to our entrepreneurial world in many ways. It may be taking them to networking events (I did) or getting them to help you in your business (I did that too). In what ways can you get your children involved in your business?
   10. Summer camp, swim lessons and play dates. Find ways to engage your children in activities where they are being supervised by other adults. If it is a two hours swim lesson and your drive is 20 minutes there and back, bring work with you and find a nearby coffee shop with wifi.