How do you manage to work when the kids have such random schedules? These tips may help when it just doesn’t seem manageable.
It’s summer again. For working parents, summer isn’t all about sunshine and laughter. With the kids off and routines out the window, juggling work calls, children, and your sanity seems almost impossible.
With a few practical tips (and a lot of coffee), you can make it through the summer with both your kids and job intact.
Read on for some quick, practical tips to help you stay afloat.
- Assess if your extra childcare is worth the cost.
In the summer, you may be paying for childcare you normally wouldn’t need during the school year. Tuition bills are unbelievably high, but summer childcare isn’t cheap either.
How do you decide what makes the most sense for you?
For freelancers:
Are you paid hourly or run your own business?
Start by estimating how much more you could earn while the kids are away.
Next, compare that with the cost of childcare.
(Try adjusting the hours to see what works best financially.)
If the numbers don’t add up, cutting back on childcare could be a smart way to save money for you.
For salaried workers:
For you, it’s less about money and more about when you can squeeze in your hours. Try the early mornings or late nights. Or, if you’re lucky, during nap time.
And if you’re choosing extra childcare just to stay sane, that’s valid. It’s cheaper than therapy.
Sometimes, the best financial decisions aren’t about working more, but working smarter.
- Split the load with your spouse.
Don’t wait until crisis time to decide who’s on duty. Instead of getting frustrated when you’re the one pausing a meeting to deal with a meltdown, create a clear schedule with your spouse.
Danny and Shevi loved working from home throughout the year, but summers were challenging. With the kids around more, meetings often ended in chaos, and tensions ran high. This summer, they took on a new approach. They created a weekly schedule outlining when the kids would be home and who would be on duty. On their shift days, they’d start work early, avoid meetings during kid time, and finally, end the day still smiling at each other.
A bit of planning can go a long way in preserving both your productivity and your relationships.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help:
Your phone is ringing, messages are flooding your inbox, work is piling up, and the kids are restless. Your kids need attention, but so does your work. You don’t have to do this alone.
Reach out to family or close friends who might be willing to have your kids over for an hour so you can work uninterrupted. You can always return the favor after the summer.
Know other parents in the same boat? Setting up a child swap. One of you watches all the kids one day, and the rest of you take turns throughout the week. You get focused work time, and the kids get social interaction.
Are you an early bird? Get a head start on your working hours before the kids wake up. Or are you a night owl? Finish your work hours at night when the house is nice and quiet.
- Less chaos, more sunshine
Not every day has to be perfect. Some days, just making it through with your sense of humor intact is a major win. Celebrate your small victories, whether it’s a quiet cup of coffee, a successful work meeting, or finally answering an email.
You’ve got this. Wishing you a summer filled with more laughter, joy, and sunshine.
I have a FANTASTIC suggestion!!!!
Why don’t you write about more moms out there becoming Trad Wives and then they can stay home and care for the children??!!!!
Problem. Solved.
My husband works, and I do as well, because we need both incomes. I find the above comment to be not very nice.
Because most likely, most women out there need the income. Or else they wouldnt work. Dont thow a damp towel on them like that.
Thank you for such a positive article. It was really refreshing to see some ideas that can actually help me stay same through the summer. Its hard to have a job that you need to pay the bills, yet is not so flexible in the summer, a time that we are used to being fun and free!
Thanks for posting this article! Would appreciate tips for people who work in an office, who don’t have the flexibility you mention but still have to work and can’t adjust hours.
I work an office job, the summer is alot of juggling, lack of routine, and constant changes in schedule for boys and girls and kids of all ages. Its alot more challenging then the winter where the schedules are more structured. The fact that others have carefree summers shouldn’t cause others pain
I’m so grateful that I can pay my bills, and the increased summer expenses. Yes, I would love a nice break, or time to relax.. but also being able to pay all bills leaves alot to be thankful for.
One thing that helped me through many working summers was to schedule a day off just for myself AFTER the kids went back to school. It sounds counterintuitive (why don’t you use a vacation day for when the kids are home?) but I found that I really needed to recharge after the summer and knowing that that day (or more if I could swing it) was coming really helped me push through when things were hectic. I try to do the same thing after Pesach and Sukkos too so I can rejuvenate after a busy time instead of just jumping back into life.