Anyone who is trying to simultaneously work from home and look after their children right now knows that it is NOT EASY. It's a testing time for us all but thankfully there are plenty of online resources to help amuse the kids. The UK's number one Parenting Vlogger, Louise Pentland, is mum to two girls, Darcy, eight, and Pearl, two, and is navigating her way through the WFH and home-schooling challenge like the rest of us. Here, she shares her top six tips on successfully juggling motherhood and working at home during self-isolation.
WATCH: Louise Pentland answers some quickfire questions...
Louise Pentland's 6 tips for working from home with kids:
Set small goals and stay realistic
"I love a routine and so do my children, but we're all working to find out what our new 'normal’ is. Make sure you stay realistic in what you can achieve in a day - set small specific goals, and anything extra you do is a massive win!"
Louise with her daughters Darcy and Pearl
Research learning hours
"It's worth researching what the right amount of time your children should be studying a day is - I discovered that Darcy (8) should only be doing 1-2 hours of actual 'work' a day, and the rest of the time can be spent learning through play."
Embrace the tech
"Use technology to your advantage - there are tons of apps and games that are both entertaining and educational, but also plenty of programmes on TV and Netflix."
MORE: Amanda Holden reveals very impressive home-schooling set-up for her daughters
Work flexible hours if possible
"Give yourself flexible working hours - naptimes and bedtimes are going to be your new best friend, so try to schedule your own work around these times."
Louise Pentland with her family
Create a workspace
"Clear a space in your house and make it the dedicated office/school work area, ideally somewhere you can shut the door on. This will make the transition from work or school time to home time much easier, and will make sure your house still feels like a home that you can relax in."
MORE: 6 best educational websites and apps to help kids during school closures
Appreciate the little things
Remember to look for the positives in each day - it can be as simple as taking a walk and seeing the spring flowers bloom, or realising you can actually make quite good cakes! Appreciating even the small things will help your mental wellbeing enormously.