7 tips on juggling work and kids during the holidays

by Leo Wiles
27 September 2013

Nerves of steel, childcare, military precision organisation and coffee – lots and lots of coffee – are just some of the juggling aids I use to write with three kids underfoot.

Skirmishes, illnesses, hospital visits and sleepless nights have all threatened my chance to meet deadlines. And, as a single parent, failure is not an option.

But try telling that to headstrong kids who don’t always follow the code of silence rule, ‘mummy’s on the phone’ – or understand that a closed door is not an invitation to break it down. There are websites out there who talk about parallel play – which involves setting up a home office that the children can use alongside your own. And, of course, there’s always the finger wag idea of using TV as a way to distract children.

Failing those, here are a few of my day-to-day ways of juggling work and kids.

1. Minimal booze OK, I know this one won’t make me popular, but parenting with a hangover is impossible. Plus, as any parent will know, kids’ illnesses mysteriously need medical attention at 3am more often than not.

2. Strict time-keeping After watching the news I turn off the TV and give myself 10 minutes for social media updates before starting to write.

3. Write in the wee hours Because writing or sometimes even thinking can be impossible against the din of family life I learnt that rather than be frustrated, I wait until everyone is in bed before I begin to work. It’s either that or a VERY cranky mummy = very cranky children – and I hear the authorities frown upon doping your children with the sleep-inducing Phenergan. (BTW that’s a joke, people).

4. Be adaptable I became quite a proficient one-handed typist when my youngest wouldn’t sleep anywhere else but in my lap – and if I have to sit through Giggle and Hoot I will often start filtering emails, leaving the important ones until everyone’s sleeping.

5. Start work earlier I’m big on starting work on jobs when they’re important – not urgent. That way when things hit the fan as they potentially will, I still have time to deliver them.

6. Organisation To Do lists made in the bathroom or late at night in bed are often the glue that keeps it all together. That way, when I have time, I can incorporate these brainstorming notes into a Gannt chart – my all time favourite tool when rolling out a PR campaign, or when I’m up to my neck in articles that require multiple interviews.

7. SOS By limiting the time my children watch TV, it means that I can use it when I need peace and quiet to polish a piece or make phonecalls – especially Facetime and SKYPE. It gives me a half-hour window clear to really focus on interviewing or setting things up with editors or clients until the battle over the remote begins!

What are your strategies for getting to work – or getting your work done – when the school holidays hit?