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| You can write at the beach while kids play. (public domain photo) |
School's out for summer break.
Suddenly your peaceful work at home atmosphere is peaceful no more.
Remaining productive while your kids are on break from school may
seem next to impossible. Concentration is key for online article
writers. How can you get any work done with all the noise? How can
you spend time with the kids when you have deadlines to meet? There
are a few work at home strategies that are especially useful for
online article writers whose kids are on vacation. You don't have to
ignore your kids or your writing. Try implementing these work at home
strategies instead.
Four day work week
You may think I'm crazy, but it is possible. You may not get the whole three days off but you can lighten the load to the point where you have time to spend with your vacationing kids. By working Monday through Thursday and writing up your article outlines on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, you can actually get more done in a four day work week than you did in seven days. Why? Because your online articles are good to go when you start writing them.
Set up a permanent craft corner
Keeping kids busy on vacation is the name of the game if you want to remain productive. By setting up a permanent craft corner and other play areas, your kids can flit from one activity to the other without interrupting your work. Keep your craft area simple. Provide paints, crayons, clay, glue, paper, feathers, beads and string as basic craft supplies. Let kids use their active imaginations to come up with creative projects.
Keep a puzzle going
When I was a kid, my Mom always had a card table in the living room with a jigsaw puzzle going. Whenever we got bored, we would sit down and work in a few pieces. My Mom never mentioned the puzzle. It was just there for us to discover on our own. Leave a puzzle out for kids to work on while you write your articles. It's quiet, it's educational and it can keep some kids occupied for hours. Just what the online article writer needs to remain productive.
Diversify with library books
Wouldn't it be nice if the older kids could just sit down and read a book? Online article writers should make it a point to take their kids to the library regularly. This practice keeps a variety of interesting books in the house for kids to enjoy. Let kids pick out the books that interest them if you want to remain productive.
Activity books
Kids can develop and nourish other talents and skills with activity books. As an online article writer, you may be partial to reading, but other books help educate kids too. Things like color books, joke books, puzzle books, mad-libs and more can keep kids occupied while you write. Plus it's a sneaky way to educate them.
Lunch kits
Pack lunches for kids on vacation just like you would if they were in school. For a real time saver, cut up and divide lunch and snack foods at the beginning of the week. Let kids make their own lunches. They'll have a ball creating their own masterpiece sandwiches and salads, while you remain productive.
Don't forget to pack a lunch for the online article writer too.
Invite the neighbor kids
This may seem counter productive but inviting the neighbor kids over is a great work at home strategy for online article writers. Having someone new and different to play with and forming close friendships with other children keeps kids from getting bored. It also frees up your time so you can remain productive. Kids won't be as needful of your attention when they're having fun with friends.
Write outdoors
Kids need fresh air and sunshine. So do you. Online article writers who sit at a desk all day don't get their daily dose of Vitamin D. If you have a lap-top and a backyard, take your work at home job outside for a few hours a day. Your kids can enjoy the fresh air on their vacation while you write. No back yard? Remain productive by taking the lap-top and the kids to a local park, beach or playground.
Hire an occasional sitter
It's not a sin to hire someone to take on your parental responsibilities once in a while. Remain productive while the kids are on vacation by hiring someone to watch them occasionally. It won't hurt them to socialize with other responsible adults or teenagers. Don't forget, in order to remain productive while the kids are on vacation, you need some time for yourself too. Take a break for yourself and see a movie or have lunch with a friend while you have a sitter. Your writing will be better for it.
This article was
previously published by this author on a now closed Yahoo property.
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