How Lockdown 2.0 Made Combining Entrepreneurship With Parenting Easier By Elspeth Fawcett

One of the biggest conversations to come out of the last few months is the shift to home-working and how that will shape the way we do business going forward. As you are like many mums across the country already working from home – juggling a young family with running a business – you are probably well versed in the struggles this can bring.

Understandably the current consensus seems to be that it is often difficult to split boundaries between parenting, home-schooling, relationships and working when you are doing all from the same location.

Now, these conversations are being had, it is important to drop the stigma of women working from home and the idea that you cannot juggle children with business, or that if you do, one will suffer. We share a few tips on how to keep life running smoothly, post lockdown 2.0 from Elspeth Fawcett, the founder of Yummikeys.

Tire the kids out

Still try to get the children out in the morning for a few exhausting and fun-filled hours over the weekend. This will mean spending some quality family time outdoors and having a little peace to work in the afternoon when they are content to watch a film. Start the day with lots of fresh air will clear your head and will make you more productive.

Let go of ‘perfect’

Accept that sometimes your house will still be a mess and that you’ll feed the kids pasta and pesto too many days running- we are all just doing our best to ajust!

Be flexible!

If both you and your husband have been working from home during the first lockdown right through to now, you should be able to be flexible about work vs childcare. At the moment nothing is the way it was, but it’s great for your husband to have time with the children that he wouldn’t usually have and positive for you to be able to work during the day and not just in the evening when the kids are sleeping. It also means the kids always have a parent with them and are able to transition easily through this confusing time.

Don’t guilt-trip yourself

If you are with your children 24/7 despite the lockdown easing up, and sometimes they (and you) need a break. Don’t worry about letting them play on the tablet, watching a movie or gaming, having a little independence from each other at the moment is important for everyone’s mental health and should be openly encouraged.

Be open

Explain to your children what you are doing when you work and why. Even if they are little, it is important to explain that sometimes you need to work and including them in that can be fun for them and you.

Lastly, whatever happens, remember you are doing your best in unprecedented times, even still. If you work one day and not the next, cook breakfast, lunch and tea from scratch one day, but serve chicken nuggets the next, it is all relative and will work out. Balance is key and checking in with your mental health regularly will ensure both your personal and business lives are running optimally.