Remember that scene from Armageddon where Bruce Willis told Liv Tyler that he’s not coming back to the office home? For the newly initiated, working from home can feel like working from outer space. Swap flying asteriods for crying kids and space shuttle maintenance for household chores and you get the picture.
So here’s the big question: While humanity battles the threat of Covid-19, how can we win the productivity battle at home with countless distractions? At 99.co, we’ve gotten into the groove of ‘wfh’ and have come up with some ideas to help you stay focused and sane:
Give the kids a Project, not an iPad
Parents working from home might be tempted pacify their active kids by giving them more screen time, but that is a bad idea. After speaking with parents in the 99.co team, we can safely say that art projects are the best way to keep the kids occupied.
“Hands-on activities tend to help kids focus more, and for them time can really fly by when making art,” says a 99.co parent of two. “An example of an art project my kids was to put together a tree made from felt, which allowed me to focus for two afternoons straight. Papier-mâché projects are great too.”
Be sure to show off their masterpieces in a prominent area of your home, so they’ll feel that their time has been well spent and keep doing art!
The shortcut to art projects? Lego. (Tip: To save money, get the freeform lego pack and perhaps get them to build a 2,000 unit condo.)