How to Work from Home During Half-Term

How to Work from Home During Half-Term

Set your alarm for 5am to get a head start on your inbox before everyone wakes up. Be careful not to turn on the TV or radio in case your 5-year old hears and thinks it is Scooby Doo time. If you must use the loo, DO NOT FLUSH. Also make sure you do not switch on any lights that may alert the sleeping people that you are awake. Sit in the dark, in silence and let the light of your iPhone guide you.

You have 1 hour. GO!

Once you have made a cup of tea and deleted newsletters you can’t ever seem to unsubscribe from, it is time to crack on with client work. Ignore the Facebook and Twitter notifications that you missed the night before because you went to bed at 9pm. Four will be from people you don’t know commenting on a photo you liked, of someone you vaguely remember; and one will be a new follower on twitter, probably from a spam account.

Try to squeeze 4-hours work into 30-minutes. Sorry, make that 10. You have been rumbled and little footsteps are already making their way downstairs. After a quick cuddle, settle your child in front of the telly and TYPE.

It’s ok to eat breakfast on the sofa during half-term. Just swap Cheerios for toasted marmite bagels. Less milk = More productivity. Briefly consider a job in advertising. Remember you once had one. And, a commute. A chance to drink tea without breaking to supervise the colouring-in of a Batman magazine. Colleagues who did not bop you over the head with a Minion to get your attention. Well, not often anyway.

Begin to write an events round-up for a local magazine. Realise that not everyone wants to read about scooters, picnics and trips to Sainsbury’s. When self-doubt starts to creep in, it is time to escape to the local park/pool/friends house for a couple of hours. You still have a 500-word blog post to write by morning, but inspiration will come at around 3am, as always.

Afternoons are the time for you to relax. HA! Afternoons are when you really get to work, filled with trips to the sand pit, adventure playground and bike rides round the park. If you are lucky, you might still be able to get 3G by the rope swings.

Ignore messages flashing up on your screen and play with your child instead. You can blame it on a bad reception area later. You are NAILING this work-from-home-mum thing. Except you still have to find 500-words by the time dawn breaks. Head back home in time for tea and set up art supplies on the kitchen table.  While your child is busy drawing Jedi Knights and Stormtroopers, read emails while stirring pasta sauce.  Best to do this on your phone, rather than a tablet, as otherwise child will be too distracted by an urgent desire for the iPad to focus on anything else.

Wrestle iPad off child and serve food. No phones at the table. Hey, I didn’t make the rules – you did!

Time to wind down – no not you! There are still the plates to clear away, a dishwasher to load, the bath to run, hair to wash, teeth to brush, stories to read, laundry to fold… and let’s not forget about that 500-word blog post you promised to send in the morning.

At 8pm, pour wine, wonder why you feel so tired and then remember you have been up since 5am. Resist getting stuck into Eastenders and faff about on Twitter instead. Realise everyone you follow on Twitter is talking about #eastenders, so watch it on catch-up. Wake-up on the sofa to the sound of the final duff-duff.

Your inbox is in bold again.  Sigh.

You still haven’t written a single word, let alone 500, but this will give you something to do when you inevitably wake up at 3am because you caved and had a second glass of wine.

30 Comments

  1. Very funny and spot on (except I am too lazy to set my alarm for 5). Just whilst I was reading this and commenting my toddler has screamed for messy play (NO!) jumped off the sofa, tripped over his own feet and turned on 7 noisy toys. I’m not a slow reader, he’s just non-stop. I WILL get work done tonight – and WON’T be distracted by Facebook. Probably.

    • Grenglish
      Author
      June 16, 2015 / 4:10 PM

      Ha, famous old Facebook words… 🙂

  2. June 1, 2015 / 7:20 PM

    Oh it’s like I’m looking in the mirror!!
    I was up at 4.10 today when two kids appeared in my room and they wouldn’t go back to theirs. So in the bed they came and I didn’t get back to sleep.
    I have been floating around all day in a Nescafé fuelled haze and I have even noticed myself drooling.
    This is why I only manage one post a week. I would love to write a book but it ain’t ever going to happen at this rate…especially I as too am prone to the extra glass (or 2) of wine!x
    #mbpw

    • Grenglish
      Author
      June 16, 2015 / 4:11 PM

      I can never get back to sleep if a little person makes his way into the bed. I would also love to write a book! Maybe we can motivate each other…

  3. June 2, 2015 / 1:19 PM

    So good to know it’s not just me! No wonder we’re so easily distracted – juggling kids and working from home means we’re always jumping from one thing to another without ever finishing anything. That’s my excuse anyway 😉

    • Grenglish
      Author
      June 16, 2015 / 4:12 PM

      It is so easy to get distracted by the house stuff and so much of the domestic chores do get left to me as I am here more. Constant juggling act 🙂

  4. June 2, 2015 / 1:42 PM

    Ah knew there was a reason I was SO behind now the kids are back at school.

    • Grenglish
      Author
      June 16, 2015 / 4:13 PM

      Takes so long to catch back up too! What is it going to be like after the summer holidays…

  5. June 2, 2015 / 7:23 PM

    How do you know what’s going on in my house? Every single word is so true, but I still wouldn’t change a thing. I love working from home and the freedom it gives me x

    • Grenglish
      Author
      June 16, 2015 / 4:13 PM

      Me too! I can’t imagine going back to working in a busy office now

  6. June 2, 2015 / 8:52 PM

    love it except there is no way I’d get up that early! Its 9am here and thats Erin getting up! How lucky am I??

    • Grenglish
      Author
      June 16, 2015 / 4:14 PM

      Now you are just showing off 🙂

  7. June 2, 2015 / 9:04 PM

    Heh heh heh this has made me chuckle as I desperately try to catch back up on the work I didn’t get done over half term!

    • Grenglish
      Author
      June 16, 2015 / 4:15 PM

      I just gave up in the end so am also busy trying to catch up now I have a bit of space to do so

  8. June 2, 2015 / 9:10 PM

    I can SO relate to this post and I don’t even have the excuse of a child at home anymore to use as an excuse.

    • Grenglish
      Author
      June 16, 2015 / 4:15 PM

      Ha! Your secret is safe with me…

  9. June 2, 2015 / 9:30 PM

    Ha ha – this definitely reminds me of my week off last week!

    I ended up in soft play hell wandering around looking for the table with the best wifi reception x

    • Grenglish
      Author
      June 16, 2015 / 4:16 PM

      Soft play… *shudders*

  10. June 2, 2015 / 9:31 PM

    It’s relentless isn’t it? And so true – all of it!
    From the unknowns asking Facebook requests to the attack by Minion.

    But on the other hand I do miss the twins when they go back to school

    • Grenglish
      Author
      June 16, 2015 / 4:22 PM

      I always miss him loads after easter and summer holidays but quite enjoyed having my routine back after just a week. We probably get out and about and do more during the longer holidays so it feels like a proper break too

  11. June 2, 2015 / 11:05 PM

    God – did you have the same halfterm as well…totally get the setting the alarm thing, but I am fairly non-functional before 6am, so most of the stuff I write before then is utter bollocks, so I always end up re-writing it!

    • Grenglish
      Author
      June 16, 2015 / 4:22 PM

      I am much more of a morning person!

  12. June 3, 2015 / 10:15 PM

    That sounds about right to me…working from home is so relaxing isn’t it, not! But if it’s any comfort when the children get older it’s the opposite effect, they sleep in until noon and its us parents pulling at their pjs to get them up, begging them to get outside to the park for a bit of fresh air and reminding them not to check emails/texts/tweets at the table! Role reversal never seems to happen with the chores though!

    • Grenglish
      Author
      June 16, 2015 / 4:24 PM

      Ah and I was looking forward to having some more help around the house as he gets older… 😉

  13. June 4, 2015 / 6:41 AM

    Ah it gets easier I promise my two love to read and if I buy them a load of new books each half term form Oxfam I know I will get lots of peace. but they are 10 and 7 so good luck till them love!

    • Grenglish
      Author
      June 16, 2015 / 4:24 PM

      I’d love my son to be a reader! That was how I used to be every half term and summer holiday.

  14. June 4, 2015 / 1:03 PM

    Oh so true, but as Becky says, it does get easier. My two are 12 and 9 so at half term are often out playing with their friends. Once I got over the anxiety of them going out to play in the street ‘without supervision!!!’ I actually learned to sit down and get some work done. Or, if the weather’s terrible, generally both of them can have a friend round and they don’t bother me apart from when they need to get fed. But thinking about it, I hated it when people told me it would get better back in the day and I didn’t want to wish the kids lives away, so the answer was usually DVDs, the Wii (we’ve now upgraded to the XBox) or, Granny’s house! Good luck…

    • Grenglish
      Author
      June 16, 2015 / 4:25 PM

      I’m not sure I will ever be ready for him to play outside with me 🙁

  15. Just weirdly had your email message that you left on last week’s #MBPW So sorry not have replied before now! Great post, as always Sarah and go you for the 5am starts – never gonna happen round here. But lots of 1am and 2am do instead. Thanks for linking up. Am eagerly awaiting your post about the Palace to feature XX

    • Grenglish
      Author
      June 16, 2015 / 4:26 PM

      I am drooling into the sofa by 9.30pm – am definitely more of a morning person!

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