How to work from home with kids ( 8 different tips you can try)

Hey mama!!

Are you wondering what it would actually look like to work from home with your little ones running around? Maybe childcare isn’t available, it’s too expensive, or maybe you just want the best of both worlds—being present with your kids and building something for yourself.

This blog post is for you.

I’m sharing some real-life tips and tricks that have helped me work from home with kids—no matter what stage they’re in.

Let me start by saying this: It is possible to work from home with kids. It just might look a little different than you imagined. So go ahead and throw out any expectations of perfection. Every day won’t look the same—but creating a rhythm will help more than you know.

1. Take Inventory of Your Day

Ask yourself:

• What time do you and the kids wake up?
• When do you usually have breakfast, lunch, naps, and dinner?

Mapping out your day will help you find those windows of opportunity to get work done.

What’s helped me is making sure my kids’ needs are met first, and then I work on my business. That way, I’m not stopping in the middle of momentum to handle something else—and then struggling to come back to it hours later.

Here’s an example:

My kids usually wake up between 9am–10am. So in that window, we’re getting ready for the day, eating breakfast, I’m reading my Bible, and my kids are watching a show while they eat. These slow mornings help us all ease into the day and get some quality time in.

Once their energy kicks in, I tackle my daily chore—just one part of the house depending on the day. (I talk more about that in my blog posts below!)

✨ Read the blog: A Simple and Realistic Cleaning Schedule

✨ Read the blog: How I Run My Home Like a Business

Then we have lunch, and afterward, my son takes his nap and my daughter has quiet time—that’s usually my work block for the day.

The key is to follow your kids’ natural rhythms. It’ll make your life so much easier, promise.

2. Don’t Overwhelm Yourself With Tasks

This depends on the kind of flexibility you have in your business or remote job, but I had to learn to do less.

As a Virtual Assistant and blogger, I started breaking my tasks into smaller chunks spread throughout the week. I give myself a 2-hour time block when I can—and that’s enough.

I don’t want to constantly be on my phone or computer. It’s draining, and honestly, I want the freedom to enjoy my day and not feel like I’m just bouncing between chores and work nonstop.

So after making sure my kids were good, I started working during nap time—and it worked. Because I don’t overload my to-do list, I can get things done without the stress.

3. Simplify Your Business

Working from home should not feel like a constant state of stress or overwhelm. Yes, there will be moments that are hard or days your kids need more from you—but the simpler your systems, the easier your days will be.

You want to be able to jump in, get your work done, and move on.

Use tools like Trello, Asana, ClickUp, or Notion to plan your tasks ahead of time, set deadlines, and automate repetitive things. That way, your brain isn’t carrying the entire load.

Less is more.

4. Give Yourself a Cut-Off Time

You started working from home for freedom and flexibility, right?

Don’t let work consume your entire day. Set a start time and an end time, and be present with your babies. That’s the whole point.

5. Stick to a Routine

Just like you’re consistent with bedtime routines, you can be consistent with your work-from-home rhythm too.

As you keep showing up at the same time each day, your kids will start to recognize your “work time.” They may not leave you completely alone (lol), but they will start to respect your space.

Sometimes I even bring my laptop into their room while they’re playing. Just being in their space helps limit interruptions and encourages independent play—especially helpful when you’ve got more than one kid at home.

6. Don’t Be Afraid to Switch Things Up

Kids grow. Their routines shift. And yours will too.

The beauty of paying attention to their cues is that you’ll naturally see when something needs to change. It won’t feel like you’re forcing anything. It’ll just be a gentle adjustment.

This has been the least stressful way for me to manage it all. Trust me.

7. Track Your Time

Start tracking how long certain tasks actually take you. That way, when you’re planning out your week, you can make smarter decisions.

If you have more time on certain days, tackle your longer tasks then. Save shorter, quicker tasks for the days where things are more hectic.

Tools like Toggl or even the built-in time tracker in your project management app can help with this. You might be surprised at where your time goes!

8. Serve Your Family First

Finally, always serve your family and your home first. When their needs are met, your work becomes something you get to do—not another heavy responsibility hanging over your head.

For me, working on my business is a way I pour into myself. It’s a creative outlet, a source of growth, and something that isn’t centered around my family responsibilities.

I highly recommend reading this post and checking out this Home Management Template

How I Run My Home Like a Business

Check out the Home Management Template

Systemizing my home has made it easier to show up in my business—and vice versa. They support each other. That’s the whole reason I’m doing this in the first place.

I hope this helped you out, mama!

You’ve got this. And remember—you don’t need to work all day to make real momentum in your business. One step at a time is all it takes. You are not superwoman, and that’s okay.

If this blog post encouraged you, I’d love to invite you to join my email list! I send out tools, systems, and support for stay-at-home mamas who are balancing life, business, and everything in between.