Preparing to work from home with my preschoolers

My anxiety does not play well without a schedule or routine. I’ve been this way since I was in my young teens, when I kept a color-coded agenda. As an adult now, if I am without my lists, my scrum boards, my calendar–my brain sputters in a panic of what to cook for dinner and what I need to do for work and why is my daughter’s eye pink and…

Which brought me to last night, when I realized I had no immediate, documented, and vetted plan for how to home school my kids for weeks or months while working full time during impending quarantines and shutdowns. So I made a flexible, modular schedule.

I want to note upfront that I am extremely privileged to be able to work from home and to be able to work at night as needed. Few people have this privilege, and many of my family members and friends must report to work in-person or are facing job loss during this time. I cannot advise on these situations (as I am not in them) other than if you are in a position of privilege, please consider ways in which you can help those around you.

In addition, I want to note that this schedule is not meant to work for everyone–every family has a different situation and different needs. However, I shared this modular schedule with a few of my co-workers, and I hope that other caregivers can use it to brainstorm their own schedules based on the needs of your family.

A few key points to remember here: (1) No plan is perfect. With my kids, very little goes according to plan, but as long as I have a plan to start with, I feel empowered to modify it. (2) This schedule does not allow for a healthy amount of sleep. I am hoping to find more balance as my family settles in. Prioritize what’s most important for you. (3) This schedule is designed for myself and my two preschoolers and is 100% not intended to be one-size-fits-all (not even most days for my family). (4) Please consider sharing your own ideas with those who may be able to use them 🙂

Peace, love, and health to you all ❤

Time	Kid Activity	Parent 1 Activity	Notes
5:30 am	Sleep	Get ready and/or work
6:30 am	Wake Up	Get kids dressed
6:45 am	Breakfast	Breakfast
7:15 am	Exercise	Exercise	Walk, dance, yoga
7:45 am	Downtime	Work	Kids can read, watch a show, play with toys
9:00 am	Morning Snack	Work
9:30 am	Family Time	Family Time	Read together, play board game, go for walk, run errand, do a craft, do chores
10:30 am	Downtime	Work	Kids can read, watch a show, play with toys
11:00 am	Help prep lunch	Prep lunch
11:30 am	Lunch	Lunch
12:00 pm	Family Time	Family Time	Read together, play board game, go for walk, run errand, do a craft, do chores
1:00 pm	Nap/Downtime	Work
2:30 pm	Exercise	Exercise	Walk, dance, yoga
3:00 pm	Afternoon Snack	Work
3:30 pm	Downtime	Work	Kids can read, watch a show, play with toys
4:00 pm	Family Time	Family Time	Read together, play board game, go for walk, run errand, do a craft, do chores
5:00 pm	Help Prep Dinner	Prep Dinner
6:00 pm	Dinner	Dinner
6:30 pm	Cleanup	Cleanup
7:00 pm	Downtime	Work	Kids can read, watch a show, play with toys
7:30 pm	Bedtime	Bedtime
8:15 pm	Sleep	Work
10:30 pm	Sleep	Sleep