Working From Home During COVID-19: How Our Family Made It Work

Working from home hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park. When my husband suggested we start documenting our family’s pandemic journey, I jumped at the idea. Writing it down not only helped me process everything, but it also gave us a way to reflect on how we’ve adjusted to our “new normal” over the past few weeks.

On top of both of us shifting to remote work, the kids started virtual learning. That threw another curveball into our schedule. My husband went from working at home one or two days a week to five days, and I suddenly found myself doing most of my work from our home office, too.

Like many families, we’ve had to get creative about how to juggle everything under one roof. Along the way, we discovered a few tools, routines, and habits that really made a difference. Here are some work-from-home and virtual learning tips that helped us stay (somewhat) sane during quarantine.

Create Separate Workspaces

You’ve heard of social distancing—well, in our house we also had to practice “workspace distancing.” With all of us on conference calls and video meetings every day, it was impossible to concentrate in the same room.

Setting up temporary offices in different rooms instantly reduced the chaos. Even if you don’t have the extra space, try dividing the room into sections and using earbuds or noise-canceling headphones. Small adjustments like this can make a huge difference in your focus.

Protect Your Privacy

Working from home blurs the line between personal and professional life. One thing I hadn’t considered was privacy—like when your personal address suddenly becomes tied to your business. That’s where services like Virtually There can help. Using a virtual office and postal address keeps your business identity separate from your home life, which brings peace of mind.

Manage Virtual Learning Without Losing Your Mind

Our fourth grader is pretty independent when it comes to schoolwork, but our younger one still needs extra guidance. Since my husband’s schedule is a little more flexible, he tackles the core subjects. I step in for projects, science experiments, and the “fun stuff.”

We also encourage our son to complete as much as possible on his own. It helps build confidence, and honestly, it saves us from hovering over every assignment.

Make Mealtimes Family Time

One silver lining in all of this has been eating meals together. Before the pandemic, between work and after-school activities, family dinners were rare. Now, we make it a priority. The kids even enjoy helping with meal prep—which makes mealtime less of a chore and more of a bonding moment.

Stick to a Routine

It’s tempting to stay in pajamas all day (and trust me, some days we did). But keeping a routine—waking up at a set time, getting dressed, and having breakfast—helped us stay grounded. It also made it easier to imagine life going back to “normal” once things settled down.

Be Patient With Yourself (and Each Other)

This might be the hardest tip of all. Adjusting to new schedules, juggling remote work, and managing distance learning can push you to your limits. Some days, it feels like too much. When that happens, I remind myself to breathe and be patient.

This pandemic tested us in ways we never expected, but it also showed us how resilient we can be. There’s still a long road ahead, but I believe we’ll come out of this stronger—and more connected as a family—than ever before.