March | 2020 | The Snazzy Mom Blog by Arushi Garg

I recently shared the below tips with my entire office on working from home. At my current role with my full time job in Account Management, I have had the opportunity to work remotely for last few years. It has been one of the greatest things to happen not just for my family life but also has brought immense productivity and efficiencies in my target driven sales profile.

I usually prefer to work from my shared office space or cafes , but with the given COVID-19 outbreak and keeping the social distancing rules in mind, I am now fully working from home and staying indoors. My son has been in daycare since he was 1 year old. Now having him home all the time and working is a new challenge. Before making a colorful home school schedule for him I worked on a productivity driven schedule for myself.

Here are my Top 10 Tips I have been successfully implementing:

1.Maintain the routine

Every morning keep the same routine as before. Dress up in whatever you would but leave out those PJs. This will help you stay in work mode.

2.Have a dedicated work space?

A separate work space doesn’t have to be a dedicated office with a door that closes (which is often not an option in smaller living spaces). It should be an area that mentally prepares you for work mode, whether it’s a separate room, a small desk set up in a corner of the living room, or a laptop at the end of the kitchen table. It may take a bit of trial and error to figure out what area of your home is most conducive to getting work done.

3.Structure your day

When working from home, you’re your own personal manager. To stay on schedule, segment what you’ll do and when over the course of the day. If you have an online calendar, create personal events and reminders that tell you when to shift gears and start on new tasks. Google, MS office calendar are a must. Using a journal makes it easy to list out tasks you want to accomplish each day. Check them off and keep making notes.

4.Continue to Interact with colleagues on apps and video meetings

Working remotely can feel isolating at times, so as part of your routine, try to interact with your co-workers regularly. Holding meetings over Zoom or another video app are two quick and easy ways to stay in the loop. However, you connect, don’t let email be the only way you interact with colleagues. Work What’s App groups should only focus on immediate information exchange and less memes and jokes for productivity.

5.Walk it out : Do this only if absolutely necessary. Always maintain 6 feet from people

Make time to get up and walk away from your desk at regular intervals to stretch your legs. The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes look away from your screen and focus your eyes on something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. I personally walk on all my office calls in the house. You can also keep a step goal for the day. On some good days I end up moving around the house and clocking in 6000 steps between 9-5. Standing for few minutes every hour is also a good practice.

6.Schedule 30 minutes in the morning to prep some snacks

I’d recommend cooking enough dinner to have leftovers at least a couple times a week. Maybe you’re more creative than I am, but homemade sandwiches for lunch get boring fast. Smoothies, fruits, eggs, avocado smash toast, salad, pasta, poha, dosa , besan chilas, rice and dal or frozen parathas or meals are some meal ideas that I incorporate.

7.Use Siri/ Google/ Alexa as your personal assistants

I use Alexa every day to help me remind for some immediate calls that I must make. The most relevant Alexa feature for the office is maintaining your calendar. Whether it’s a big deadline or a meeting you must attend, add it to your calendar using Alexa.

Listening to ambient noise or focus music helps create some background noise.

One of the best ways to stay on task, especially if you often lose focus easily, is by using a Pomodoro timer — or a periodic timer that reminds you to take a break every so often. You can set a timer to work for an hour and break for 10 minutes or any combination of intense work with periodic breaks.

8.Do Your Most Focused Work When the Kids Sleep

With kids being out of school now and home bound, making sure working before they get up in the morning, working during naptime, and working after they go to bed at night. Yes, it’s disruptive, but yes, it helps you pack in needed work hours while spending less time distracted in the presence of your children. Schedule important calls and meetings online during their nap times or during screen time.

9.Communicate with your partner and switch out times for taking turns in the day.

If your spouse or partner is also at home caring for the kids, it’s essential that you communicate what your day is like so you’re both on the same page with your expectations and needs.

10.Stress less about extra screen time while on video calls.

Instead being concerned about how much our kids are exposed to screens , let’s focus on how they are engaging with it. I use educational apps like Reading Eggs and interactive games to keep my son busy.

Also setting up virtual baby sitters like grandparents, classmates, friends and family has been extremely successful for us.

I hope you find you working from home rhythm soon. Take care and be safe my friends

XOXO

Vir is so excited to sport his DIY Holi T shirt that we made together

I believe incorporating cultural traditions in lessons and activities at school can help teachers build inclusive classrooms. My son has been the only South Asian in his classroom ever since he started going to daycare and now even at preschool. And every year I have worked on introducing a cultural day in his classroom around our big festivals like Diwali and Holi. This has helped me personally build the excitement around our culture and festivities, as our son gets to experience the fanfare around it not only at home but also at his school with his friends and teachers.

Although the kids in his class are very young to really understand the significance of “culture,” it is important for us that our toddler can celebrate these festivals with same rigor and excitement as other classroom events. Honestly, this is also a reminder for us parents to continue taking these steps to raise confident kids who are proud of their roots.

Holi is the festival of colors and when it comes to kids, we all know how much they love to play with colors! Below is a list of things I have done in the past and plan to do at my almost 4-year old’s classroom. Also, I am sharing some ideas for older kids that I have saved for coming years.

Talk to your kid’s teacher
Share with them more information about the festival or event you plan to celebrate. ( I usually bring print outs on simple and key information about the festival, also share pictures and ideas I like to incorporate)

2.Start by reading a book-

I love both these books for toddlers and older kids too. Festival of Colors and Let’s celeberate Holi can be found on Amazon.

3.Ask your child to present to the class

My son gave a small presentation last year on Diwali. We will be doing it this year for Holi too. I usually read him books and show him videos and pictures to help him prepare. We try adding some festival related props that bring excitement to the talk. For Holi I plan for him to show powder color and water blaster ( pichkari ).

4. Dress for the occasion.

As Vir will be presenting to his class, I decided to work on a simple DIY project with him. This Holi T shirt was a fun way to engage and learn about the festival. Older kids can make one on their own and share it with their friends too. There are some T shirts you can also buy online at Etsy and Amazon.

I bought the supplier from Marshalls . You just need fabric pends and a white T shirt to make something similar.

5. Request for a collaborative class project

We did the finger painting and hand painting activity last year on a large chart paper as a collaborative classroom project. It was displayed in the class all month, so all parents could see it and the kids could admire their prints.

Here are some art and craft project ideas that you can get inspiration from

Spray Painting Holi cards , Hand print heart canvas art, Watercolor garland, Holi spring tree with colorful tissue paper

6.Decorate the class

Just like any other celebration I like to include some pieces of decor in the class after teacher’s permission. This makes the celebration extra special. Usually I offer to get the decor and it can be something simple like, colorful ribbons, streamers, paper banners etc.

print holi banner

You can print this FREE Holi banner and put it up in the class or home too

7.Snacks/ Class Favors–

No celebration is complete without some celebratory food and gifts.. You can request for a colorful snack or buy one for the entire class – from sprinkle cupcakes, to holi special cookies, yogurt or fruit pouches. It’s a fun way to make the day extra memorable. Avoid homemade desserts or food.

I will be offering snacks and paints for favors , will be using this cute printable from 5Minutesformom

by-5minutesformom

8.Class / Teacher gifts

You want to thank the teachers for their efforts, and it is a sweet gesture too. For teachers I like to give usually give succulents and for Holi a pretty spring bouquet will be apt. Gift cards from Amazon go a long way. (For Diwali I gave diyas and candy to the entire class in organza bags. All the parents and kids love it soo much.)