It’s Day 7 of self isolation in the wake of COVID-19 and it started out like any other with a few exceptions. Instead of spending ninety minutes weaving the highways of Johannesburg in the nightmare of rush hour traffic – I started the morning explaining to my three year old (henceforth known as my coworker) why she can’t have ice cream first thing in the morning. Sigh.

I entered my corner office to find a pile of last night’s doodles and toys still in the state we left it in the night before. I remind myself that today will be a productive day! As the co-worker and the printer jointly throw a tantrum of epic proportions – I calmly assure all parties that ice cream is not breakfast and paper jams are not accepted today – I’m pretty sure this can be classified as “multitasking”.

Trying to control the situation 

One hour, eight print outs and two Zoom calls later – I was pretty sure my day would be as productive as I planned. Being self isolated as a working, single mother meant I couldn’t put my responsibilities in a box anymore. I had to constantly shift between one responsibility to the next. And more often than not – doing two things at the same time. 

Note to self: Set goals that are within your control

I realized during my online meetings that I stopped feeling bad for apologising for the little coworker singing and dancing in the background to her favourite musical. It can’t be helped and certainly isn’t disrupting the course of the meeting.

When I finally got to sit at my desk, coffee in hand, I found 43 emails eagerly awaiting my attention. One in particular screamed for immediate action – picture me in a hard-hat and thick gloves racing to defuse a critical situation. “Right! Let’s do this” I say to myself as caffeine surges through my veins urging me to get my To-Do list done! My coworker comes dragging her pink blankie behind her, clearly in need of a nap. Oh dear! Knowing this was not going according to plan, I strapped the coworker to my back, swayed to and fro and continued to respond to the urgent email.

Goal setting that is relevant and innovative 

I spent the rest of the morning on the phone making arrangements for a new strategy amid the self isolation quota, all while making a pathway through the minefield of toy blocks, crayons and what used to be a box of recycled paper. I barely had time to finish what began as a hot cup of coffee before my next status meeting began. 

Note to self: Set goals that are relevant.

A good part of what I do is communicating, collaborating and executing action plans. As much as I would have loved to work on everything on my plate – it is not feasible. I spent the lunch break planning the most important things to complete for the day. By this time my coworker was awake and yelling out the numbers on the flash cards I held out for her in between mouthfuls of pasta. This is going to take awhile. Another meeting was looming and it was time to jump back into the fray. 

Note to self: Take the opportunity to be innovative and agile

Learning to embrace this time

Working from home with a toddler doesn’t seem easy. But it can be. Knowing the next meeting would be an important one, I had to make sure I wouldn’t be disturbed. High Expectations am I right? Insert a surprised laugh if you will! Using multi-coloured used paper, I created a track that started in the lounge and went over, under and through the house leading my coworker outside into the garden to play with a heap of toys. And should Plan A fail, crayons were waiting for her to create beautiful shapes on the endless amounts of recycled paper laying around. Great! My meeting had started and my coworker was occupied. 

Final note to self: Don’t sabotage yourself from the word “Go”

Understanding my child’s needs was an important part of planning my day in the age of self isolation. Including a full day of learning and activities for her, while tackling meetings was not going to happen. I knew it. My little coworker knew it. Thanks to the lesson plans available for download on the website – my coworker and I were able to include her required learning in a fun way without it being taxing for either of us. Joy of Learning! To avoid being demotivated and feeling overwhelmed, I chose to allow my goals to compliment our lifestyle while nurturing some flexibility to change.

Every child is different and every family dynamic is unique. But starting the day with the right action plan can set you up for success! If you need more tips on how to work remotely, read this handy tool. It will only take 4 minutes!