Planning activities and tasks as a family

The government measures for us in The Netherlands, as in many other countries, have been extended and we’ll be at home for a while longer. At home for work, for teaching our children, for raising our children, for sports, for having fun… for everything.

So, how can you organise all of this in the best possible way? The tips I give in my video seem quite simple, but because of how we are used to doing things, they can actually be quite difficult to carry out. Yet the result is impressive. It raises the issues with everyone involved and gives clarity at the same time.

How? By planning and being focused. It has long been proven that doing multiple things together is ineffective. You may think it helps to look at your emails during a meeting, but you’re not giving either activity enough attention. So neither activity achieves what it could.

The same goes for balancing how to help your children when they need your help, with a work schedule that may include video calls that also need your attention. Does this mean you feel obliged to encourage your children to do their activities by themselves as quickly as possible? Or does it mean you hope that no one notices in your meeting when you have to help answer your kids’ questions. Neither scenario sounds particularly appealing or workable.

You want to be there for both your children and your colleagues, and an easy way to navigate this is by making joint schedules.

You get the chance to focus on your work, as well as help your children with their more difficult tasks. For us, we meet at the kitchen table in the morning and we discuss which tasks the children find difficult and would like help with. I can then ensure that these tasks are planned at times when I don’t have a meeting.

If you still find it difficult to schedule some of these in, then how about stretching the activities from work or school into the early evening or weekend. It gives for a more peaceful environment, gives more focus and creates togetherness. So what do you choose, continuous struggle or connectedness?

ARTICLE WRITTEN BY ROEL GEENEN, MANAGING PARTNER