No matter how long you’ve been working at home – a week or a year or longer – the switch from spring to summer is a big one. If your kids are in school, in the next couple of weeks they will suddenly be out of school and underfoot. Your routine (you do have a routine, right?) will be thrown out of whack. If you still have a week of grace, now is the time to start laying the groundwork for a transition to summer.

1. Make your expectations clear. Let your family know what hours are untouchable working hours. Make sure your kids know what the rules are when you’re working – you’re only to be bothered in case of blood or fire (or some other easy-to-remember rule). Your rules and expectations have to be age-appropriate, of course. In any case, everyone needs to be clear and understand things in the same way.
   
2. If you don’t have a schedule yet, make one. At 10 a.m., you need to be working and pretty much on your own until noon. Then a break for lunch. Then working from 1-2, and then the wrap-up of work after the kids are in bed. Or whatever works for you. A schedule is something you can point to when the kids have something they think you need to take care of, and you can show them that you’re unavailable.
   
3. At the same time, see where you can be a little more flexible. After all, it is summer. Can you put off projects during the first week, to take some time to reconnect with your kids and get into the rhythm of the season?
   

Summer is a good chance for your kids to learn to be a little more independent, and for the work-at-home mom to lighten up a little bit and take advantage of the at-home part of work-at-home. Switching to summer work is a challenge; how do you manage it?