4 Ways Parents Can Maintain Productivity During Lockdown

Available for Interviews:  Dr. Colleen Cira

Dr. Colleen Cira, Psy.D., is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who specializes in Women and Trauma, and has worked with hundreds of people struggling with mental health issues.

 

Talking Points on What Dr. Cira Can Say in an Interview
On How Parents Can Maintain Productivity During Lockdown:

Dr. Colleen Cira is the Founder and Executive Director of The Cira Center for Behavioral Health in Illinois—a practice that  serves close to 1,000 clients a month during the pandemic.  Dr. Cira is also a parent to a 7 and 5 year old, so she is well-equipped to offer some advice about productivity while parenting and working from home. Here’s some suggestions to make lockdown more productive:

    1. Batch the things that you need to do. A rigid schedule might be too much to expect of yourself or your kids right now, but chunking the day into different activities helps to a) create structure and routine that also allows for a bit more chaos than an hour-by-hour break-down of the day; b) helps your kids adjust to life at home because they know what they can expect; c) keeps you on task when you’re too overwhelmed to figure out how to best use a chunk of available time.

2. Allow for more screen time. Yes, a Clinical Psychologist is saying that. Here’s the thing: we don’t have babysitters right now and we’re trying to do more than ever all at the same time without much, if any, assistance. So think of TV, iPads, Nintendo Switches, etc., like babysitters. Don’t hesitate to use them when you really need a span of uninterrupted time to buckle down and be productive.

3. Create boundaries around your work.  You’re at home now with So. Much. To. Do.  It would be easy to work around the clock and never take breaks, but this is a marathon, not a sprint folks. Set work hours for yourself and try to stick to those hours.  Set up breaks for yourself in the middle of the work day to exercise (kids can participate!), eat lunch (you can do that with your kids too!) or just close your eyes and breathe. Build downtime into your schedule, even if the kids participate with you, to ensure that you’re not working constantly. This will ensure that you get the breaks that you need so your mind is sharper and your energy is higher rather than constantly running on empty. 

4. Involve your kids in the things you need to get done outside of work.  Because laundry and dishes don’t stop just because there is a pandemic . . . this is the PERFECT time to teach your kids that life isn’t always a blast, sometimes you need to do boring stuff, and then recruit them to help. Give them a chore to manage on their own or have them sit next to you while you fold laundry and teach them how it’s done. Try to build in some fun things you can do with your children once all the chores and work for the day is done.

 

Available for Interviews: Dr. Colleen Cira

Dr. Colleen Cira, Psy.D., received both her Masters and Doctorate from The Illinois School of Professional Psychology and is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in the State of Illinois.  She’s the Founder and Executive Director of Cira Center for Behavioral Health, PC, a boutique group practice specializing in Women and Trauma with locations in Chicago and Oak Park.

She was named one of the “Top 100 Women in Chicago Making a Difference” by Today’s Chicago Woman.  Dr. Cira is a trauma and anxiety expert, clinical supervisor, writer, speaker, consultant, activist, wife, and Mommy to two little ones.

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