Here’s a template to help you maintain your sanity, and productivity, with school out of session.

Goals:

• Exercise before facing the kids
• Personal time for mom & dad
• Tire the kids early
• Nap through the hottest part of the day

Here’s how we roll:

1. I’m up by 5:30a and back from exercising by 7:30a
2. My wife does her exercise 7:30a to 9:30a and I get the kids sorted
3. Kids out the door by 10am and I now have a 3.5 hour slot of total quiet at my house. As, I work at home, this is valuable
4. Wife and kids head to the club with packed lunch – family swim until 11:30a
5. Kids eat lunch in the childcare at the club – my wife is free for up to two hours for errands and personal time. Three days a week she coaches masters
6. Kids arrive home, suitably whipped, 30-60 minutes of madness then everyone naps.
7. I get another 90-120 minute slot of total quiet – my wife gets a personal slot
8. Before the kids wake up, I exit for my second exercise session of the day
9. Evening trip with the kids (swim, friends, park or errands) OR movie night
10. Dinner (out or home) then bed

This gives me two training sessions, five hours of quality work time and interaction with each of my three kids.

Date night fits with a sitter coming in when the youngest kids are napping.

Alternatively, consider using “day rate” with sitters. We agree a fixed-price deal (8:30am to 8:30pm) and have the sitter take long breaks over lunch and nap. With my working at home this can be a win-win-win between husband-wife-sitter.

For this strategy to be effective, caregivers must resist the urge to interact with the kids on a day off, and during their daily breaks!

Repeat every day June to August.

For weekly productivity, I can get a lot done with 35 hours of totally quiet time split between 14 slots.

Because swimming is cost effective and accessible to club-provided childcare, we make getting our kids water-safe a high priority (links to my Endurance Corner article). So far, each of our kids has been water-safe by their third birthday.