It’s that season again … back to school has arrived and with it, homework. If you are a busy entrepreneur and worried about how much time you will be able to devote to your kids’ schoolwork this coming year, we’ve got a few handy tips for you to help you stay involved without having to neglect your business or work.

1. Working parent tip #1: Leave work at work

Defining a clear separation between work and home life is important in the effort to be involved in your kids’ lives. Disconnect, put down the phone, and step away from your laptop; your kids might already view your work ethic as threatening to their time with you. Even if your office is in your home, set clearly defined hours for work and when it’s family time, be 100 percent present for them.

2. Working parent tip #2: Work on your time management skills

If you are finding it difficult to fit in everything you need to do in a day, maybe it’s time to start a more rigorous scheduling process. Pretty much everything can be scheduled, whether it’s meal times, shopping or family activities. For those of you who live by your calendar, this might be an easy way to ensure you are giving your family the time they so rightly deserve.

3. Working parent tip #3: Split homework time with your spouse

Studies show that 20 percent of kids don’t get any reading support from their mother and 40 percent don’t get it from their father. As a result, almost 20 percent of kids will grow up not knowing how to read or write as well as they should. Your kids shouldn’t have to go it alone and neither should you. Splitting homework time with your spouse may give you a better chance of devoting enough time to your children’s needs without raising your anxiety level around not getting your own work done.

4. Working parent tip #4: Do homework as early as possible

You might be exhausted when you get home – and tempted to put homework on hold until you have a chance to unwind. The truth is, kids’ brains tucker out quickly after a full day at school, so striking while the iron is hot is always the best strategy. Set a couple of hours aside as close to “school’s out” time as possible, say from three to five in the afternoon. Don’t start later than five or wait until after dinner or you run the risk of the lot of you burning out or moving on to other activities.

5. Working parent tip #5: Set a great example

Ultimately, we want our kids to be grounded and be able to make good decisions for themselves in life. This is a skill that comes from you. If you are constantly distracted or unable to devote time to your children after school, they will probably think that what they are doing is unimportant and so will not give it their all. Demonstrate the work ethic and family focus that you would ideally like them to have and they will always take your lead.

Has back to school got you in a panic? If you are a busy entrepreneur who needs a little support so you can spend more quality time with your family, we can help with flexible, scalable office space, virtual offices, coworking, and full-service administrative support. Drop by for a tour today.