One of the most challenging things in today’s hectic life is balancing work and parenting. We all feel overwhelmed by our work, the many obligations around the house, and the desire to be a devoted and involved parent. However, it is possible to achieve that balance with a few handy tips and tricks. Keep reading to learn more about balancing work and parenting for a conscious life.
First, you must address your expectations – they must be clear and realistic. Then, you need to focus on making balance a priority. Adding flexibility to your work would also help. It is also essential to spend as much quality time with your family as possible, it will strengthen your bond. You should also use help as it can be a significant element of balancing work and family life. Creating daily routines helps you be more efficient, which means having more free time. Moreover, we all need a technology break from time to time, so make sure to take it. Lastly, we must understand that our health is a priority. Unbalancing your work and family can result in stress and pressure and lead to mental and physical health disruption.
Set clear and realistic expectations
The first thing you need to do is set clear and realistic expectations regarding your work. That means creating certain rules, including leaving work on time every day, so you can pick up your kids from the early learning centre, not check emails after working hours and have work-related calls after hours. Besides communicating these with your boss and colleagues, you could also confirm them in writing as they are much clearer in that way. And people can go back to them and check if they forgot something. Steps such as this help create a clear boundary between work and family life. On the other hand, if your colleagues don’t value your time or respect your boundaries, even after you communicate these things, perhaps it’s time to find a new job where people will respect this.
Make balance a priority
Whether you’re working part-time or full-time, creating a balance between your work and family life is equally challenging and requires time and effort. To succeed in this endeavour, you must consciously decide to achieve balance. Otherwise, you will most likely fail, as life is that way – there are simply too many things to juggle. What you need is an opportunity for balance. What that means is that you need to have a job that is challenging but not too overwhelming. Also, you must consider how big a family you can responsibly care for at that exact moment. Both aspects need to be optimal. If either is too overwhelming, chances for a balance are pretty low.
Add flexibility to your work if possible
Many jobs nowadays allow for some flexibility, which works well for the balance we wish to achieve. You can talk about adding some flexibility to your work with your employer. For instance, one thing you can ask for is to work from home occasionally. It will mean a lot for creating that desired balance between your work and family life. This flexibility at work can make your life easier. For example, if you have a family commitment right after work, you can ask to work from home that day and avoid wasting time commuting home and being unable to fulfil the commitment.
Spend more time with your family
We must consciously create family time and spend more quality time with our families. Kids grow up so fast, so we shouldn’t waste our time waiting for the perfect moment to come as it will never come, there will always be something preventing you from having free time for your family. To strengthen the bond with your family, you should communicate regularly, have meals together (at least dinner) and participate in family activities. You promote trust, understanding and support by having strong bonds with your family.
Use help
People often take a lot on them, thinking that asking for help makes them weak and incapable of handling things. This kind of thinking is unhealthy, and using help can bring many benefits to you and your family. At certain times, it is even more difficult to achieve balance, and it would be great to use help in such moments. Think about what aspects you need help with and find a plausible solution. Hiring help for even one thing will mean so much to you and bring you closer to your balance. Sometimes, there are even friends or family members who have extra time on their hands and are willing to help you out.
Create a routine
Creating working and efficient routines is half of the job done. When you have a routine, you don’t need to think about the things – you already know in what order you do them to be the most efficient. Routines can consist of a few steps only, but they can also be very elaborate. To make routines practical and functional, you need to do things in practice and see what works and what not so you can make adequate changes. Having a functional and impeccable morning routine with your kids is crucial, so make sure you develop it. The key to success is that everybody knows what they need to do and that you do whatever you can do the evening before.
Take a break from technology
As we all spend too much time using technology during our day, sometimes we just need a break. Most of us use technology for work, but we also use it for fun and entertainment or simply scroll social media aimlessly, which is the worst for our psyche. So, create some time to do something that doesn’t involve using technology and take a digital detox – it will benefit your mindset.
Understand that health is a priority
Whatever we do, we must understand that health is a priority, and we mustn’t do anything to harm it. The number one reason that affects our health negatively is stress, which comes from the inability to cope with all the work and family obligations.
Be smart and start creating this work and family life balance as soon as possible – you will feel much more fulfilled both at work and at home.
