It can be hard to find a balance between work, life and home. Especially for parents who are still working from home! It can be hard, but not impossible.
There are many different ways of trying to find the right work-life balance and the results will vary from person to person. However, there are some tried-and-true tips that may help in the search. Here are our top 6 tips for parents.
1. Set realistic goals.
Finding the right work life balance isn’t easy, so the last thing you want to do is set yourself up for failure. If you set yourself unattainable goals, you won’t achieve them and that will just make you feel worse. Be kind to yourself. Acknowledge that your work life and your home life are 2 full-time jobs, and set yourself realistic goals that you will actually be able to achieve.
2. Have a dedicated office space.
Separating your work life from your home life will help you to be far more productive when you are working. And if you’re more productive ‘at work,’ the more quality time you can spend with your family when you’re done.
Tip: Find yourself a space at home where there are fewer distractions and make this your home office.
3. Find an exercise routine that works for you.
When you’re pushed for time, it’s too easy to put off your own self-care, but this does far more damage than good. To work productively and to be at your best for your children, you need to be as happy and healthy as possible. Exercise is the key to having more energy and feeling uplifted, so prioritise this. Find a type of exercise and a time that works best for you.
4. Balance work with home by focusing on what matters most to you at the time.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you’re phone is buzzing for work and your children are screaming your name simultaneously. To find balance, focus on two things: what is urgent and what is important? If you simply have to get something urgent for work done, explain to your children that you need an hour or two so they need to sit quietly and watch a film. If you’ve done what you need to and what is most important to you is family time, then clock off early and focus solely on them.
5. Take breaks from work and parenting (and don’t feel guilty about it)
You’re only human and to keep going, you need to make time for yourself. It’s okay if you need to take a break from both work and parenting, in fact, it’s encouraged!
You don’t want to burn yourself out trying to do everything, so take breaks throughout the week for some ‘you’ time. Get your children involved and ask them for help with chores. That way, you can have a quiet bath when they are tidying up their rooms or whatever it is you like to do to relax.
Read: Age Appropriate Chores for Children to Help Them Learn Valuable Life Skills
6. Work on building flexibility into your schedule
For the perfect work life balance, your schedule needs to be flexible. Life throws curve balls and things come up unexpectedly, so be open to change and adapt quickly. This is the best thing that you can do if you want to find that sweet spot.
Find the right work life balance for you
As we said at the beginning of this article, it’s going to be hard to find the right balance. All you can do is keep trying different methods, set realistic expectations from yourself, and try not to feel guilty if something doesn’t go the way you planned. Trust us, you will find the right work life balance for you if you just stick with it.
At Schoolhouse Daycare, we enjoy learning, encouraging confidence and we love life! If you think your child would enjoy life at Schoolhouse, then please do not hesitate to arrange a visit.