“You will never feel truly satisfied by work until you are satisfied by life.” ~Heather Schuck
It’s time. Wake up. Prepare food. Feed kids. Clean everything. Make them ready. Eat. Groom yourself. Drop them to school. Go to the office. Work hard. Pick up your kids. Help them with their homework’s. Make dinner. Feed them. Feed Yourself. Once again clean up. Put them to bed. Sleep. Repeat it tomorrow!
It is not just about you. You can hear the same story from almost every busy working parents. With only 24 hours a day, they struggle to spend some quality time with their child and family. It resulted in most of the parent’s feeling guilty about raising a family in a right way. If you are one among them, stop there. It isn’t easy to manage both your career and family simultaneously. So, go easy with yourself. We are here to help you.
Ask these questions to yourself:
– Are you spending enough time with yourself?
– Are you able to complete the to-do-lists?
– Do you get enough sleep?
– Are your kids and family seem happy with your schedule?
– Are you satisfied or leading a happy life?
If your answer is No to at least one of the above, you need to change your day-to-day activity accordingly. Regardless of how rich or gifted you are, one must learn to balance the work and personal life smoothly. Hence follow the work-life balance mantra and stay happy with your family. We listed a few essential tips that will help every parent to manage their time wisely.
1. Prioritize Your Task
If you are here to read this blog, then you are already working towards prioritizing your task. We will help you to push yourself more into this mission. Do not rush yourself to complete all your task at once. It results in more stress than before. Hence stay calm for a while and think what your priorities should be. Take a pen and list all the things that have more importance in your life. Be it your daily chores or business meetings, list everything on the paper.
Decide which should be on the top of the list. Continue this process until you label every task with its significance. Now you know what your priorities are. Focus on the top five priorities and work towards achieving it. This method will help you be relaxed and more confident about your day-to-day decisions. Besides, staying organized makes you more dedicated, and you do not have to stress much over small things. Try this strategy and live a guilt-free parenting life.
2. Value Your Family
Though technology has brought personal and business time together, it should not be an excuse for not spending time with your family. Although one cannot wholly wall off his company or family, they should be able to balance both the life wisely. Along with your business, make family time as your priority too. Invest some time to be a part of your child’s game or school events. Keep aside your office works or meetings at least once in a while.
As in any business, you might be having some pre-defined goals or missions, similarly set a vision of how you want your parenting life to be. For example, spending at least two hours a day with the kids, taking them for a long drive or kids camp once in a week, and many more. It will give you joy as well as make a huge difference in your present life. Therefore, try to have such goals or visions in your family life.
3. Work Differently
If you have to toil too much for your business, try to follow a different strategy to ease your work load. Instead of compromising the quality of your work, act wisely and get it done in a way that suits your schedule. You may want to be a high-performer employee or a top business leader, but that does not mean you have to keep aside your family life. Try delegating or find shortcuts whenever required. You can either include a partner or hire an eligible candidate to work with you.
Also, you can train your team members on a regular basis so that they do not have to depend on you every time. By doing so, you get some free time to spend with your family. But, do not forget to keep yourself updated with the business whereabouts so that you can avoid last-minute errors. Otherwise, you may have to spend more time than required in your office. Always be cautious while implementing the changes in your work environment.
4. Enjoy the Present
Your child grows with years. Try to appreciate every moment with them, so you can cherish it once they grow old. Your business partners or co-workers may forget the time and energy you invested in the work, but not your family. Take a vacation, organize a family trip instead of traveling with the clients often. Schedule your every activity wisely. So, it does not add to your pile of stress. Make sure you have a good time with your kids and family.
Take a driver’s seat and plan how your family ride should be. Switch off your cell phone and give your kids the full attention whenever you are with them. Also, you can ask your colleagues or friends not to interrupt your day unless it is emergency. Instead of wasting time on guilt, make your journey pleasurable with the tips mentioned here. It may seem like a roller-coaster ride but don’t forget to make it enjoyable.
5. Invest Time on Yourself
One may not be able to divide the family and work life equally. But, he can remain flexible in this journey. Focusing only on work, kids and family may make you feel tired and exhausted. Hence instead of neglecting yourself, make some time for your interest and hobbies as well. Practice this strategy whenever possible and see a rise in your efficiency and productivity over time.
Get some good sleep, relax, exercise, meditate, join some club, and stay active throughout. Try to manage your limited time wisely. But, don’t expect to have time for all these activities every day. Besides, if you are unable to dedicate some time for yourself at least once or twice in a week, you should seriously consider it. You can employ someone to clean or cook for your family so that you get some free time for yourself.
6. Seek Advice
It is not necessary that everything should happen according to your plans or vision. Sometimes things may go wrong, don’t lose hope in such scenarios. Give it some time to settle and seek advice from your family members or friends. Do not hesitate to take help from others. Listening to their solution may help you in unexpected ways. Also, you can hire a personal coach to help you achieve an optimal balance in life.
Like how you organize meetings to discuss your progress and challenges in your business, keep some time to talk with your family as well. See how successful you were in managing your schedule and keeping your kids happy. Take your family’s feedback and learn from it. Hence finding a support system within your family will also help to boost your relationship with them.
7. Be Ready with Plan B
You may have a set of plans or visions on how your parenting life should be. But, the things may not work out as you expected it to be. Hence be ready with plan B instead of stressing yourself with the unmet responsibilities. You may end up coming home late because of unplanned meetings, or your child may fall sick suddenly. So, be sure you can make the other arrangements on time.
If you are a single parent, you can try babysitting or other child care centers during these crises. Also, you can have a fixed two or three contacts to pick your kid from school on time. Having these kinds of contingency plan will help you in managing both your work and family stress effectively. You may face many such problems, but do not let it stop yourself from being a successful businessman or a quality parent.
8. Lower Your Expectations
Though it is difficult to lower your standards in office or businesses, you can at least try them in your family life. Instead of organizing a trip to a faraway place on a regular basis, you can take your kid to camps, cycling or swimming once a week. Also, quality time with your children while dining does more good to your personal life. A simple, healthy meal with them is what your family needs always.
It is not necessary that everything should be perfect. There isn’t anything called as ideal parenting till date. Hence you should lower your expectation and realize it is okay not to be perfect all the time. Also, do not be ashamed to make mistakes while deciding your family goals. Learn from the errors and make corresponding changes.
Key Takeaways
Parents who are successful in following work-life balance mantra look happier than others. Why can’t you be one among them? Pick at least few tips from this write-up and make some time with your family. Focus your spare time on raising the child well. Also, make sure you commit to it for a long time. Finally, try to switch off from your work mode once you leave the office. Instead, participate enthusiastically in your family activities and have happy days ahead.
Since every working parent is different, every suggestion may not work for you. So, evaluate them and see how it will help you. Though working parenthood is a personal challenge to everyone, it is possible for every parent to have a quality life. Just like a silver bullet for your business challenges, make one for your family. Be sure not to give any space for regrets.
