If you’re a working mom, you know first-hand that finding free time to engage in your favorite hobby, get some much-needed rest, or simply take a moment to reflect on the day’s events can be a challenge. However, it’s important that you establish as much balance as possible in your life. If you’re too stressed and tired to do your job, your performance at work can be affected. If you’re too exhausted to spend enough quality time with your children, you’ll likely develop a huge case of “mom guilt,” which will affect your work performance.
Luckily, there are some practical and efficient tips that you can incorporate into your day to make it easier to relax.
Create a Schedule
These days, our schedules are unconventional. More people are working from home, and children attending school virtually. This means it may be easier to get distracted when your office is at home and the kids are in the house all day since it may not be safe for them to attend school in a traditional classroom yet.
Creating a Schedule even though you’re in the house most of the day will help add more structure to the day. Let your kids know that there are designated times for class instruction, meals, and playtime. You can also inform them that you’re taking a block of time out of the day to read your favorite book or women empowerment blog, watch a movie, or meditate. When everyone in the house knows that you prioritize taking time for yourself, they may be inclined to respect your time as well. You may also be setting an example by letting your children know that it’s healthy and normal to engage in quiet time every day. If your children are particularly demanding, you may want to give them an activity to engage in, like a board game, video game, or movie before you take your “break.”
Assign Chores
As a mom, you likely know how time-consuming it is to complete daily household chores while sticking to your work schedule, helping the kids with homework, and getting dinner on the table. You can make more time for yourself by dividing the chores up among your children. Older children can handle tasks like washing the dishes and dusting the furniture. Chores for younger kids can include putting toys away or helping to set the table. You can even create a chore chart to keep up with which child is responsible for each activity and offer a prize to the child who completes his/her chores efficiently throughout the week. When you have less housework to do, you can take at least a few minutes in the day to finish professional projects or get a quick workout in.
Automate Your Errands
If your children are too young to help with chores or your family members have hectic schedules that make housework more of a challenge. You can purchase a robot vacuum cleaner to get rid of minor spills while you’re on the phone or feeding your little one. You can also schedule pickup and delivery times online so you won’t have to worry about taking your children into the post office. If it’s difficult to find time to prepare dinner, you can sign up for a meal or grocery delivery service. Many of these services only require you to warm up the ingredients and put them on the table.
Communicate with Your Supervisor
As a working mother, you want to make sure you’re a great employee while still being an attentive and loving mother. A great supervisor or manager understands that. It’s essential that you speak with your supervisor often to let him/her when you need time off to take your child to a doctor’s appointment or extracurricular activity. A good boss also understands when you need a personal day to recharge after a big project or tend to your children as they adjust to a very unusual school year. The more you communicate with your manager, the better. Your supervisor needs to be aware of what you need to achieve work/life balance so you can achieve success in both of these areas of your life.
It’s also a good idea to speak with your kids, significant other, close friends, and family members about how much time you need for relaxation or self-care. It’s important to open up to those who love you the most so you can get the assistance you need in your professional and personal life without feeling too overwhelmed.
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