8 work-life balance tips for moms

work-life balance

 

More days than not, you end our day feeling like you are falling apart, that you just can’t catch up right?

You are not alone momma!  I get it, you are rushing in the morning to get out the door forgetting to even feed yourself just so your child won’t get a tardy.  On your commute to work all your  mind focuses on are those chores that NEVER end.  The cooking, cleaning, laundry and the kids activities and homework.  Instead of thinking about what you have to do next, you are thinking about all the crap you have to do after the kids go to bed.

You get home, do your thing with the kids only to start doing the other chores in the house and the routine continues day to day.

You get this feeling inside you and sometimes you get the courage to say it out loud:

“This is really my life now.”

I recently went through this phase in my life and I get it but I refused to ask myself that anymore because I needed to take control of my life.  I can’t keep living in this constant life of being nonstop and stressing about chores and laundry.  It’s not fair to me or fair to my family.

I feel like I can breathe and enjoy myself now.  Here is what I did for my work-life balance.

When it’s time to be at work, give it your all

Many times our minds are on the things we need to do when we get home and that takes away from our work.  Give your 100% for the hours you are there then when it’s time to leave shut it down.  This isn’t always easy as I know some jobs are more demanding than others.  I often find myself working at 10pm to catch up.  It’s a transition to try and leave it at work as much as possible, don’t try and do the impossible and never work outside your hours.  That is going to cause more anxiety on yourself.  If possible at least try to not check work emails when it’s your family time.

Be efficient in all your tasks

I can’t stress this enough!  For the OCD moms, you gotta let go a little or else you will never catch up.  This is coming from a major OCD mom! Some things you can do:

  • Meal Planning is a MUST.  I promise you going to the grocery store one day a week and already knowing what the plan is for dinner will save time.  Be smart, if you have activities until late or you are coming home late, don’t try and put a 3 course meal on the table.  So not worth it.
  • Meal Prep is also a MUST.  Prepare healthy meals on Sundays and guess what, you already cut out time during your week.  Yeah it takes your Sunday up for a few hours, but when the crazy routine begins, life will be easier.  Invest in an instapot!
  • 7 ways to be efficient parents – Notice I said parents!  Don’t try to do this on your own….do it together.
  • 9 tips to be an efficient mom – Yes I did say parents but reality is, sometimes you are on your own or your husband is travelling and you have no help, so follow these tips to keep it together 😉
  • Be smart about how you start your morning routine – The more you prepare for earlier, the easier your week will be.

Use chores to involve your kids

This is something new to me and it has been working really well.  Instead of “I can’t play with you I need to make dinner,” I know say “I gotta get dinner ready but do you boys wanna help me cook?”  They love it.  Yeah it takes longer than it would if I did it myself but it’s time together and it’s actually an activity that teaches them responsibility.

Discuss flexible schedules with your employer

Don’t be afraid to bring this up.  Take a look at your daily routine and see where either cutting a few hours or having every other Friday off would help.  Possibly asking to work from home a few days a week.  That requires your employer to have a lot of trust in you but if it’s something you think you can handle then don’t be afraid to ask.    Maybe think about your hours and see if you could start earlier to get home earlier.  There are so many options out there and if it’s really affecting your life, ASK.  The more flexibility you have, the more effort you can put into your work when you are working.

Hire Help

If you have the financial means to do so, DO IT!  I recently hired help for my day to day tasks.  It’s just a few hours a week to help get stuff done that I normally would be doing either on my weekends or after the kids go to bed which is supposed to be de-stress time.  Even if it’s 5 hours a week, it helps.

Think about your job and make a change if you need to

You should love what you do, I can’t stress that enough.  The people you work with make such a difference as you are spending so much of your time with them.  You should not feel negative or let down.  I am so fortunate both my job and my coworkers are like family to me.  Yes there will be times you get frustrated and annoyed of your job, but in general, do something you have a passion for because that relieves stress which in turn will better your health.  Contact your fellow mom friends and see what they do.

Both parents need to communicate

I can speak with a lot of experience here.  Being a Type A mom, I wanted to do it all and the way I wanted it done.  I expected my husband to do it my way and do it when I needed it done.  It makes me sound pretty crappy I know, but you get stuck in your ways and when you have kids, it’s a whole new ball game.  Communicate with your significant other on how he/she can help and take their suggestions.  My husband has really taught me to let go a little and it has down wonders for my day to day stress.  In turn I have taught him the importance of the things that need to get done everyday. Communicate, comprise and talk calmly.

Accept that you need to make a change

This was the ABSOLUTE hardest part for me.  I thought I could do it all and I didn’t need help.  I sure got a rude awakening!  I can’t and neither can or should you.  Accept the fact that certain things just won’t get done and you won’t be able to put a healthy meal on the table every night.  Accept the fact that some days at work you may be tired as hell and not be as productive but you have the chance to get up and do better the next day.  Accept the fact you won’t make it to your kid’s school for every event, but you will make time to make it to some.   Accept that you are a career mom and respect yourself for that, don’t feel guilty!

Make a change for YOURSELF and then work-life balance will fall into place.

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