If you’re a working mom, you know the guilt of missing a family event or not having enough time for your kids. You’re constantly juggling work, childcare, and family duties with little time for yourself. We’ve got two lists of strategies to help you make it all work.
The first list is a list of things that working mothers do. This list includes things like getting child care, doing homework, relaxing, and staying fit. Those are all the things that working mothers do to juggle their work and family duties. Next, you’ll have a list of things working mothers don’t do. This is the list of things that other people could do.
How Do You, Working Moms, Juggle Everything?
Working Moms
Living and working as a “working mom” is not easy. It’s a juggling act that demands many of your skills and time. It is challenging to find the time to complete everything that needs to be done, much less make time for oneself. How can you balance work, home, and family? Here are a few strategies:
1. Things Working Moms Do
Work is stressful, but it doesn’t mean you can’t make it fun! Always think about your family when you’re making career decisions. Schedule time to spend with your kids, especially if you work many hours. This is the one time you can truly be present for them. Learn how to say no. You don’t want to spread yourself too thin! It’s OK to say “no thank you” or “I can’t.” That way, you’ll have time for the people and activities that need your attention most.
Do what works best for you and your family. If you need to work at night or your children attend a different school system, then so be it. Plan ahead. Make lists of things that need to get done and prioritize them. This helps you manage your time better and keep your focus on important things like family and friends.
2. Things Working Moms Don’t Do
Don’t feel guilty about missing family events if you have to work late. The family understands that you are working hard, too! Don’t feel like you have to do everything yourself. If you don’t have the time to do something, ask someone else to help. It’s OK to ask for help!
Don’t be afraid of delegating your work to other people. Getting other people involved will help you get ahead and look good. Forcing yourself to do anything that you can’t or won’t do is not good for your job or for you! Work is hard on your body and mind. If sharing the load with another person makes it better, then, by all means, do so.
3. Relax and Do What You Enjoy
Spend time doing what relaxes you and makes you feel better about yourself. Exercise, puzzles, learning a new skill, or volunteering at your child’s school are great ways to unwind. The more you let go of the stress of being a working mom, the better chance you’ll have to take care of your family too! Think of the positives: at least one family member has a job.
How Can A Stay-at-Home Mom Be More Productive?
Stay-at-Home Mom Be More Productive
A stay-at-home mom has a lot of pressure on her shoulders. She needs to be a mom, a maid, a cook, a nurse, and work at home. What else does a mother do? Some mothers run the household for the family and are also the ones that take care of the finances. The responsibilities can be daunting for just about anyone in this position, and they are always looking for ways to improve it – especially if it’s not your vocation or lifestyle choice.
Plan ahead
Maintain a job diary – keeps track of all the jobs that need to be done to keep everything organized. Keep a checklist for all the jobs that need to get done by everyone in the house. Make sure you know exactly what needs to be done, or you might waste time. Divide up tasks according to your children’s age and learning capabilities and ensure they are being utilized. Keep other chores like laundry, refilling detergent, taking out the trash, etc.
Wake up before your kids do
The best way to manage your time is to get up early. You can check on your kids when they wake up, and then you can make breakfast or pack lunches for everyone. You may even have time to prepare a quick snack before they go to school. This will help you save a lot of time during the day when you run errands and stuff.
Stick to a routine
Set up a daily schedule and stick with it as much as possible. It’s best to go from one job to another instead of jumping from one thing to another. You will be able to finish many more tasks in a day if you keep going without stopping for anything.
Delegate jobs
You should convince your kids that they can do certain jobs around the house without your supervision or help. This will teach them how important their job is, and seeing them do it will relieve you from the burden of doing everything by yourself.
Ask for help
Be brave to ask for help. Some people would love to lend a hand – especially with the cleaner. So don’t be afraid to delegate tasks that are not your responsibility.
Spend time with your family
Be on the same page as your husband regarding dividing responsibilities at home. Communicate everything that you need and how best you can manage things easier.
Delegate tasks
A working mom should delegate tasks to herself and then delegate them further to others, dependent on the individual’s capability, if possible. For example, a younger child can be delegated to watering the plants, but a teenager might have better things to do.
Advice on Increasing Moms’ Productivity
Time management is a crucial part of parenting. Don’t let your family and home life suffer for lack of attention. Set yourself up to succeed with these tips.
1. Take It One Day at a Time
Life is too short to spend every waking minute trying to achieve success. Remember, you don’t have to accomplish everything all at once but rather take baby steps towards your goals and priorities daily. Do that enough, and you will achieve success more rapidly than if you were taking on more ambitious goals at once.
2. Learn to Say No
Remember that you don’t have to say yes to everything. You will never know what you won’t be able to do, and saying yes to that extra task only adds to your stress and workload. As long as you are honest with yourself about how the tasks can be accomplished, it’s best for your health and sanity not to say no!
3. Live in the Now
Focus on what you are doing right now and do it well. Don’t try to accomplish everything that you have lying around but rather pick one or two things and work on them. If you learn to stop all of your tasks not long after they are completed, then the next time, you can pick a more manageable task for yourself. This is called ‘flow’ – a state of being characterized by tunneling vision and complete concentration. It’s a state of being that can be achieved by being fully immersed in the task.
4. Keep Your Focus on What You Are Trying to Accomplish
It is important to focus on what you are working on right now. Don’t look too far down the road. Otherwise, you risk getting distracted and forgetting what you were going to do in the first place. Remember, as a parent, you are your family’s priority and should never lose sight of that.
5. Don’t Beat Yourself Up if You Can’t Get Everything Done
If you get distracted from what you were working on, don’t beat yourself up about it. It’s difficult to stay focused when doing several jobs at once, and finding time for yourself, and your family is also very important. You just have to learn from the experience and try to stay on track the next time around.
FAQs
What is time management for a full-time working mother?
The answer to this question lies within the question itself. A working mother has to manage her time. Managing your time is not just essential; it’s critical if you want to keep your job and family happy. You’ll need to manage both at work and home unless you have an assistant or other people that can do your work for you.
I can’t find a balance between my work and family time. What do I do?
You may have to change up your lifestyle and priorities. This is not the time to try to balance a work schedule with family and home life. Suppose you’ve already got a demanding job and you’re finding it difficult to keep up with everything at home. In that case, you should consider looking for another job that would allow you more flexibility. Saying no to family and friends is not an option if you want to keep your job and family happy.
How can I improve the way I use my time?
You can always work on improving your time management skills by reading the books on time management, using the tools available online, and attending workshops. Time management has more to do with learning how to better manage yourself instead of just trying one new trick or tool after another. If you are having problems with time management, you must learn to work with your limits instead of trying to stretch them.
How do I ensure my kids keep up with their homework?
Try setting up a homework folder for your children where you can write down all the work that needs to be done. This way, they will know what needs to be done and when it needs to be done. You can set a specific day and time where homework will be done. If school is done by 3 p.m., then homework should be done by 4 p.m. This gives the kids enough time to relax and not have too much homework – but if you have an earlier bedtime for them, the homework time must come first before everything else.
How can I manage my time effectively?
Breaking down the main tasks into smaller chunks of time, planning your day accordingly, and not putting off any task are great things to try. You can even hire a personal assistant or delegate some jobs you normally do around the house to your kids. All of this will help you get more done in a shorter amount of time.
