Work life balance tips for working Moms – Gone are the days when women used to depend on men and limiting their potential to the cooking and chores of the home. In today’s eon, women are independent, self-aware, and most importantly, career-oriented. From the days when women didn’t have the right to vote till now when women earn their bread and butter for a living, a lot has changed.
But still, patriarchy is alive, and women are supposed to bridge between making a career for themselves and managing their families. Undoubtedly working moms are masters at multitasking. However, between setting up play dates, changing diapers, and juggling their work calls, career women do struggle to live up to their unrealistic expectations for being a work-life balance mom.
Especially moms who are ready to welcome their little bundle of joy have to constantly go through a flick of elation turned into concern. The fear of raising a child while climbing the corporate ladder can be massive. And if your job involves constant traveling, then the fear becomes a nightmare that you can see with your eyes wide open.
Fortunately, the good news here is it is possible to pursue a full-time career while playing an active role as a mother. Here are some tips for working moms with babies that can make juggling the two sides a little easier.
Make Your Days As Easy As Possible With A Synchronized Schedule
The first rule of being a working mother is planning ahead of time. Working mothers have to take the mental load and responsibilities that seem like a Goliath to any normal being.
As a working mother, you will be in charge of bringing pot luck dishes, taking your kid to the doctor, remembering birthdays, knowing what is in the pantry and the fridge, thinking every day about what to cook, planning the pre-school and college for your child since the day it’s born, just to name a few.
Yes, the long-term goals can seem scary, but you can get a good grip over the short-term goals like cooking, cleaning, appointments, or birthdays by using planners, apps, calendars, and other stuff to keep track of all your work. The sticky notes on the fridge can be an example, or a full-fledged excel sheet can also work. The choice is yours!
Divide And Conquer
Being a mother isn’t easy. As they say, it takes a village to raise a child, so never take everything on your delicate shoulders while balancing work and motherhood all on your own. Rather try to seek all the help that you can get. Divide your responsibilities with your spouse, and try to get help from cooks, maids, family members, friends, babysitters, and everyone.
Yes, spending time with your kid is crucial, and you will spend time with your bundle of joy, but always get help when you feel like the mountain of work is piling and the glacier of chores is melting over your head.
Stay Positive
Never let negative thoughts run the show for you. Some days will be tough. You will feel like giving up on both your work as well as your kid. People will judge you through the windows of unrealistic beauty standards and shame you about your post-pregnancy body. Some will discourage you by saying that you can never make a name for yourself while raising your baby.
But remember that they say so because they are afraid of you. Stay positive even if a hurricane of negative thoughts comes gushing like a tsunami for you. Because at the end the sunshine of happiness will be waiting for you and you will see the colors of your hard work will be as pretty as a rainbow.
Free Yourself From The Mom Guilt
Working mothers are often labeled as selfish and are judged as abandoning when they decide to work full time. The typical stereotypes expect women to take care of the family while fathers are expected to provide. However, the times have changed, and the sexist taboos don’t work anymore.
So focus on the brighter side. You are an empowered woman who is doing her level best that can be done. Never let society describe your worth. Do what’s right for you as well as your family because, at the end of the day, no one is going to put food on your plate. Katie Lemons, a parenting expert also advocating same in her blog.
Childcare Providers Can Save The Day
Hiring trusted childcare providers is crucial for having peace of mind when you are at work. Find a nanny, a day-care provider, or someone with whom you can trust your child. Ensure that the daycare should have flexible hours with a clean, spacious environment and if you are going for a nanny, hire someone on a trial basis.
Don’t Waste Time On Distractions
You might love watching Riverdale, reality shows, or any of your favorite sitcoms, but time is so much precious for all this stuff when you are a working mom. Even socializing has its bounds. The long lunch breaks and scrolling through social media news feed need to be limited. Yes, these are distractions, and you must appreciate the value of time because it flies away when you are a parent.
Fun Family Activities Can Be Your Stress Buster
The time that you spend with your family is priceless. Make every minute count by planning exciting activities or trips. Have small picnics or barbecue sessions in your backyard, have an indoor family game night, do movie marathons at your home or plan a trip to a nearby place.
You can also go for a stroll at nearby parks to have those interesting conversations. Ask your kids about their interests and let them be involved in deciding where to go to. This will help you bond better, and your little ones will feel like they are a significant part of your family.
Order Online Whenever You Need To
There is no harm in cutting down all those time-taking supermarket trips or those cooking sessions that take your worthy hours. You can always order online to get the most done in the least amount of time. Working mothers have to cook separate meals sometimes, which can take hours probably.
But instead, you can use shortcuts. For example, you can order a meal for yourself and your significant other while making food for your baby. Or you can order your groceries online or use the curb-side pick up when you are running late, or you don’t have time—order lunch at work or dinner at home. You always have options!
Connect With Other Working Moms
You don’t need to do everything on your own. You aren’t alone in the journey to motherhood and a successful career; there are millions of working moms all across the globe and in your locality who are going through the same thing as you are. Arrange meet-ups with other working moms who go through the same daily. You can also seek out our co-workers who are also working moms.
They can help you take the load offs by coordinating play dates and arranging fun mom groups to talk about your struggle and get ideas about parenting. Only a working mother can understand on a whole different level, and so you should network with these moms, share stories, laugh together, and create memories that can comfort you in your days of struggle.
Draw A Clear Line Between Your Work Hours And Family Time
NEVER intersect the time zones of your work and kids. Even attending a small Zoom meet during your family hours can be a crime. You know why? Because then the chain never ends. Eventually, your kids will start to feel abandoned, or when you bring your family chores to your work hour zone, your work will be avoided.
Do Everything In Moderation
Learn to be kind to yourself and don’t push yourself too much because you can be a good mother, an understanding partner, a helpful colleague, and a compassionate boss only when you aren’t feeling burnt out. Take out some time for yourself at the weekend. Go for a dedicated spa day or take small breaks in between your hectic mom schedules.
Every power nap that you think will be a time waster will be the key to regain your energy and freshen up your mind. Make yourself some warm concoctions like tea to drive away from the exertion of the day. Play some of your favorite tracks and relax with your baby. Even your little munchkin will enjoy his time with you when you are relaxed, so never underestimate the value of self-pampering.
Learn To Say “NO.”
The thumb rule on which working parents thrive is the art of saying NO. You cannot be a people pleaser at work and be a cow at home if you want to raise a kid. When it comes to productive parenting, time is a finite resource, and you have to use it wisely if you want to make the most out of your valuable time.
You will have a social life outside your home and office, but you have to be picky with your social calendar. Social obligations are fun when you have time to relax, but with a baby, work-life balance with family can come to a role. Say no to the parties or any volunteering work if you don’t have time.
Set manageable expectations at work, and if anything pops out exclusive of your work schedule, then try to set your priority levels right. Have a flexible work schedule, but never slip under the throne of overburdening. Say a firm NO or ask for an extension if your work time interferes with your family schedules.
Embracing The Joys And Woes of Motherhood
It’s not at all easy to make the most out of both lives. Sometimes you will feel like you can do a lot more things at work without your baby, while at other times, you would wish to give more to your baby. It can be quite intimidating to balance it all! But aren’t all mother superheroes? Every day when working moms wake up and step towards a successful career while creating a fulfilling family life, they break the stereotypes.
Being committed fully to work and family while raising kids can be as tough as anything. However, the key to making everything seamless is to focus on a plan, get orchestrated, and find the right balance between parenthood and profession. In the meantime, never forget to ignore your invaluable “me” time and take refreshing breaks in between.
Final Words
There are ingenious time hacks for working moms that can make all the difference between frustrated and frazzled. Use these time hacks to unleash your full potential as a mother and career woman. Check out these cool time-saving tips that can be a life-saver!
- For making everything easy and planned, prep the night before. Yes, you might be tired in the evenings, but you will be even more tired in the mornings, so prepare a night before to make your mornings easier.
- Outsource tasks that are too hectic to be done on your own or the ones that you don’t know how to do.
- Sneak in your errands when you can, like when your little ones are sleeping or during your lunch break.
- Cook meals that can sit on the stove for a long time so that you can do some chores or attend calls in the meantime.
- Get a low-maintenance haircut. Yes, this might sound absurd, but you can’t imagine the amount of time that you can save with this hack.
- Schedule most of your calls when you are traveling, more like when you are in a comfortable commute.
- Relax on your weekends, but also take time for some work so that you can lessen the load during the week.
- No need to deep-clean everything because simple cleaning can also work.
- Believe it or not but living in a messy space can also decrease your productivity, and when you have kids, having a messy place is a mandate, not an embarrassment. So hire organizers to organize your home once in a while when you don’t have much time in your hand.
Follow the above-mentioned how-to balance work and family tips, create moments for yourself, and treat yourself while getting the best of both worlds. Take everything one day at a time and recognize and appreciate all the great things that you have in your life.
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