Keeping a healthy balance between work and family life, especially as we transition from the school year into summer, can be a little tough. Let’s be honest! With the kids around more often, sometimes we want to pull our hair out as we try to keep them entertained and work at the same time. I think this is a period of adjustment for all of us—the kids go from a rigid school schedule to a much more relaxed schedule, so this is a challenging transition for sure.
There’s no one formula to follow to keep your life on track at such a busy time, but there are creative solutions that you can develop in order to keep the balance. You can balance the responsibilities and joys of your many roles by applying some of the same skills and strategies you use at work. Some of these include planning, organizing, communicating, setting limits and delegating.
Being a work-from-home boss and having two little kids and a husband to think about may seem like a lot, but I strive to find a healthy balance between work and family life. That healthy balance does not always happen, but I give it my best shot every single day. Here’s what has helped me stay sane:
Plan family time every week
Put it on your calendar. Sounds kinda crazy, right? But believe me, it’ll force you to carve out time in your work schedule to spend time with your loved ones. Stop saying you have to get one more thing done before you can do something together.
Plan a day at the beach, pool, park, hike, brunch, or maybe a mini getaway where everyone can have a blast being together. Did someone say summer family vacation? We have one planned later this summer, and we all can’t wait. It’s on the calendar. 🙂
Don’t feel guilty
Making yourself feel guilty will only make things worse. Don’t dwell on the past, it’s just a waste of emotional energy. If something came up and you just had to work instead of watch a movie with your kids that one night, don’t let it get to you. You can always make it up the next day! Remember, we are not perfect, we are just doing the best we can.
Create time for yourself
Of course, you make time for your children, husband and a family as a whole. But don’t forget to create time for yourself. Go for a mani/pedi, get in a workout with a girlfriend, read a book, whatever it is, making time for yourself will release stress. This ultimately will help your relationship with your family—less stress, less tension! If your husband or a friend can’t watch the kids, see if your little one(s) can spend time at their friend’s house, or hire a babysitter. This is when delegating can be a critical. I am all for hiring some help when it’s needed, whether it is a housekeeper or a babysitter. You’ll never regret this piece of advice!
Be flexible
Don’t be too hard on yourself when thing’s don’t get done, and know that plans can change in a snap. A healthy balance is to forgive yourself, take responsibility for what needs to get done, and not get too comfortable. Why? Because something planned may change again, just like that! So getting comfortable with one task that may have to change the next day will leave you frustrated. We’re trying to be zen, right? No frustrations here!
Create harmony
Create harmony in your life as you balance your family, life and work in a healthy way. There’s no magic formula to this balance so the decision is yours on how you want to combine it all into one. Let’s strive for progress, not perfection. xoxo
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