ARE YOU WORKING PARENTS ?
12 working parent tips
Follow these tips so you can be a working parent who balances your obligations well and still commits to both work and home:
1. Create a schedule
As a working parent, you likely have a lot of responsibilities both at work and at home. It can be helpful to create a schedule for yourself so you can separate work from home and give the time and focus you need to each. With a schedule, you'll be able to show your family when you're available and keep yourself on track to both succeed at work and have quality family time.
If you work from home with young children, write out a schedule for them, too. This can help them have their own plan for the day so you can focus on work when needed. They'll be able to see when it's playtime, lunchtime or time to clean up, and you can refer back to it during interruptions, setting them back on course.
2. Re-evaluate your expectations
As a working parent, you may have high expectations for work and home life. It's a good idea to check in on your expectations and re-evaluate if you find they are not realistic or causing you and your family undue stress. Balancing it all isn't always easy, but if you adjust your expectations, you may find it less stressful to work through your tasks and have a great home life because you're better able to meet your expectations.
3. Speak honestly with your kids
It may be hard to have to leave the kids to go to the office and tell them you're unavailable for them because you have to work, but with an honest conversation, you can help them manage their expectations too. It may help to talk to your kids about what you do for a living, how you impact people or processes and why you like your job.
Children need to understand that you must complete work obligations, but you can still spend quality time with them when you're done working. Consider giving them their own jobs so they can model after you and feel like a valuable member of the family.
4. Create a work-life balance
It's important to have a good work-life balance so you don't accidentally overwork and miss out on quality family time. Explore ways to achieve this, including having a dedicated stop time to your days, establishing normal working hours and speaking with your manager about their expectations for work beyond your set schedule. If they expect you to answer work calls or work after hours on a project, consider asking if there is a way to adjust another part of your week so you don't have to compromise family time.
5. Feel empowered
Instead of allowing yourself to feel guilty about stretching yourself between work and your family, feel empowered to do well at home and with your family. Empowerment is important so you can show your children the value of hard work, that balancing is possible and that you're committed to no longer feeling overwhelmed. Eliminate guilt by knowing that when you're at home, you're giving it your all, and when you're at work, you're doing the same.
6. Set boundaries
As a working parent, you must set boundaries for both yourself and your children. Setting boundaries will allow you to dedicate the time you need to work and home. You can set boundaries by speaking with your family about your needs, making your kids take on their own responsibilities, creating a schedule for everyone and knowing when you need to cut off either work or family time to attend to the other.
Boundaries can mean that when you're with your children, you put technology away and do not allow yourself to work. While at work, don't allow yourself to get distracted with home responsibilities until you're at a good stopping point. Another way to set boundaries is by saying no. While you may want to do everything possible with your kids and their school, it's okay to say no to things like chaperoning field trips. You may want to be there for your kids, but if you say yes to everything, you may not have the time for important work tasks.
While it may be a little more difficult to say no to a manager who is requesting that you take on an extra work project, you may be able to suggest another coworker or an alternative method for completing the project if you are at your capacity.
7. Set up a dedicated workspace at home
If you are a parent who works from home full time or will complete some projects after hours, consider setting up a dedicated workspace at home. This can be in the spare room, office or even a corner of your bedroom. With a dedicated workspace, you're able to transition into a work mindset and set yourself up for success for whatever you're working on. You can set boundaries by letting your family know when you need some time to work and how important it is to not interrupt.
A workspace will also provide you with a quiet space to think and focus on your work. Then, when you're done with work, you can leave it behind at the workspace and spend dedicated time with your family.
8. Expand your circle of friends
Being a working parent is a lot of work and balance that only other working parents can relate to and understand. While you may have a lot of friends, consider finding other parents who are in a similar situation of trying to dedicate time to work and home. It's important to be able to speak to others who can provide support and acknowledge the hard work of working parents. This support and relevant conversations can uplift you and remind you that you're doing an outstanding job committing to your work and your family.
9. Develop shortcuts
If there is an easier or quicker way to get to an end goal, try to take full advantage. Think about ways to make packed lunch easier like buying pre-packaged snack items, cooking in bulk so all you have to do is pack up some leftovers and using fruit that you don't have to cut up. Think about other ways to develop shortcuts around your home, too, like hiring a cleaning crew to attend to your home every two weeks, having a dedicated day or two of takeout for dinner and creating a chore chart so family members can help.
You can also develop shortcuts at the office without compromising the quality of your work. Consider looking at project management tools that integrate with your calendar and task list. See if there are any keyboard shortcuts you can learn to make you type quicker or complete a task for you, like printing your document or saving your file. If you're in charge of a project, think about ways you can avoid long meetings. Short standing meetings can focus on something specific that the team should discuss but kept brief.
10. Practice self-care
A big part of being a working parent is taking the time for yourself. It's important to be able to step away from both work and home at the same time and do something that you enjoy. Try reading a book, spending time on a nighttime skincare routine, meditating, going for a walk, catching up with a friend over dinner or taking an exercise class. Have fun and relax.
Part of self-care also means getting adequate sleep, eating foods that your body needs and drinking plenty of water. Self-care is important because it gives you the freedom to step away from your responsibilities for a moment and come back to them later with more energy and focus than before. Self-care also shows your children that you've worked hard to provide for them and to meet goals at work, and it's okay to reward yourself.
11. Set realistic goals
Having realistic goals goes along with reevaluating expectations. Realistic goals at work help you get your work done on time and keep you productive and motivated in the workplace. Goals at home can keep everyone on track and working towards something that's for the greater good of the family, like cleaning the house on the weekend. Goals are important because they are great motivators.[
12. Prepare the night before
The morning can be one of the busiest parts of the day for a working parent because they often have to get both themselves ready for work and get their kids fed, dressed and packed up for what their day has in store, whether that's school or daycare. However, if you can plan for your morning the night before, you may spend that time connecting with your family and starting your day more leisurely than stressed.
To prepare for the morning, set out clothing, batch cook breakfasts, make sure the kids have their school bags packed by the front door and identify any other opportunities to make the mornings less hecti
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