Balancing your family and your work is one of the most difficult parts of being an adult. It doesn’t matter whether you are a man or a woman. Right at the start, we’ll say that there is not a magic formula that is going to work well for everyone. Everyone’s family and career is different. What we can do though is provide you with some useful tips that you might be able to use to make balancing the different aspects of your life a bit easier.
Best ways to keep your work and family life in order:
Good luck.
Best ways to keep your work and family life in order:
- Boundaries Are Essential. You should set up boundaries that separate your work and your family, and you should adhere to them. When you are at work, make sure that your family understands that you can only help them deal with emergencies. The fact that little Jenny pulled Ricky’s hair, or that Gina is spending too much time in the bathroom aren’t emergencies. Those are things that can be handled at home. However, you have to have boundaries for your workplace as well. You can’t keep skipping your kid’s recitals or your wife’s company functions just because your company can’t get their act together without you. Set those boundaries so you have time for both your career and your family. This is the most important step in the balancing act.
- Organize. You should also rethink the way that you are doing things at work and at home, and come up with a better organizational system. Find ways to make taking care of everything at home easier, such as a schedule for who has to pick up the kids or take them to practice. You might even want to talk with other family members who can help on those days when you and your spouse are unable to get away from work.
- Spend Time With the Kids and the Spouse. Often, when people talk about balancing work and family, they only think about spending time with the kids. While it’s certainly true that the kids need plenty of attention and care, you have to remember that your spouse does as well. Make sure that you are including your spouse in the quality time you are carving out for the family. In fact, sometimes, it might be nice to spend some time with just your spouse. Hire a sitter, and go out for a date.
- Don’t Forget You. Yes, you need to balance your family and your work, but that doesn’t mean you should neglect creating some time for yourself. You have to be good to yourself too, and that means you need to have some downtime where you can relax and recharge. This will benefit you and reinvigorate you.
Good luck.
