Experiencing a balance crisis in your life? Feel as if you are spreading yourself too thin across multiple tasks you have to achieve? We’ve all been there and know that the two major competing forces in our lives are usually that between our work life and home life. We’ve teamed up with our mums and dads here at Think Productive to provide YOU with the ability to strike the balance between family and work.
And what better day to do this than on National Working Parents Day!
Splitting Time
Know ruthlessly which mode you are in (whether that is work or family mode) and create a clear divide between the two. Do not let one invade the other during those times. On the other hand, others have found that having more flexible working hours, such as working from home, provides family time in between set intervals. That doesn’t mean letting family life distract you from your work or the other way around, but take breaks in between your work as you are supposed to, in order to boost productivity, and allow your family time to clear your mind. Once your break is over, be strict with getting back into the right mode – both ways.
Things to Avoid
Lying to yourself that you can do everything is not okay. It puts you in a vulnerable position, which may result in an overload and mental breakdown from the two different lives you lead. In addition, perfectionism is another form of procrastination, and a killer of productivity. Trying to be perfect at work and at home, by overdoing everything, can lead to you losing sight of what really matters. Do your best, and know that it will never be perfect, and that ‘good enough’ is okay. You are a human, not a superhero. Also, not being fully present in the moment, and allowing for it to slip away whilst you are indulging in cheating yourself out of family/work time, is not okay. And allow weekends to be mutually exclusive with family time!
Synergy
Try and integrate a form of ‘daily huddles’ into your family life, so that you can check what you have to do during the week, both at home and at work. This avoids any clashes between the two, and keeps both you and your partner informed about your whereabouts. Also, try and be creative with time, where ‘killing two birds with one stone’ really can be applied to family and work, without necessarily invading on one another’s time. Example: ordering online grocery at work, during your break. Obviously you can do better than this, but you get the idea.
Other People
Utilize the people around you for different situations, and appreciate their presence in your life. With your colleagues, let them know that you are a working parent and need space to be both a worker, but also a parent, and that you cannot be just one. Furthermore, learn to say ‘no’ to certain tasks that may be a threat to your work-life rhythm. If it’s not necessary right at that moment, and can wait, then don’t do it. Remember the important things in life.
Ultimate Productivity Ninja Tips
Lastly, here are some top tips to remember:
“Know that family, health, relaxation and fun are MORE important than work. Neglecting your family (or yourself) is much harder to fix than neglecting your job.” – Lee Cottier
“Be clear what success looks like for you, particularly with home life.” – Graham Allcott
“There is life at work and life outside of work. Don’t forget to live it.” – Grace Marshall
“Be strict about boundaries. Take your work email of your phone when you are on leave/ don’t take it with you if it’s a work phone.” – Hayley Watts
By Rosie To