As a working mother, I know how chaotic juggling between work and kids can be. I’ve always been the kind of daughter/wife/mother who wants every corner of the house to be spick and span – a quality that had me super stressed a while ago. Every morning, I’d get my kids ready to school, cook breakfast and lunch for all of us, and clean up the house before I left to school myself. I’d wake up at 5 every morning because the thought of not doing all of this right and coming home to a messy house in the evening would give me sleepless nights.
As you can tell, this plan did not work well for me and even with my husband’s help with all these chores, I would be half exhausted when I’d reach school and completely exhausted when I’d get back home. After some introspection, I decided to let go of some things. Now, I can walk into a clean, but not my-kinda-clean, room and still be okay with it. So, I have more time and energy left to spend quality time with my children.
Prioritise
That brings us to tip number 1 – Prioritise. In my case, it was the OCD-level cleaning but it could be something else for you. If there are things that can be taken care of later, push it for later. Focus on things that need your attention right now. Assess how much time you spend on each task and see if you can spend less time or eliminate it altogether.
Declutter
The one thing that all of us waste time on is looking for lost stuff. Declutter your home and get things organised. Put away stuff you don’t need. I had trouble throwing away old clothes. After watching Marie Kondo’s show, I put away everything “that does not spark joy”. Believe it or not, it works like magic. Hold each piece of item in your house and think whether it sparks joy or not, you’ll know what to do next.
Cut down on screen time
Social media has slowly and conveniently made its way into our everyday lives. The first thing we do when we wake up is to look at our phones, but I suggest you don’t. My day goes so much better when I don’t spend my mornings watching everything from dog videos to spiritual guidance videos. Limit using your phone to about an hour or two a day. I downloaded an app (oh, the irony!) to watch my screen time so that I don’t spend more than 2 hours a day on the phone. Instead, I play a game or two with my kids in the evening.
Multi-task
As a parent it’s important to learn how to multitask. You cannot get stuff done, especially in the mornings, if you’re not doing 2 or 3 tasks at once. I’ve been pretty good at multitasking but my husband – not so much. He did learn over time though. Now, he can tie my son’s tie with one hand while making pancakes in the other. Kidding. That’s impossible. All I’m saying is that you don’t have to worry about not being able to multitask. You will learn over time.
Breathe
The whole parenting thing can get exhausting sometimes. I love my kids but some days I get too anxious thinking if I can get everything done so it is important to take some time out and do something for yourself. I started guided meditation a while ago and it has made me so much calmer. I plan my day out in advance and work as per my plan – focussing on only what is needed at the moment. Anything that takes more time gets pushed to the weekends.
That’s pretty much how I learnt and have been juggling between work and taking care of the kids.
Let me know how you’ve managed juggling between work and kids.
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