25 Tips On How To Achieve Work Life Balance For Working Moms
Hey there, fabulous working mothers and parents! Whether you’re navigating the waters of maternity leave or fully immersed in the hustle of a full-time job while being a new mom, the quest for a successful career alongside being the best version of yourself at home is a journey many of us are on. Today, let’s dive into some simple ways to manage our time and forge not just a great mom identity but thrive in our personal lives too.
When you’re a mom, there are times you may not even know what work life balance means. You’re told that you should prioritize dedicating some time to yourself, but, in actuality, you may feel like a candle that’s burning on both ends. You need some tips to help you with work life balance for working moms.
First, let’s touch on how work life balance is important for your wellbeing.
–According to a survey conducted by the Mental Health Foundation, a poor work life balance may lead to, among other things:
- Feelings of anxiety, irritability, and unhappiness
- Becoming more vulnerable to the incidence of mental health problems
- Poor home life and poor relationships
- Lack of personal development
What’s interesting is that almost half the women surveyed (42%) versus just a third (29%) of the men reported feeling unhappiness due to poor work life balance, a fact which the Mental Health Foundation attributes to women feeling the pressure of “juggling” various roles in their lives.
Sounds familiar? That’s because work-life balance and mental health go hand in hand, so it’s imperative you keep track of how you feel, and how your work affects your mood.
As a mom, you are, indeed, called to take on many roles, and do so successfully. Before your responsibilities get overwhelming to the point you feel like you can’t function properly, take a step back, take a deep breath, and let’s dive into how you can achieve that elusive work life balance for working moms!
1. Embrace the Dual Identity
Being a working parent, whether you’re a stay-at-home mom transitioning back into the workforce or a full-time mother striving for career opportunities, is a badge of honor. Remember, dedicating yourself to both a professional life and family responsibilities allows your children to see you as a role model who balances personal life with a successful career.
2. Cherish Maternity Leave
For new moms, maternity leave is a crucial time to bond with your little person, but it’s also a period to strategize your return to work. Use this time not just for child care but to reflect on your own needs, especially your physical health, and how to integrate these with your work schedule in a way that respects your limited time.
3. Set Healthy Boundaries
The first step to a healthy work-life balance is establishing what your deal breakers are. This means knowing when work encroaches too much into your personal or family’s needs and vice versa. It’s about creating a schedule that allows for precious time with your young children and older kids, while still meeting professional deadlines.
4. Utilize Social Media Wisely
Social media can be a double-edged sword. It’s a great way to stay connected with your closest friends and find support systems among other working parents. However, remember to use it in a way that uplifts rather than adds pressure to be a perfect parent or professional. Follow accounts that offer practical tips and share positive things about both working and personal life.
5. Find Your Best Balance
The perfect balance is a myth, but finding the best balance for your family is achievable. This involves negotiating work hours for a more flexible work schedule or considering remote work if that’s a good fit for your family dynamics. For single moms or those doing double shifts with home responsibilities, this might mean leveraging a support system for household chores or finding child care with a low teacher-to-child ratio to ensure your little ones are in good hands.
6. Invest in Self-Care and Good Habits
Self-care is an essential habit for maintaining both your mental and physical health. Whether it’s a simple habit tracker to ensure you’re drinking enough water, finding a little bit of free time for a hobby, or setting aside time for cooking dinner with your kids, these positive actions contribute to a happy home and a sense of peace of mind.
7. Look for Flexible Career Opportunities
For those who value crafting their own schedule, becoming a freelance writer or exploring other career opportunities that allow for more autonomy can be a good thing. It lets you dictate the amount of time dedicated to work versus family, ensuring you’re present in the moment with your children.
8. Lean on Your Support System
Whether it’s your partner, family, friends, or a childcare provider, having a robust support system is crucial. They not only help share the load when it comes to family responsibilities and household chores but also provide emotional support, making you a better mom and a more fulfilled individual.
9. Celebrate the Little Victories
Remember, every day that you manage to juggle your professional and personal lives, you’re doing something incredible. Celebrate the little victories, the successful completion of specific tasks, or even just managing to have a trial day where everything goes right. These moments are what make up a good work-life balance.
10. Reflect and Adjust
Your work and family life will evolve, and so will your strategies for balancing them. What worked in previous years may need adjustment now. Regularly take stock of your personal and professional life, reassess your priorities, and make the necessary tweaks to ensure you’re living your best life, both as a parent and a professional.
11. Set Your Daily Schedule
It’s very important to start your day knowing what you have to tackle. Work commitments, house chores, things to do with the kids, grocery shopping–the list goes on. Take out your planner and jot down what’s to come from the night before, or even the previous week, if possible.
This will not only give you a sense of control, but it will also allow you to release the stress associated with feeling like you’re forgetting things you have to do, or remembering them at the very last minute!
12. Have A Lunch Break
As part of your daily schedule, you should also incorporate a proper lunch break. It’s the perfect time to step away from your desk, grab a bite, and take care of yourself for an hour or so. Your health should always be at the forefront of your mind because if you’re not taking care of it, then how can you expect to keep up with anything else?
In order to avoid burnout, it is important to take breaks. When you are feeling overwhelmed, step away from your work and take a few minutes to relax. This can be anything from taking a walk, listening to music, or reading a book.
13. Time Management
As a working mom, it’s important to have good time management skills. You’ll need to be able to balance and manage your time in order to get everything done. This includes planning out your workload for the day, finishing tasks efficiently, setting boundaries with family members who might not understand how important it is that you complete things on time.
14. To-Do List
Creating a to-do list can help you keep track of what you need to get done. It can be a physical list or an app on your phone, but it’s important that the tasks are organized in order from most essential to least necessary so you don’t end up with too many things left undone at the end of the day.
You can include your kids’ extracurricular activities here so you know what day from when to expect them home.
15. Flexible Hours
Ask your employer about a flexible work arrangement. As this would mean, you would be able to take your children to their after school activities or attend any plays or special events they have at school. Not all employers will be willing to let you work on a flexible schedule, but you never know unless you ask!
16. Organize Your Workspace
Work life balance with family is a real challenge, especially when you have to work from home due to COVID restrictions. Your “office” may be your dinner table, or you may even find yourself working from your laundry room!
Even if you have a designated office space, it may soon be littered with various used cups, crumbs, and even your kids’ toys. Make it a point to designate your workspace area and keep it neat and tidy.
This way, you’ll have everything you need on hand, while allowing you to work undisturbed by clutter, and streamline your workflow better.
17. Grocery List
Create a grocery list to help you save time and money at the supermarket. Include what each family member likes to eat with an idea of how much you will need for one meal or your weekly groceries. You could also try doing your food shopping online as this will save you the time of actually having to physically go there.
18. Be Proactive About Your Diet and Nutrition
A healthy diet is very important in maintaining your overall health and wellbeing. When you eat the right food at the right time, you’re also able to maintain your energy levels and not feel that “crash” that ensues after eating too much, or after having gone without food for a long time.
Make sure you make a meal plan and have healthy snacks on hand when hunger strikes and you’re too tired to cook. This is not only great for your health but for your budget, too!
19. Prioritize Family Time
Your kids are growing before your eyes, and, before you know it, they won’t be needing their mama as much. Sports, after-school activities and friends’ birthday parties will fill up their schedule, and there will be days where you’ll feel more like a chaperone rather than a parent.
Regardless of your children’s ages, though, you can always carve out some time in your busy schedule to sit down with them and do things you both enjoy. Same goes for activities that bring all of you together, like board games or fun outings. Plan some quality time with your family, as they are the ones you want to cherish the most.
If you make family time non-negotiable, and allot a certain time slot in your schedule for it, you’ll ease your mom guilt and make some precious memories that will last a lifetime in the process.
20. Practice Self-Care
Every mama needs a break every now and then! Whether something small like a mani-pedi, or a day where you get to stay all alone in the house and sleep in a little longer, connecting with your inner self and listening to your needs is really what they call “food for the soul”.
You’ll come out of it refreshed and recharged and able to meet the demands of everyday life better. So, don’t be afraid to give yourself the pampering it needs – and do so before you reach a breaking point!
Meanwhile, there are stressful life events that can make self-care difficult. These events can take a toll on your health and affect your work-life balance.
For instance, balancing your job and your kids and the rest of your life can be challenging. And it could even be worse if you’re dealing with some family disputes, like separation from your spouse.
In such cases, having the right team of family lawyers can take a lot of stress off your plate to enable you to focus on the future and other important areas of your life.
21. Set Realistic Goals
When it comes to your career, it is important to set realistic goals. If you are a working mom, you may not be able to achieve the same level of success as someone who does not have children. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t be successful. Set achievable goals and work towards them.
22. Learn To Delegate
One of the best ways to achieve work life balance is to learn to delegate. If you have a family, there are likely many tasks that they can help with. Delegate some of your work to your spouse or children and schedule time for yourself.
23. Don’t Be Too Hard On Yourself
As a working mom, it can be easy to fall into the trap of being too hard on yourself when you don’t meet your own expectations. If things don’t go as planned, or if you make mistakes, it’s important to remember that you’re only human and nobody is perfect. Give yourself some grace and forgive yourself for any shortcomings. There will be days when you have a sick child and you can’t make it to work, or days when you have too much on your plate. That’s okay sometimes your family life needs to come first!
24. Celebrate Your Achievements
No matter how big or small they may be, it’s important to recognize and celebrate your achievements. Whether it’s completing a project at work or picking up the kids from school without forgetting anything, congratulate yourself for getting through the day successfully! Acknowledge all the effort that went into making it happen and remind yourself that you’re doing a great job.
25. Don’t Forget Your Social Life
As a working mom, it’s easy to neglect your social life. After all, you have so many responsibilities and obligations that it can seem impossible to find time for yourself. But remember: sometimes you need to take a break from the daily grind and just reconnect with your friends, family and colleagues outside of the office. Schedule time for lunch or coffee with a friend, join an exercise class or book club, or attend networking events. This will help keep you grounded, motivated and connected in all areas of your life!
Conclusion
While maintaining a work life balance for working moms can be hard, it’s definitely possible. Remember: everyone’s situation is different, and so is their work-life balance to achieve.
Always take a moment to give yourself credit for your efforts, and appreciate what you have accomplished both for yourself and your family. Ultimately, that’s what matters: you and your loved ones’ happiness!
Let us know in the comments: do you feel like you have achieved work life balance? Which area of your life do you feel like you need to work on the most?
SEE ALSO: WORKING MOM VS. STAY AT HOME MOM: PROS & CONS
