Being a mom is the biggest honor that can be bestowed on a woman and is the best job in the world. Unfortunately, taking care of the family will not pay the bills nor allow you to grow in your career field of choice.
The working mother often has to sacrifice their career aspirations in favor of the family, but with these time management tips, you will not have to sacrifice anything and maintain the career you want while taking care of the family.
Delegate
An inability to delegate effectively is one of the most common time management mistakes, and it’s as applicable to mothers as it is CEOs. So when work is done and you come home, delegate the responsibilities and get the family involved in the general maintenance of the household. Even smaller children can help out with certain tasks. Try putting the kids on a schedule where they come home from school, do their homework, and then tackle some of the chores around the home. Even if everything is not done exactly to your specifications, coming in to a tidied up house will give you less of a focus on what has to be done and more focus on the family.
Utilize Teachable Moments
Time with your family is precious and even if you are tired from a long day of work, find the small teachable moments throughout the day. One of the suggestion is to get the kids involved in meal preparation. This teaches them what it takes to prepare a meal for a family and gives them experience that they will need later. It also gives you quality time without technology getting in the way. Some of the best quality memories that people have is the time they spent with their mom learning how to cook.
Get the Most from Your Lunch Break
Everyone has a lunch break at some point and this can be a great time to get errands accomplished, so you do not have to take time away from your family. Each day, make a list of the errands that can be accomplished during that small window of time and grab a healthy lunch to take with you while you get the tasks done. You will find that it is much easier to get things accomplished without the kids and you can spend much more quality time with them after work.
Let Some Things Go
It is impossible to do everything during the day. There will be times when you have to let things go or you will forget to do certain tasks. You will even have people attempt to make you feel bad about not being at the PTA meeting or attending a social engagement. If it is something that is truly important to the children, such as a dance recital or a play performance, absolutely prioritize it, but the other stuff, you can let go. Every situation is different and it is important to remember that not every mom works a full time job and has career aspirations. Learn to let it go and focus on what really matters.
Your family is the most important thing you can ever have, but it is also important to remember that after the children have left the home, you will still have your career. Getting ahead in your career will allow you to provide more for the kids, so it works best for everyone in the family when mom is focused on her career as well as the family. Juggling career and family is a challenge, but women were made to be strong and we are up to the challenge!
Written by Natalie Bracco for Working Mother and legally licensed through the Matcha publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@getmatcha.com.