How to Balance Your Parent and Work Life
Define Values
Remember, you can’t have your cake and eat it too. So, the first thing you need to do is prioritize. First, create a list of family values and career objectives. Then rank each item on the list. For some, getting home back to the kids by 7 pm might be more important than working overtime to nail the chances of getting that long-sought promotion. For others, spending a Saturday night with colleagues might be crucial rather than taking the kids to the movies. Whatever they are, try to put your priorities in black and white along with contingency plans.
Set Limits
There are times when your ambitions surge too high. In the name of professional flexibility, you end up making irreparable damages to family life. Those parent-teacher meetings, your kid’s talent show, teaching your kids gardening are some of the most important facets of family life. How much of it can you miss? Set pragmatic limits and learn to say ‘no’ to work where it begins hurting your family life.
Make up for broken rules
If an exceptional situation forces you to favor your work over your family, decide what the compensation would be for your family. If a night out has been cancelled, the compensation has to be more than what has been missed. Make rules for compensation – they might end up motivating you not to deviate from the limits set in the first place.
Feedback 360o
Those management practices you learnt are not limited to the workplace. Implement them at your home too. Listen to what those at home are thinking by applying your emotional intelligence. But, of course, you can’t rely solely on that. Invest time and effort in building the right relationship with family that makes them mention your shortcomings. Once, you do get substantial feedback it is imperative that you visibly improve as a member of the family.
Say no to Procrastination, Yes to Punctuality
Heard of super efficient women who not only have great family lives but also a thriving career with a small business side by side? How do they do that?
The secret lies not in managing their work according to time, rather managing their time according to the work they have. Organize yourself well at work. Not meeting your deadlines at work not only will burden you later on but will also make you tensed and irritable at home until the task is actually accomplished. If you still aren’t clear at this point, try recalling the old proverb, ‘A stitch in time saves nine’.
Mike is a father of 2 boys, who is trying to balance his life as a toy store owner and a parent.
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