Family wellness is a difficult enough task when you’re not working. You’ve got to ensure the kids are all happy (but not spoilt), stimulated (but not overly stimulated), and healthy and clean (but still allowed to be kids). Taking care of your child’s wellbeing can be a six or seven person job, so how on earth do you maintain your corporate wellness on top of that?
Time is like gold dust when you’re a working parent, and so managing it becomes of the utmost importance. Firstly, don’t fall into the trap of multitasking. You may think you can leave the office early and work from home whilst watching the kids, but two hours later your work is unfinished, and all you have to show for your time is lovely crayon drawings on the walls. Whether you need to concentrate on work or family life, pick one and switch off other distractions like smartphones, social media and emails.
Next, sort out your priorities. Some work to-do items will need your attention, and others will carry more emotional weight. Combine those to-do lists and tackle the most onerous tasks first, so you’ll know things are only going to get better. Remember that both family life tasks and work life tasks are important, they just need a little bit of sorting so you don’t drop the ball on one.
Whilst getting the most out of your time is important to achieve a decent work-life balance, remember that you also need time to do nothing and just be. Pad out your activities with periods of quiet – “serendipity space” – where there is nothing to do and nowhere to go. Some of the best family moments arise out of these times, such as in-the-moment puddle-jumping or sofa snuggling, and if you’re in a hurry to be somewhere or do something, you might miss them.
Finally, take advantage of those little five minutes in your day here and there where you can complete little tasks. Have these jobs queued up in your to-do list so that you’ve always got something useful to do when you’re waiting for something else. Save up tasks such as making phone calls, checking social media, responding to email, doing self-care tasks that fall by the wayside (e.g., nail filing, stretching), tidying up, even a single drawer or surface, sorting the post, and looking ahead in your calendar and to-do list to see where you could benefit from a little forward planning or preparation.
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Against the Clock: Time Management for Working Parents
