The saying “you cannot serve two masters at the same time” is true, but not for working mums. Career mothers are admirable because they have the ability to fulfill their roles as a mother and hold down a job. Needless to say, keeping the balance between career and family is a very difficult task, but there are things that working mothers can do to make their routine tasks at home and at work much easier.
These are the things working mums should do to reduce their stress levels:
1. Train your kids to help with cleaning the house
You need to acknowledge what things or tasks your child can do at home. If you have a 3 year old son, for instance, you should start teaching him how to make his bed, pick up laundry, and even clean up his own toys. Every time you come home, politely ask everyone to put away their shoes or hang up their coats properly. Teaching your child to do light household chores is an important part of the process of making them independent. Apart from this, you can also contact Career Coach Manchester in case you want some professional tips in this regard.
2. Learn to delegate chores
You should consider your family as your team. For you to be successful in your career and in the family, you will need their help. Thus, you should gradually assign or delegate tasks to your kids. You may ask one of them to be responsible for setting the dining table, while the others clean up the dishes. Come up with a rewards system also to keep your child motivated.
3. Plan your mornings
No morning should be rough if you know how to plan it ahead. To have an easier and more relaxed time in the morning, you could pack your kids’ lunches, lay out their clothes, check if they have done their homework, and pack their school bags before you go to bed at night. This way, you will have less to do in the morning, so you won’t have to rush everyone.
4. Have some quiet time
It is a good practice to let everyone in the family have some quiet time for about 10 minutes when they get home. This way, each of you will have time to relax and regroup before dinner time and before everyone talks about their day.
5. Have a work schedule and stick to it
Make sure that your stress and pressures from work do not affect your time with your family. If you have been working late, it is best to talk to your boss and discuss how you will be able to leave for home on time. If working late cannot be helped on certain days, let your spouse and children know about it, so that they will know what days you will be home early and what days you will be late.
6. Plan for some quality family time
Have dinner with your family as often as you can. Should your schedule permit, plan a movie night with your kids. And during vacation season, make it a point to plan a vacation or an outing. This will give your kids something to look forward to, and it will also give you an opportunity to just lay back and relax. Even career coaching professionals insist that spending enough quality time with the family is an important step towards achieving your career and life goals.