Finding it difficult juggling work and family life? If you’re looking for a few work-life balance tips, you’re not alone — and while I’m no guru on the subject, I’ve picked up a few things along the way that genuinely help. Here are my tips for balancing work and family life in a healthy way.
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First things first: if you enjoy your work, or if you need to work, then that’s simply how it is — and you can park the guilt right there. Wanting or needing to work doesn’t make you a less present parent. It’s what you do with the time you do have that counts.
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Make the Balance Easier
Whether you’re working from home or heading out to the office, a few small habits can make the daily balance feel a lot more manageable:
- Block out a period of your day and dedicate it purely to your family.
- Designate one night a week as family night — a board game night, cards, reading together, or a movie night.
- Try to have dinner together most evenings, with no technology interruptions.
- Take turns sharing a lesson learned or something fun that happened that day. Even the most ordinary day usually has something worth talking about.
- Make mornings easier with a bit of forward planning the night before.
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Switching Off
When you work from home, it can be hard to truly “switch off.” Simply having a phone with email nearby can turn family time into work time without you even noticing. It can help to leave your phone somewhere you won’t hear it, or to put it on silent during dedicated family time.
If you work in an office, it’s just as important not to become a slave to your phone once you’ve clocked off. It’s easy to get pulled back in, as we all know — but realistically, that email or call can usually wait until the morning.
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Kids Can Help Too
Kids want to know they’re number one — and of course, they should. But they also need to see that what you’re doing, whether that’s working from home or heading out the door, matters too. Children learn by watching, and seeing a parent go to work, or work from home, is valuable role modelling in itself.
It’s just as valuable to teach kids how to pitch in around the home. Cooking, washing, tidying — these are useful life skills worth sharing equally, regardless of whether you have sons or daughters.
Age-appropriately, children can become genuinely helpful. When they’re old enough, it’s worth encouraging them to make their own beds, bring their washing to the laundry basket, and help prepare dinner alongside an adult. The older they get, the more of a real help they can be.
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Gone should be the days of a parent running themselves ragged for the family while someone else asks “what’s for dinner?” from the couch. Balance works both ways.
And for a smile — 30 Reasons Why Mums Are Late
Over to you! Share your own tips for a healthy work-life family-life balance in the comments below.
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