4 Ways to Balance Household Management and Your Career
It’s not easy being a working mom, especially if you spend most of your working hours at home. The rest of your family might get out of the house to go to work or school, and this leaves all the responsibility for household management on your shoulders. Your family might think this is no issue for you. You’re at home anyway, after all, but this isn’t the case. So how can you balance household management and your career when working from home?
Eliminate Distractions
There will always be distractions at home. It could be other people moving around and getting ready. It could be the pile of dishes from last night’s dinner, or maybe the dog keeps pawing at your leg begging for a treat. If you want to work from home comfortably and successfully, you need to eliminate these distractions. Creating a separate working space where such distractions are not visible can help, although it also risks you forgetting about them, which will make any eventually clean up much worse.
Set Specific Working Hours
It’s always important to set boundaries when you run a business or lead a team from your kitchen table. Failing to set boundaries can cause significant issues and will lead to unnecessary stress, so you need to highlight your working hours to your kids and your partner. Reminding them not to disturb you between 9 and 5 (or any time frame you prefer) will help you get on with your day. They can still send emails or messages in emergencies, but otherwise, it’s best to leave you to your work.
Make the Most Of Your Downtime
With the lack of office distractions, you might find you get more downtime than you’re used to, especially considering you don’t need to commute or have idle chats with coworkers. It’s tempting to take a quick break during downtime, but you can also make the most of it. Whether you need to fold some laundry or wipe down kitchen counters, do it between tasks or projects. This means you can relax properly when you finish for the day and have the rest of the evening to spend with your family.
Don’t Be Expected to Do Everything
Just because you’re home all day doesn’t mean you should be responsible for doing everything, especially when everything isn’t even your fault. You can make your life easier by teaching your kids vital life skills, such as cooking and cleaning to take the load off your shoulders. While they might be resistant at first, they might come to enjoy it, which will set them up strongly when they leave home. You don’t want them to enter the world not knowing how to do basic chores, so get them involved as soon as they can hold a broom.
Balanced
It is tricky to find and achieve the balance of homecare and work, but it is not impossible. As long as you develop a routine and make sure your family respects your professional needs, you can cultivate an atmosphere that is productive and efficient, meaning you’ll find plenty of time to do any housework that is left over.
