Busy Mums: 10 Tips to Help You Balance Work & Family

Eyinade Eweje

A lot of mums these days are breadwinners and have to juggle managing the home front with very demanding jobs. Though striking the needed balance constantly may be tough, here are a few useful tips to help you foster this crucial objective.

1. Let your family know the demands of your job. Try to let them know what makes your job so tedious and time consuming. Erasing assumptions may make them start showing more understanding and excuse some of your inadequacies.

2. Share your daily itinerary and intimate them of impromptu changes. If you’re usually back by 6 pm and you’re going to be late the next day, let them know and fashion out ways of correcting the lapses that may create together. Don’t come back by 10 pm very apologetic and fagged out, expecting they’ll accept your explanations.

3. Don’t consciously let one suffer for the other. Taking either for granted at any point can be disastrous. Don’t assume it’s okay to be a perpetual ‘latecomer’ or absentee at work because of the demands of managing your home. Rather, look for alternatives. If taking the kids to school daily doesn’t make you punctual at work, arrange for a school bus or find a school near your home or office. In the same vein, observe your leave; get thoughts of being indispensable at work or the extra pay out of your head and see to your family.

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4. Create time-outs with your family. Your husband and children need to know your life doesn’t start and end with your job. Show you care by initiating surprises that ensure you all have fun and keep them anticipating the next. Enjoy family life!

5. Don’t procrastinate. Chores and other crucial responsibilities or commitments have a way of piling up for a busy woman like you if you make procrastination a habit. Try to sort out them as promptly as possible, involve the kids in doing house chores, employ helps if affordable and seek help from your spouse, friends and family when overwhelmed.

6. Manage your time effectively. Don’t watch movies or hang out when you have a meal to prepare. Engaging in frivolities after work does not help either. Create a flexible personal routine that allows you indulge yourself without letting your responsibilities at home suffer.

READ ALSO: 10 Coping Tips for Every Single Mum

7. Discuss your challenges/fears with your husband. Whether you are the breadwinner or not, you are both working for the common good. Discuss failures at home and agree on practicable solutions. Remember, what’s working for your friend might not work for you. Engage in frequent dialogues to arrive at solutions that are best for your family. Don’t be an island and be willing to compromise.

8. Attend social functions with your husband. Whether it’s the end of the year party in your office, a colleague’s wedding or a family gathering, attend together and share pleasant memories. These are fun avenues to steal time away with each other.

9. Leave your kids with reliable people. Place your kids in good care in your absence. Don’t be desperate. Your kids can be with your parents, trusted relations and friends. Remember external factors can ruin their decent upbringing. The same goes for school runs; assign this responsibility only to tested and trusted friends or family when you have other commitments.

10. Be a realist. Everything can’t be perfect. Your family may not even always acknowledge and praise your sacrificial efforts. Sometimes, you may initiate a supposedly perfect strategy and it fails woefully; don’t escalate issues with feelings of guilt and spite. Apologize when needed, learn from your mistakes and get back to the drawing board.

Photo credit: mybrownbaby.com