Becoming a mom and having a work life can be hard to balance, but it is possible. Moms don’t need to give up their careers in order to look after their children. However, if you’re struggling currently, here are some tips for balancing mom life and work life.
Overcome Your Mom Guilt
Mom guilt is real, and it can really hurt you to be away from your child. However, when it comes to your work life, it’s possible to do both. Some moms want to completely cut off their work life and focus on being a parent, whereas others crave work. Whichever you are, you should always make time for yourself and for your passions. And for that, you shouldn’t feel guilty. If you stop working when you really enjoy it, you’ll become unhappy, and you won’t be yourself. When you’re a parent, you want to be the best version of yourself for them, and if you let mom guilt take over, you’re not giving your child the best version of you. So although it will be hard, taking them to daycare might be a good way to focus on your work life too.
Get Help Around the Home
Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness. We’re only human, and we can only do so much throughout our working day. Ask for assistance from your partner if they are around and make sure there’s an equal balance. For additional help, you might find it beneficial to have a babysitter or a nanny if you’re really struggling to work alongside your parenting life. It might be that you work from home and therefore need someone to distract the child while you do the work.
Disconnect from Work When Needed
All work and no play can make you an absent parent in a bad way, so never let work life invade into the time you spend with your child. If that time you’ve set aside is to focus on spending time with your children, don’t let work come in between that. Try to completely disconnect from work, especially if it’s something that isn’t done in the home. Leave any work phones in your bag, ready to look at when you’re in bed or first thing in the morning. Children can certainly notice these things as they’re growing up.
Plan Ahead
Planning ahead is important because it helps you to become more organized. Before you start the week, note down all the important things that need doing and times where you’ll be working and times where you’ll be with your children. Make sure there’s an equal amount and prepare for any occasions where the plan might go awry, and you need to skip to plan b or c. Being organized is a good thing so do it!
Balancing mom life and your work life can have its challenges, but if you’re committed to both, then you can certainly do both if you prepare and focus on keeping them both separate from one another.
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