Top Tips to Help You Juggle Work and Parenthood
Working while being a parent is tackling two jobs without any overtime, and sometimes without any thanks, either. Though hard, it is entirely doable, and this fact has been proven again and again by working parents around the world. You can even further your career by taking on an online degree.
The secret is balance, and of course getting everyone on board to help. Your kids may need to be taken care of, but they can learn a lot and grow as people if they are given tasks and chores designed to help you, too. There are so many ways you can adjust your approach and your schedule so that you can calmly achieve everything that you have set out for yourself, while also being a great parent.
Managing Energy Levels: Know How and When to Juggle
You will have your own way of doing things, but the one common denominator that we all need to master is how to manage our own energy levels. If you have energy throughout the day then you can keep going and doing things, even if that “thing” is sitting on the couch and watching a movie with your kids. Use all resources available to you, stay healthy, and use the tips in this guide:
Work and Parenting
Working and parenting, to start with, is a very difficult task to manage but there are many great programs available to help you. After-school programs, friends and family, work programs – exhaust all of your options, and don’t forget to ask your employer for help managing your schedule so that you can be a great parent to help your kids. It won’t always be possible, but you won’t know until you ask.
Work and Studying
You can work and aim to complete a great executive nurse leader program from a top university like Baylor University. You can do all that, and still be a great parent. The only thing that you need to really compromise is how quickly you get it all done. Online degrees are thankfully perfect for exactly this reason, as it allows you to continue to work in an entirely online, or primarily online environment, and can be completed as quickly or as slowly as you need.
Staying Healthy
When it comes to successfully working, parenting, and even potentially studying online, then the secret weapon is good health. It can be very, very easy to let your health fall behind because there simply isn’t time, but your health should be your priority. All the online resources, after school programs, or any other tool you have in your arsenal is useless if you are constantly fatigued. Good health will help you manage energy levels, the rest will help you manage your time.
Doing it All
To do it all you need to multi-task, and of course to get everyone on board with your plan. If your partner, kids, parents, friends, co-workers, and of course anyone else helping you out all pitch in, you can conquer the world. Multi-tasking can help you work and bond with your kids. It can help you teach them great life skills and stay healthy. There are so many ideas you can use to help you cut down on the time chores take, and improve your relationships and career all at once.
Do Chores Together
Chores are unavoidable, and there is no reason to not get your kids involved. So many young adults today go to school unprepared to take care of themselves because they are unfamiliar with chores like doing laundry, cleaning properly, or healthy cooking. By doing chores together you can cut back on that natural resentment (everyone will be doing their part at the same time), teach them great life skills, and get everyday chores done faster than you can blink.
Make Meals Together
Cook together. It’s one of the simplest ways to cut back on time, teach your kids great skills, and bond together as a family. Don’t just stop at making meals together. Prep lunches for everyone’s week together on the weekend. This way your kids can quickly put together a lunch box in the morning, and even you have healthy meals to enjoy at work. You’ll be able to take better care of your kids, and your kids will be able to take better care of you.
Study and Do Homework Together
If you are working on an online degree, then do your work together. You’ll be right there if they need help, and you working on your own schooling will help encourage them to finish their homework every day. It’s the same kind of bonding you could enjoy by studying with others, only this time it’s with your kids. Get your partner to make snacks, or just get ready-made ones. Healthy snacks are the best to keep you focussed.
The best part? After you are all done with your homework, you have free time. Lounge around on the TV, enjoy a bubble bath on your own, nap – it’s all up to you. Your kids will likely want their own alone time at that point as well, so everyone gets their downtime and can relax.
Have a Special Afternoon Blocked Off Every Week
You don’t want the only time you see your kids to be when you are doing chores, cooking, or doing homework. It can be hard to spend time with them otherwise when you have so much on your plate, but try to have a special something that you do. It could be a movie night. It could be a picnic in the park or a hike. By having at least one afternoon each week to spend with your kids doing something fun you can give them that special relationship with you, and have something fun to look forward to for yourself.
Don’t Forget to See Your Friends
Have date nights scheduled, make it routine to see your friends for a lunch or book a friend’s trip every other month. These people are also important and are very important parts of your support group. By making a socializing routine you can better fit it into your busy schedule and have enough energy to enjoy it.
