How to find work life balance: while still being great at both
Trying to juggle a busy work life and a family, whilst still leaving some time for socialising and relaxing, can be very difficult. Too many working mums, and dads, feel pulled in two different directions. It often feels as if there aren’t enough hours in the day to succeed at work and give your children the attention they deserve.
However, it is possible to succeed at both work and parenting. You will need to adjust the way you work and possibly even where you work, as well as how you manage your time and your household. If you’re organised and ready for the challenge, you can do it! Follow these tips…
Tip #1: Set aside a dedicated space for working – and consider getting out of the house!
Many people who work from home, and who have kids, end up catching a few minutes to get work done at their kitchen table. However, trying to get anything done on your laptop while surrounded by dirty dishes, kids toys and endless other household distractions can be a massive obstacle to productivity. You need a separate and dedicated space for working, so can concentrate fully on the task at hand and also run your business in a more professional manner.
In a blog about the challenges facing homeworkers, travel writer Katie Kelly Bell, cites Jennifer Bradley Franklin, a freelance writer and editor, advising setting aside a place dedicated to work only at home.
“It’s been a huge help to have a dedicated office space and to create some defined working hours. That way, when it’s time to work (hello deadlines!) I’m fully engaged in that and when it’s time to spend time with my husband or friends, I’m 100 per cent present in those moments as well,” said Jennifer Franklin.
If you have the space, set up a home office and, as we advised in this blog, make sure you organise it properly. If you don’t have the space, consider making use of shared workspace, where you work alongside like-minded freelancers, entrepreneurs and start-ups in a professional, fully set-up space. It can be great to get out of the house, and many people find the ritual of ‘heading to the office’ and the motivation-booster of working alongside professional people to be great for their efficiency, productivity and self-confidence.
Tip #2: Separate working and parenting, so you can give each your full attention
Too many working mums feel tugged in two directions practically all the time, never being able to give either their children or their work their full attention. This can lead to feelings of guilt, as well as stress as you never feel you can properly relax. Being an attentive parent and a productive worker is possible – it can be done! You just need to set clear boundaries between the two, heading into your home office or a nearby shared workspace when the kids are at school, and shutting down your laptop when the kids come home. It’s all about time management. It isn’t always easy, as work and parenting time can often bleed into each other, but it can be done.
Tip #3: Make use of services, apps and solutions to save time and make your life easier
Modern technology can be a lifesaver when it comes to saving time and helping busy working mums juggle both work and parenthood. So make use of it! There are apps for your phone to help you manage your time, to give you important reminders and to lots of other tiny but time-consuming everyday tasks.
For some great time-saving technology, check out Angela Kwan’s analysis of 11 time-saving sites and apps for busy mums in an article published on Good Housekeeping.
Some busy working parents also consider, as we highlighted here, outsourcing to save themselves some time. You can also make use of services such as virtual offices to help you avoid distractions during the day. For example, virtual office services and serviced offices like those at Carrwood Park give you the opportunity to make use of reception services, where your calls are answered and your post received. This can help you avoid the distraction of the phone ringing all day, but you’ll still have the peace of mind that you’ll get all of your messages and never miss a vital call – which is really important as a small business, start-up or freelancer.
For quality serviced offices, Leeds-based Carrwood Park provides quality shared office space in Yorkshire. To find out more about achieving a healthy work-life balance, subscribe to the Carrwood Park blog.