Time For Work AND Time For Play
By Beth Bokunewicz, President, ChildcareChoices Inc/

The alarm rings in the bedroom signaling the start of the day.  You’ve been up for over an hour taking a peaceful shower, making breakfast, packing lunches, and preparing for your 9AM conference call. The children, having been “reminded” at least three times are finally washed dressed and ready for breakfast. (It’s always amazing how early they’re up and dressed on the weekend!) Your spouse plants a kiss on all foreheads, grabs the morning travel coffee mug, and heads for the door mumbling something about it being another one of those days. As usual, nobody has noticed you’ve managed to keep the house clean, pick up the dry cleaning, get the laundry completed, and have everyone’s schedules and carpools organized before you get to work. The rest of your day is filled with conference calls, meetings, projection reports, and problem solving, not to mention preparations for dinner, homework assistance, little league, and dancing school. It’s amazing your brain can hold this much information and not turn to mush!  How is a busy, working parent supposed to be effective at their job and also be an attentive parent? Here are a few tips to make managing your crazy schedule much more manageable so you can enjoy your time with your family.

Make a date: It may sound crazy, but you need to have a plan in order to manage your life without feeling stressed or dropping the ball on important issues. If you apply the same skills to your home life that you do to your work life, you will find more time for fun and less stress. Have a certain night during the week be family night. This is the week- night where you PLAN to have dinner together, maybe at a family-friendly restaurant. Rent a fun family movie and settle down with a bowl of popcorn together or take a short neighborhood bike ride. Whatever you do, this is the night for family time without thinking about work or planning an after school activity. No friends allowed, no phones to answer, just time for you!

Outsource: Believe it or not, it is not your job to be SUPER parent and nobody will hold it against you if you can’t do everything. Invite grandparents, neighbors or close friends to help with certain tasks. Pay a few extra dollars occasionally to have things delivered such as dry cleaning or groceries. Prepare meals and pack lunches on Sundays and freeze them or prepackage them for the week. Have the kids help when possible. Try to join carpools with parents in the same activities with your children that only require your attention once a week or every other week.

Let them help: Give certain chores to your children or spouse to take some work off of you. Kids can learn to fold laundry or empty the dishwasher as early as age 4! Your spouse can learn to do laundry or pick children up from activities for you. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Prioritize: This is a difficult skill. When it comes to family vs. work there should be no contest. Your job pays the bills and fulfills your personal goals but you need to make quality time for your family. Decide what is critical in your day and organize your time accordingly. If the dry cleaning can wait until tomorrow, let it wait! Also, find something that helps you “shut down your brain” on the way home from work. No matter how hard you try, if you have something happening at work, you won’t be able to give your children your undivided attention if your mind is on work. Work needs to stay at work as much as possible. Whatever works for you will help you truly enjoy your family time.

Telecommute: Every once in a while, depending on your company and your position, it is possible to set up a telecommuting program to allow you the occasional flexibility to work from home. This will help you accomplish two things. You can still get the required work accomplished and when you take your standard breaks you can toss in a load of laundry, run the dishwasher, or make a quick trip to the dry cleaners. The time saved in travel can be spent wisely as well. Just be sure not to forget that working from home is still working and your daily tasks for your job are top priority. If you can improve your productivity and lessen your stress level your boss may be inclined to offer this option more often.

These are just a few tips to help you manage your busy life. Remember, your job is important but your family comes first.

Submitted from Child Care Choices 'Parent Information Newsletter' - Quality Choices for all your childcare needs. www.childcarechoicesinc.com. Reprinted with permission.