Tips for Balancing Work and Motherhood
Balancing work and motherhood can be quite a complicated task for a lot of women, especially when the position is a full-time one. Quite naturally with the birth of a child priorities change and very often the topic of finding more time for one’s family suddenly becomes one of the most important issues. With the amount of stress that not being able to spend enough time with the family cause, it can lead to conflict, discontent, frustration and unhappiness. So what do women do about this?
Some decide to become full-time moms, while others continue working, often changing their job or career path. In fact, there are many options to consider so you don’t have to give up working entirely after you have a child.
Here are some tips how to balance your work and family life most efficiently.
- Understand your priorities. As they say, you can’t always have it all. But if you must work, then you have to give up some things. You will have to choose the things that are more important. Of course, you don’t have to entirely give up on your career or extra activities but planning ahead and scheduling them will help you manage everything better.
- Choose a home-based job. So many jobs can be done from the comfort of your own home. With this kind of option, you can stay at home with your children while you work and keep earning money. There are so many options which range from writing, teaching, designing, programming, virtual assistance, blogging, selling, and even coaching, just to name a few.
- Opt for a part-time job. If you used to have a full-time job, perhaps a part-time job can fit with your schedule, and will help you to balance everything nicely. You only get to spend a few hours at work, allowing you to still dedicate enough time to your family.
- Share the responsibilities with your partner. You can’t just handle everything on your own. Raising a family involves doing it together with your partner. Talk it out between the both of you so you can settle on scheduling and priorities. Make sure that there is an understanding between the two of you about the need to help each other.
- Get help. You are not alone. You have your spouse, your parents, family and even childcare to help you get things going. If you do have to continue working, perhaps you can find somebody to babysit. Your parents will surely be glad to take on the role if they are free. Better yet, hire a babysitter who can stay with the baby while you work.
Balancing work and motherhood is not impossible for as long as you set your priorities straight and you know how to handle the situation. It is good to always plan things out beforehand so you don’t find yourself in a mess. The first months after giving birth will be the most challenging but don’t give up!
Photo of mother working with child courtesy of shutterstock