Balancing parenting and work stress sounds like one of the most challenging feats to overcome, especially if you are a career mom or dad. Most people dread having kids because they are worried it would affect their vocational or social activities.
People who are bold enough to have a family with at least one child are often faced with social complications if they aren’t fully prepared. The question is, can one be fully prepared?
Many working parents depend on their circle of coworkers, mentors, and professional communities for tips on handling the ups and downs of maintaining home and work. It’s not uncommon for working parents to want the extra assistance, especially if both parents spend most of their time trying to make some money.
With several professional mothers and fathers depending on this process, it’s no surprise the rate of workforce opt-outs aren’t loosening up, with many feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. This phase can be frustrating, especially if it’s a new job, but thankfully, there are sure ways around it.
Working parents and bosses who are looking to help their employees effectively can consider practical and straightforward steps that not only motivates but improves performance. Extensive studies of high-performing, white-collared job parents have shown feasible solutions on how to balance work and family.
What precise methods(s) can working fathers and mothers adopt to meet conditions and be satisfied in their double roles? The following can be the pointers you need:
Take advantage of your primary professional strengths
Traits and skills that help you excel at work, either as a team leader, creativity, organization, or resilience, will boost your confidence as a working parent. An efficient coordinator balances the infinite demands and diverse details of multitasking effectively.
Parents can list prospective activities on their phones or organizers to meet their children’s demands, especially if last-minute changes come up. Connect with what you are naturally best at doing at your job, and work with that energy to meet your parenting slash work challenges.
Have a projection of how you want your dual life to be
Like many ventures, working with a clear goal and having a precise mission can enable you to specify your priorities, measure accomplishments, position resources, and become confident about what you are doing. These are firm steps in taking charge of your role as a working parent.
Because every working mommy or daddy is different, visions might differ, and some might be focused on their children more than their work or work more than their kids. It could also be a combination of something different. Still, whatever it is, knowing what you are doing not only puts you in control, it also maximizes your confidence as a parent.
Work diversely
It would help to have someone trained -could be a mentee or a junior colleague-, who can take over from you whenever you are not available. You can also make friends with individuals who are in the business development group. This gives you leverage as you’d be in-the-know on major projects that may interest you.
It would be best if you tried to be physically available as much as possible, so your employer or colleagues know you are visible and around, even when you have to attend your child’s recital. With your work’s quality still intact, you can master how to balance outside affairs with work-related issues.
Govern your space
Regardless of your environment, it would be best to manage and build your home exactly how you would handle a project at work. Carry your partner along if possible because the more people you have on your home-team, the easier it is to get difficult tasks done quickly.
Balancing parenting and work stress requires voicing clear priorities and establishing maximum compliance and service, even in your absence. Deliver straightforward assessments and don’t be stingy on the compliments and the appreciations. You could start by saying, “well done” or “good job.”
You can also put them in a special place on your mobile device. Put the people in your environment on speed-dial. This includes your child’s nanny, teacher, boss, at least one colleague, caregiver, and doctor who are reachable without any hassle.
Don’t be a hero
You were probably used to always wanting to fix anything and everything, like Wonder Woman or Superman, maybe. Surviving as a working parent requires that you abandon this quality, then delegate and find timesavers whenever possible.
Analyze your work schedule and note some meetings or functions you could have condensed, avoided, or passed off. You could have ordered those appliances online instead of burning time at the store or allow the junior staff to do the works that could do without your attention. You could use the spare time to bond with your child and your partner and avoid feeling too tired.
Incorporate workplace scheduling at home
Using a whiteboard at home to monitor family calendars or affairs isn’t the most effective method. Instead, it is best to incorporate the same type of technology that makes you excel at work. Working parents can also download apps that help to manage daily activities better, especially if they’re working from home.
Have a Plan B
Having backup plans helps prevent being stuck when very complicated issues arise, especially if they are more than one at a time. Your nanny could call in sick the same day you were supposed to travel on a very important business trip. It helps to plan, and don’t forget to carry your partner along.
You can keep an overnight provision and clothes for your child when you have to spend the night elsewhere. An effective contingency plan helps improve work delivery consistency, reduce stress, and maximize productivity, both at home and work.
Paint a bigger picture
It’s not uncommon to find parents quit their job to be able to balance parenthood. Children, especially younger ones, often fall sick easily, and parents are supposed to be around for them.
Working parents who have to deal with work stress and sick children easily make up their minds to quit their jobs to be better parents. This is very logical and understandable, but what if you could do something different.
By being a resilient parent, you can remind yourself that the extra complications are only temporary, and focus on the long-term goals by concentrating on being stable financially for your family. Working parents can balance parenting and work stress by staying motivated and believing that the hard part would pass.
Don’t overwork yourself
Don’t acquire stability through radical measures, such as going part-time or changing jobs. Instead, you could get flexibility by prioritizing your activities. Avoid doing things that you can do without, like leaving work early every once in a while. This would give you time to do other things at home with your family.
Balancing parenting and work stress is no cake work since it challenges every aspect of a parent’s life, regardless of how skilled or hard-working you are. Unfortunately, there are no permanent fixes because plenty of work is needed to find the perfect balance, and it could take a while to master.
Nevertheless, it helps to fight for positive mental health, either as a new parent or a leader looking to inspire and employ working parents.
