9 Tips for Working Parents to Help Bring More Order and Happiness to Your Day  

Making it to the end of the week or the end of a long workday used to bring relief, but the reality for working parents is that the work never ends. Whether taking your children to sports practice, helping with homework, or taking care of household chores, there is always a lot left to do before bedtime.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 34.4 million families with kids under the age of 18. Of those families, 89.3% had at least one working parent and 60.6% had both working parents, so you are not alone in the challenges of juggling work and kids. But finding balance can be emotionally, physically and mentally draining. Here are a few tips to help you manage the varying demands in your life. 

At Home:

• Find where you can say “no thanks!” It’s not easy to say “no” but “no thanks” has a sweeter ring to it. When you are pressed for time, yet still trying to do it all, it’s important to take stock of the activities with which you are involved. Ask yourself, “Is sitting on this committee (or insert any extracurricular event) adding to my career, my family or my happiness?” If you can’t say “yes” without a doubt, find a way to transition off or to decline before getting involved. Do the same for everything you spend time on, including social media and watching TV.
• Find where your time investment pays you back in energy. As you clear the decks of time drains, find places where spending time restores your energy. Think about the exercise routines that you are too busy for, the lunch with a trusted mentor or friend that has fallen off the calendar, or the uplifting books with which you would wrap up your evening. Making these commitments a priority will pay dividends in your energy, your mood and your ability take on less pleasant tasks.
• Find opportunities to delegate. How many tasks are you keeping just because you have always done them? Isn’t it time to grow the skill sets of others by allowing them the experience? Think about all of the little jobs you complete in a day for your house, your career and your family, and find the ones you aren’t good at or don’t like. Then ask others, including your children, to do them for you.
• Simplify. Perhaps you have seen the articles about the value of a uniform for work or editing your wardrobe. Maybe you are intrigued by the minimalist houses or other environments that facilitate an air of calm and tranquility. Go ahead and create the same for yourself. Trim your wardrobe to simple outfits that can be rotated, strive for dresses or suits that are always coordinated, cycle your dinner menu, and make a big run to the local charity with rarely used toys and kitchen gadgets. Find ways to make it easier to run your house and your life so the time you have to give goes to the most important things – people!
• Don’t feel guilty. This actually requires a separate call out because guilt is an emotion that isn’t productive. It’s okay to feel bad, but you also have to cut yourself some slack and realize you are doing the best you can. Being perfect doesn’t mean doing everything for everyone, but it does mean doing your best at what you commit to doing – this means be present, be in the moment, and invest in what is most critical.

At Work:

• Bring your focus and clarity to the office. When you walk in the door, know what your priorities are and make sure you are moving things from your plate to someone else’s as quickly as possible. Your day’s effort should be focused on the top line of priorities – what can I do that will make the biggest business impact? And the other part of your day should be on delegating and vision – where can others contribute?
• Find a position that values your input more than your time. Strive to have a career that focuses on the value you bring rather than the number of hours you spend in the office.
• Avoid distractions. Sure, office friendliness is important, but there is a difference between a warm hello and a lengthy gossip session – one happens in seconds passing in the hall and the other takes both time and emotional energy.
• Tune in and tune out. Avoid the temptation to multitask. Instead, focus your intensity on the task at hand. You will find that you can get a big job done one task and one email at a time.

Working moms must deal with the competing priorities of work and family every day. But you can’t be two places at once. If you organize your life and focus your energy on what is important, you’ll be able to enjoy where you are, right at that moment.