Top 10 Tips for Work-Life Balance

Finding a work-life balance has been one of my biggest challenges as a mom. There’s a constant struggle between keeping up with all of my work responsibilities and finding quality time to spend with my kids and my family. I’ve found that intentionally focusing on a few things each week has helped me prioritize the most important things at work and make time for what I want to do at home.

Today I’m sharing my top 10 tips for finding work-life balance that have worked for me as a working mom of two. We aren’t perfect over here, but using these tips has helped us make things a little easier.

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Set Boundaries

Define the hours that you are available for work, and when you will be dedicating time to your family/other tasks. For me, this varies from day to day depending on what I have on my plate. To make this process easier, I plan out my week on Sunday evenings. This helps me decide when I will be available for work, and when I need to block off time for family events. Some days my work hours are 8-2 and then 4-7 to fit in some time with my kids in the afternoon. Other days I work a typical 9-5.

Talk to Your Employer about Work-Life Balance

I first went back to work after having kids 10 years ago, I thought there was no way I’d ever make a school event during the work day. It wasn’t much of a problem when they were with a babysitter or in daycare. I knew they were having fun and could check in with their caregivers regularly.

The day my oldest started elementary school, I knew I had to make a change. I sat down with my boss at the time and explained my dilemma. They knew that I was dedicated to my work and were willing to work with me. I was able to work out a schedule where I could take an hour in the middle of the day each week to volunteer in my son’s kindergarten classroom. Volunteering helped me stay connected to the school and gave me and my son something to look forward to every week.

Unplug

Turn off your work notifications when you are not working. That will help reduce the temptation to check one more email or cross one more things off of your list the second you have a little downtime. If you work from home, make sure you have a dedicated office space (or corner) so you can walk away from your work and put it out of sight when you are not working. I have found it helpful to inform my work team that my notifications will be off after 5:00. They know that they can text me if they need something and it has greatly reduced distractions when I’m not at work.

Practice Self-Care

We all know the saying, “you can’t fill from an empty cup.” How often though do we actually take time to do something that helps us relax and recharge? Practicing a little self-care can do so much to improve your mental health and help you be better equipped to fully focus on work or family. My favorite way to do this is to find some short blocks of time throughout the day to do something just for me. The best times around here tend to be in the morning or after the kids go to bed.

I love these words by Michelle Obama because they are a great reminder that we have to work on ourselves to be better for our families.

“When you have children, you have to be fiercely organized to get anything done. I learned that if I don’t put myself up on the priority list, somehow my kid will eventually get knocked down on that list.”

Michelle Obama

Learn to Say No

This is probably the hardest one for me to stick to. Mostly because I WANT to be involved in all the things at work and as a parent. However, declining additional responsibilities that will pull you away from your work-life balance is the key to maintaining a realistic schedule. Sometimes that means saying “no” entirely and other times that means finding another way to support. For example, no, I will not be able to support that extra event, but I will be happy to donate supplies or refer you to someone who CAN help. That way, I can still contribute something without sacrificing my time.

Use Your PTO

Are you guilty of letting your PTO build up without using it? Stop! Taking time off and unplugging from work can improve your mental health. It also gives you that much-needed time to focus on things for you or your family. We try to plan our vacations in advance and block that time off first. Then, every quarter, I look at everyone’s calendar and plan out the rest of my days off. I try to take one day a month just for me and schedule time off when I know my kids have important events so I don’t have to miss them.

Clear Your Head

For me, half of my stress comes from my never-ending to do list. My brain is constantly going over all of the things I need to get done. When you have so many thoughts going through your head at once, it’s hard to focus on just the one thing you need to accomplish. I started doing a “brain dump” every week (or when I feel overwhelmed) to get everything out of my head and on to paper.

First, I spend about 30 minutes every Sunday writing down everything that’s in my head. Then, I organize my list and prioritize what I need to get done that week, what I can delegate, and what can wait. If you are looking for guidance on this, I recommend purchasing this book by Maura Nevel Thomas. You can also access free resources on her website.

Focus on Productivity

Find ways to be more productive during work hours instead of extending them. After you have completed tip #7, organize your list to decide what to prioritize, delegate, and delete. One way to help do this is to use the Eisenhower principle. I use Asana to keep track of my to do list and this matrix is a great way to organize your tasks.

Establish a “Family Time” Routine

Find a time of day or day of the week to focus just on your time with family. This could be dinner time each day where everyone turns off their technology and only focuses on each other. It could also be a time to walk each evening or a Sunday family day. Keeping up a consistent routine where you are eliminating distractions and focusing on those that matter the most helps you stay connected. In addition to the time spent as a whole family, I love to plan special time with each of my kids each day, even if it’s only for 5 minutes.

Here are some fun finds to help you make the most of family time:

• 50 Scratch-Off Adventures and Family Games. So much fun to try new things while connecting with your family. We used this camera to take pictures to document our fun!
• This set of cards is great for dinner conversation topics.
• If you are looking for ways to unplug with your kids, this book has some great ideas.
• A cooking game for families who love to spend time together in the kitchen.

Adjust Plans as Needed

Achieving balance is not a one-time thing where you check all of these things off and automatically have more time to spend with family. It is a cycle of working through these tasks, evaluating what works, and adjusting as needed. Find what works for you and do it consistently to see the best results. As you find new ways that are helpful, add them to your routine.

If this seems overwhelming, try one thing each week until you find the rhythm that works for you. Find 5-10 minutes a day to work on these goals. Before you know it, you will start to feel the benefits of setting boundaries and focusing on the things that matter the most to you.

Do you have something that works for you to find work-life balance? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!