A working mom, as the name implies, is a mother who also contributes to the income of the house by working to earn a living. A working mom can work from a home office or have a job outside of the home.
Mothers are some of the strongest people alive, and this is often noted in how hard they take care of their families, even though taking on extra work responsibilities can be quite a task and strenuous.
This article shares some tips on how a working mom can succeed and be able to balance work life and home.
10 Ways to be Successful as a Working Mom:
1. Establish clear communication
Create an honest and communication channel with your family, coworkers, clients, and boss from the beginning so that everybody will know what is expected from them and what should be expected from you.
If you need extended time to complete projects, make your clients and supervisors aware before the deadline. If you had to nurse your baby the previous night and didn’t get enough sleep but intend to sleep in, you might want to cancel your early morning meeting and be honest about why you have to cancel. Talk to your coworkers and family about what you need from them to be more productive at work.
Having a good relationship with your boss will create an avenue to express how your job is impacting your family and where you might make changes.
2. Make the hardest task a priority
It’s understandable that your to-do list can be overwhelming, but you have to start somewhere. Choose to tackle the more challenging tasks first, especially during periods when you have high energy.
By the time fatigue begins to set in later in the day, the remaining items won’t be too much for you to handle. You will be able to end your day on positivity and also have time for the family when you get home.
3. Delegate when you should
It can be a little difficult to say no when an extra project is delegated to you, but you may suggest working with another coworker so that the task will be faster and easier for you to handle along with other tasks required of you.
You may even decide to outsource your house chores or errands so that you can have more time to engage with potential clients, spend time with your family, or learn vital skills.
If you have older kids, you should also apportion them tasks like making dinner or doing their laundry.
Create a chore chart for the whole family. This will help them develop a greater sense of responsibility and will keep everyone accountable. This will help you feel less overwhelmed.
4. Make time-saving hacks your friends
As mentioned earlier, the power of task delegation cannot be overemphasized. Get things done in a short amount of time by planning strategically, using shortcuts, and lots of manpower.
Order your groceries and have them delivered. That will cut down your grocery run time.
You can even schedule your calls to align with when you are commuting to work, and every errand can be scheduled for your lunch break.
Mornings can be a bit tasking for a working mom because of the rush to get the kids fed, dressed, and also themselves ready for the day ahead. However, this pressure can be lessened if you plan for the morning the night before.
Set out clothing and uniforms, make sure the school bags are packed and set, and prepare what is needed for a fast and easy breakfast. These little things will make your mornings less hectic.
5. Invest in trustworthy childcare providers
To be able to perform well at your job, one thing that gives you peace of mind is knowing that your kid is well cared for where they might be.
Spending money on a top-notch daycare service or nanny will help you settle in and stay focused at work. Some of the things to watch out for when picking a daycare are a low teacher-to-child ratio, a clean and safe environment, etc.
When chanced during the day, check-in on your ward and ask for pictures or make video calls to keep up with their days as well.
6. Compartmentalize your time
Time flies by so fast when you’re a working mom. At the end of the day, you find you were unable to get much done and still end up exhausted. Watch out for those things that eat up your time and make you less productive, like the time you spend socializing with your coworkers, lunch breaks, or internet surfing.
And when home, focus on the important things, like connecting with your partner and child, instead of binging on TV shows or catching up with friends for long hours.
7. Have family activities
Family time is happy time! While spending time with the family, you don’t want to bore them with mundane things every time. Spice things up from time to time, plan activities that everyone will look forward to.
It could be a weekly family game night, a picnic, or a cook-out in the backyard—you could even ask everyone to pitch in with their own ideas of what the family could enjoy together. Remember, the aim is to have lots of good times and create fond memories as much as possible. Family time is not a time for stiff competition.
8. Make your own schedule
There are so many reasons mothers should have an organizer; working mothers are not exempt. The mental load of remembering various occasions like parent-teacher conferences, doctor’s appointments, permission slips, changing the kid’s wardrobe when they outgrow certain things, making sure the family has enough groceries and supplies like toilet paper, to name a few, can cause burnouts unless you have a planner (apps and other planning items like calendars) to help you keep tabs on your ever-existing occasions.
9. Keep expectations low
Lots of working mothers put pressure on themselves by wanting to maintain a perfect house—a spotless house, perfect parenting, perfect kids, and making healthy and delicious meals.
No one else has expectations like mothers who want their efforts to be reflected in every aspect of their family life and job.
Stop putting pressure on yourselves, mothers. Things do not always have to go the way you envision it or how it’s portrayed on your favorite childhood soaps. Your house does not need to be perfectly clean and spotless to make it a home.
Buying already made snacks like cookies instead of always baking them yourself does not make you a bad mother. Home-cooked meals are good, but leftovers will also feed your family just fine.
10. Make time for yourself
To succeed at being a good working mom, it is vital to be able to take time away from work and the family at the same time and do something to help you unwind outside your routines.
You could do some light reading on that book you’ve wanted to catch up on, go for a walk, catch up with a friend, or sign up for a yoga class. Whatever it is, just have fun!
Also, taking care of yourself includes getting adequate sleep, eating foods that contain vital nutrients, and drinking lots of water. Creating time for self-care gives you the opportunity to step back from your responsibilities for a while, and this gives you time to have increased energy and focus on tackling them later on.
In conclusion, if you are unable to care for yourself, how do you expect to take care of others properly?
Do not put your needs last. Managing and balancing your life and work integration is usually easier when your organization has flexible work solutions and benefits tailored to fit single parents and working mothers.
So, before you take a leap into the workforce, you might want to do your research and make inquiries to find out if the company you intend to work with has an inclusive culture.
Photo by Photo by William Fortunato from Pexels
