Wise Choices for You & Your Family
6
For parents who work outside the home, it can be
stressful to find that your work - life balance is being
impacted by an overscheduled calendar packed
full of work tasks, volunteer obligations and kids’
activities. Here are some steps to take to reduce stress
and restore a work - life balance for your family.
The first step in balancing your schedule is to look for tasks
or activities you can trim from your calendar. For example,
has your child talked you into committing to hosting more
playdates at your house in one week than you really have
time for? Also, look for ways to team up with others to divide
and outsource tasks that take up time that could be used to
complete higher priority tasks. For example, talk to other moms
on the sports team about setting up a carpool schedule and
take turns being responsible for the pickup and drop-off from
practice, or outsource the
task of grocery shopping.
Next, let go of
p e r f e c t i o n i sm.
Instead of striving
for perfection both
in your professional
life and your family life,
work toward excellence.
Sometimes, we even ask for
perfectionism from our kids and
everyone feels burnt out on school
work and after school activities. Keep
your goals and expectations realistic for
yourself and for your kids. If you are trying to make changes
in your professional life and your family life at home, make the
changes in small steps.
Finally, ensure everyone in your household has their basic
needs met. We all need enough sleep, a healthy diet and
enough exercise. Many parents sacrifice the time for exercise
and meditation to make time to fit in that last bit of work before
they leave for the day or to ensure their kids get to all their
activities on time. However, remember that if you don’t take
care of your mind, body and spirit, you won’t have the energy
and well-being needed to excel both on the job and in your
parenting role at home.
HOO’s INSPIRED
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