There was a time when I thought that work at home mums had it all. They were able to stay home, look after and watch their children grow all whilst earning a living. However the reality is so different to the view that the rose-tinted glasses first gave. It is difficult trying to manage a household, children and deadlines and getting a good work/life balance can be difficult.
There are times when you feel as those you are being torn into a million pieces and not managing to complete any jobs successfully (running around like a headless chicken springs to mind). Whilst there will always been days when no matter how much to try you just can’t get everything right you can at least aim for a good work/life balance.
Five tips for maintaining a good work/life balance
1. Eat, drink and exercise – It’s easy to forget to eat, drink and exercise when you are juggling a deadline. Making sure that you have eaten, are hydrated and taken a walk around the garden will help your mind focus on the task at hand rather than slowing down to a grind as it hasn’t got the fuel to do the best job.
2. Outsourcing household chores – Consider whether you can outsource some of your chores. Household tasks aren’t everyone’s favourite thing to do so why not see whether it is worth your while getting a cleaner for a couple of hours a week, sending your clothes out to be ironed or hiring a gardener to keep things looking great. It might sound like a luxury however you might be able to earn more money in an hour than it would to pay for these services therefore making financial sense as well as relieving you of some household chores.
3. Switch off – Set yourself a time each day when you switch off all technology. From putting the laptop away, turning off the WiFi/4G connection on your smart phone and resisting the urge to take just one quick look at your emails/social media. Whilst we live in a world where the average nine to five job is outdated it doesn’t mean that we have to turn our working week into a 24/7 culture. So switch off, run a bath and relax.
4. Join Hiive – Hiive is a creative network that offers users a portfolio platform, job opportunities and access to careers resources. It’s designed to encourage discussion and collaboration within the creative industries.
5. Know your limits – It can be easy to take on too much, whether it is paid work because that extra money would come in handy, agreeing to an extra play date or offering your services at the school. As much as we like to think that we are able to do it all the reality is that we all have our limits. Don’t be afraid to say no or postpone things that don’t need to happen that particular week.
Disclosure: This post is in collaboration with Hiive
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