If you have a family, it’s often hard to balance several commitments with a full work life. Balancing your job and family is hard for many people, and it can be tricky to find the perfect mix. But with a few strategies, you can better cope and reduce your stress.
Get Part-Time or Flexible Hours if You Can
Having more flexibility at work can be a huge stress-reliever to your whole family. If you can, think about making your work more part-time. You might feel that it doesn’t give you as much financial freedom, but you may have a better quality of life and daily rewards. Consider your values and think about your priorities. For instance, do you need a large income to support expensive family vacations, or are there other ways to spend time together that would be equally rewarding? If you have debt, like student loans, you may feel that your only option is to keep working full-time to pay it off. But that’s not the only option. Consider refinancing your loans. You can use a student loan calculator to preview how much you could save each month before making any permanent decisions.
Do Things in Advance
Most people tend to be busiest during the workweek. If you can prepare for Monday, you’ll make the upcoming week much less stressful. Create a calendar for your family and put it on your refrigerator. On Sunday, take a look at what you have going on that week and figure out how you’ll manage it. If possible, consider making several meals during the weekend and putting them in your freezer or refrigerator. On a busy evening, all you’ll have to do is heat them up. If you have older children, this is a great learning experience for them. Planning your meals for the next week will simplify your grocery list and save some money. For many people, stress after work often comes when it’s time to decide what to have for dinner than making it. You can bring the leftovers to lunch the next day.
Think About Your Priorities
With so many things demanding your time, it’s hard to please everyone. You might be juggling several goals, like being successful at work, having a relationship with your significant other, and spending time with your kids. You might also want to further your education and maintain your home. Or you may be dealing with aging parents. Each of these things takes time and energy, and they’ll often conflict. There are only 24 hours in a day, and some of those hours are spent sleeping. Think about what you value most and then set your priorities. For instance, if you want to spend time with your kids, you may need to set aside time each night to be with them instead of working long hours to pay for a bigger house. Don’t be afraid to say no – you can’t please everyone or be everywhere at once. Once you have your goals set, everything else will fall into place.
