The Constant Juggle
By Elizabeth Hinders
3
Will it ever go away? The juggle between work and home life can be difficult to beat. Do you find yourself trying to do your work at home? The kids running around, making it hard to concentrate? It’s time to get your work life away from your home life. There are many actions that can be taken in order to separate the two.
One of the first steps is making time for fun. As parents we tend to have troubles finding time in our busy lives. It’s important thought for kids to get their quality family time. I don’t just mean the car ride to an away game for your child’s football team, but an actual day or night when the family can hang out with no distractions. Even if it is just once a month, any amount of time will help. Have a family game night or maybe a family movie night. The kids will enjoy spending time with you and getting a break from the hectic life.
The next step is making your boundaries clear. If you happen to find yourself working while you are at home then you need to justify a place where you will only do work. Create a home office or a place where only work and office items are placed. Then create a place where only home and relaxing can be thought of. Even if your work place or home space is just a corner, any justified space will help immensely. Make your places a “no children zone” so the kids know that if Mom or Dad is in their space then they can’t be bothered. The kids will understand and be much happier when their mom or dad will not be thinking about work when they are spending time together.
Although there are many different techniques to balancing life and work, these two will help a lot. Give them a shot and see if the kids and you are any happier. It may take a little bit of time, but after a while it should become normal to have a work space, a home space, and a family fun night.
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