Being a work-from-home parent is no easy feat. This series is specifically for those out there who are balancing the two titles: parent and boss.
If you missed Part One, click here.
If you missed Part Two, click here.
If you missed Part Three, click here.
If you missed Part Four, click here.
The next and final advice for this series is…
…Tips for Staying Sane
Prioritize quiet time
Whether you wake up an hour before your kids to read, pray, meditate, journal, exercise, or get ready for the day in quiet, it’s essential for a peaceful start to your day.
Create a space in your house that you can go for quite time. Whether it be your back porch or your comfy office chair, having a space designated for quiet time is a good way to ensure you spend the time specifically for down time.
Get a Gym Membership
My gym is my happy place. I can exercise, get a massage or facial, work on emails, catch up on life all while my kids play and run their energy out.
If you aren’t one for gyms, consider going to a local park that has walking trails or a jungle gym that your kids can run and climb and play.
When the weather is nice, I’ll pack up my laptop and snacks for the kids, and we’ll go for a bike ride to our neighborhood park. They get to run around while I connect my laptop to my phone’s internet hotspot, and plan my social media or upcoming blog posts without feeling guilty. It’s a win-win for all of us!
Give Yourself Grace
Re-read tip number two. No one can do everything perfectly. No one has it all together. Everyone needs help and everyone fails at some point. It’s okay!
Give yourself grace, mama.
Schedule Margin
I love this one. If you’re constantly feeling like your calendar is jam-packed and you have no extra time, I’m going to be blunt when I say that it’s your fault.
Do yourself and your family a huge favor and schedule a day (start with one day a month, preferably a weekend or a day when everyone is home together) and block out the day to have nothing on the calendar.
Spend time together as a family. Be spontaneous. Sleep in. Snuggle in bed together as a family. And see where the day takes you.
You’ll find your schedule is suddenly not controlling you, but you’ve taken back control of your time.
Give Yourself Even More Grace
Giving yourself grace is such an essential part of being a work-from-home parent so I’m stating it again. Give yourself grace.
I think far too often we feel like we have to be the “super parent” and do all the things… from packing healthy lunches, to being the parent who always dedicates their time to their kids soccer games, etc… we don’t have to do it all.
We aren’t meant to do it all. Give yourself grace. You’re doing great.
Say “no” more
Saying “no” to something is saying “yes” to something else. Saying “no” to lunch with an acquaintance is saying “yes” to taking your kids to a museum. Saying “no” to helping plan the kids’ school’s holiday party is saying “yes” to more time with your spouse. I could go on and on…you get the idea.
You are not a bad person for saying “no” and NEVER EVER feel like you have to justify why you’re saying “no” to something.
Don’t overload your kids’ activities
Baseball practice on Monday, Girl Scouts on Tuesday, youth group on Wednesday, ballet on Thursday, etc. That just sounds exhausting!
I promise you that your kids won’t miss being run around town and eating dinner in the car because you’re running late…again. Limit your kids to one, maybe two, activities per week.
Again, this will help you control your time and not be controlled by your schedule.
Well, that’s it, friends!
I hope you enjoyed my five big tips for work-at-home parents.
Please comment below, let me know which tip was your favorite, share these with a friend whom you think would benefit, or let me know if you have any other questions!
I can’t wait to hear from you!
If you liked this series you may also like the following blogs…
6 Ways to Reenergize During Midweek Blues
The Five FREE Tools I Use for My Business
