Juggling work and parenting might not exactly be the easiest thing to do, but there are a couple of things you can do to make it easier. Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency, shares 5 tips for juggling work and parenting.
Involve Your Spouse
Involving your spouse can be a great way to ease juggling work and parenting. If you don’t have a spouse, involve trusted close friend(s) or relative(s) who is (are) willing to be there for you. The fact is you can’t successfully juggle work and parenting on your own. You can communicate with these people and hash out the details of who’s going to do what and when, and then agree on it. Communication and a willingness to sacrifice and compromise are vital in making this work.
Get Great Childcare
Good and reliable childcare is better than a thousand gold bars when you’re trying to juggle work and parenting. You thus have to do your research very well and find good daycare centers and nannies that you can trust to help look after your child in your absence. However, you should be sure to keep a watchful eye on them to be sure they are taking care of your child or children in the best possible way.
Put Things in Proper Perspective
When managing work and parenting, you need to be able to put things in proper perspective. You should cut yourself some slack and try not to feel bad about having to leave your child or children all the time because in the end you are working to provide a better, easier and more comfortable life for your child or children. At this same time, you shouldn’t get carried away and use this as an excuse to be negligent. You must learn to balance the two sides and manage it as well as you can. Be away when you need to be, but be prepared to make sacrifices and compromises to be as present in your child’s life as possible. Make the effort.
Learn to Manage Your Commitments
When you’re at work, you’re at work. Be focused on completing your work and doing it to the best of your ability. When you’re at home, be at home and be focused on being the best parent ever to your child. Don’t bring home your baggage or issues from work to and dump it on your children to deal with. Even if you can’t help but bring home your issues from work, never do it in a way that affects your children. Whenever you’re with your children, be committed to being with them, and let nothing else come in between. Manage your commitments.
Know Your Priorities
You need to determine what comes first to you, your work or your children. When you know this, it will be easier for you to make decisions when the two ‘worlds’ occasionally clash. Know what’s most important to you, and let that guide your decisions during such tight periods. You don’t have to be with your child every minute for them to feel loved, but you need to know those few minutes that being with them matters most.
Remember Yourself
A sick, exhausted or drained person can hardly be useful at the workplace and to their child or children. You, therefore, have to remember to take some time to rest and take care of yourself. This way you can continue to be there for your child or children and be productive at work.
