A single parent’s job is bit tough to hand, they should manage profession and also their personal life. They should take care of both at equal levels. If they compromise either at work or with family, they cannot balance their life. They do not have someone who can share their work to handle their children at home, so that they can concentrate on the workplace. The personal life may disturb their career and leads to quit from services. Here are some suggestions which can balance work as well as parenting
How to Balance Work and Parenting as a Single Parent?
1. Complete work time to time:
Whether it is an office or home. Recognize what you have to do on a daily basis. Try to complete your work time to time, so that you will not have works waiting for you and waste your time. By this you will have free time to manage other works or do not get stressed with work load. At office you need not work extra time to complete all the pending works, dedicate yourself some personal time. This will help you to balance your schedule
2. Take care of yourself:
Single parenting life is a single centered responsibility, it means there are dependants on your existence, the children are purely depending on you, to take care of them and to build their career. First thing, you have to take care of your health, you should be fit to work and earn money and feed them. So if you neglect your health you will not able to perform your duties and guide your children. Allocate time for yourself and have a proper diet and physical exercises to stay healthy, so that you can maintain your children’s health
3. Identify people who support:
Think about the family or friends or neighbors who can just help you if there is an emergency at home or your personal emergency. Always maintain relation with them so that they can support you whenever there is an emergency alarm at your workplace or home. You may not always be available to your children, at times you may be in urgent seminar which is very much useful for your career, in that case you can just text your friends and just be ready with an alternative option to take care of your children.
4. Do not dig past:
Whatever happened, is happening your life, do not distract yourself as you are wholly responsible and carrying such burden to handle a lot of work. Thinking about the past and crying for your present is not the solution to take forward your life. Just utilize such time for good things that makes you live in this situation. Motivate yourself to stand up for your family also to concentrate on your job. Do not expect sympathy from others, since they are not going to sort out your problems. Only you know the purpose why you should work hard so in case of depression, think of ways like having a counseling so that you may find a way to overcome and focus on your life.
5. Allocate time for children:
Once you are done with your office work. Allocate time for children, how they are going with their lives and their interests, achievement, guide them and let them know you were watching at their movements. Often take them to recreation places, have some fun with them and spend your valuable time to enjoy with children, that makes them feel happy. Fulfill their needs, also allow them to do their work so that they also feel responsible person in the family. If you do not have much time to take care of their daily needs appoint a maid or a nanny by investigating about them thoroughly.
6. Make your own timetable:
A timetable is a best tool to remind your activities time to time. Note down the activities which you have done at home. Also list down the activities which you have to perform at work. This allows you to be disciplined and will not allow you to skip any activity which is required. Do not disappoint your manager, also do not disappoint people at home by just telling them ” I forgot”. Put a timetable sticky note on your work desk also in your room. Go through it daily, if you feel that you cannot complete the task try to replace with an alternate solution
7. Be flexible at work:
Understand the working hours and just divide time for work, and time for personal. If you are provided with a week off by the organization. Plan with your children what is the immediate requirement in which your presence is needed by them. Know your flexibility in your workplace. Talk with your manager in case you had to attend some personal work which is most important and request him so that you will be permitted to join your family and also let him know how can you complete your works. This communication makes you feel comfortable.
8. Prioritize your own responsibilities:
Do not waste your time at work. In working hours, utilize the time for completing tasks in smart ways Do not chat with colleagues on unwanted things and increase the work burden, spend time with them in your break time, work with the team to bring productivity. Always focus on things that you get paid off. Make priorities, compare two works in case of a confusion for example, your colleague called you for a dinner on the other hand your child have to submit a project in which he/she need your help. Think ways on how can you balance both or pick one which is most important
9. Do not overlap work and personal life:
Do not perform office work at home, since you will have household work that should be managed. Until and unless it is urgent, do not be busy with office work in home, spend time with your household activities and take care of your children, sit with your children have a chat with them, prepare a delicious food and feed them. Make yourself relief from work stress and enjoy your personal life. Also, do not discuss or follow up with your family about your workforce. Differentiate both personal and profession. This leads to work -life balance
10. Find leisure time for yourself:
Sometimes you wanted to find time for yourself. Go on a holiday and just engage yourself in an activity which makes you feel better. Do things which you love and enjoy, find your stress buster and just keep aside things for a while and gain strength and passion to work again. This makes you ease and you feel quite interesting with your life, the narrow path fades and you can look at things simple. You will boost up with a positive attitude and go ahead.
11. Do not miss important days:
Always save important days in your laptop and mobile and keep a reminder. If you do not maintain it and you forget it in your busy schedule, children get disappointed. You feel frustrated, at a stage you will quit one of them to escape from the stress. Do not give a chance for failure, do not rush into things. Don’t get surprised suddenly and worry how to manage it. Prepare yourself a day before and organize things, so that you do not regret for your mistake later
12. Anticipate the worst:
If you were provided a chance to work in a place which is not comfortable to balance your job and personal life. Think of the hurdles, how do you fight against them and what if you do not grab the opportunity how is it going to affect your career. The purpose will drive you to face the challenge, if your children are grown up allow them to stay as paying guest for a few days or think of solutions how can you transfer his education at your workplace city. Anticipate and think about ways that you will not give up neither with profession nor family
13. Do not allow stress:
The cause of imbalance of your work and parenting is stress. If you allow it, then you will end up with failure. Love what you do. But do not compel yourself . Eliminate stress in your life, then it paves way to equal your work life. Find reasons what is making you terrify at work also at home. If you work on them, then your life will be balanced.
We should perform our duties at work also at home, in order to make our life peaceful and balanced one must apply above tips in their routine life. Try to look things at the big picture then you will understand the necessity , you will start playing your role with more responsibility. Do not worry and depress but start enjoying it then you can manage your parenting well and be a lovable parent to your children also a sincere employee at workforce.
