Two working parents raising one or more kids on their own don’t have too much time for themselves. Truth be told, they often don’t have enough time to spend quality time with their kids.
If you belong to this group of parents, perhaps you just need to organize your time more efficiently.
In this article, you’ll read more about some time-management that will help you become more productive in the workplace, and in your family.
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Set your priorities
From the existential point of view, families in which both parents work are happy families. No matter how high your income is, you can make enough money for a modest living.
But if both working parents spend too much time at work, their children will not be so happy. While your job and salary are important, they shouldn’t be your top priority.
Entrepreneur parents need to set their priorities and manage their time in line with this list. Working eight hours per day is the ideal option to reach a family-business balance. But if you need to work more, don’t take these overtime hours from your family time.
Get up earlier in the morning or stay up later at night, while your kids are sleeping to finish your work tasks.
Apart from work, you need to determine your priorities in all other aspects of your life. While every parent needs to have some hobbies, don’t take up too many things. A sporting or leisure activity once a week and one meeting with your friends is the right measure for busy parents with children.
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Make to-do lists
It’s easier to perform all your tasks on time if you make to-do notes. Some people record themselves with their mobiles while they’re making spoken notes.
Others prefer creating visual to-do lists so that they can always check their obligations and things they need to do.
For your business projects, the most practical thing is to make a to-do list on your computer screen. Also, post-it notes on notice boards are convenient reminders.
As your kids are growing up, show them how to organize their time with different notes. You can put a notice board somewhere in your home to make everyone aware of their daily tasks at home.
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Delegate tasks
When talking about in-house duties, parents should delegate tasks to all family members, including kids. So, the notice board mentioned above is the simplest way of organizing your family tasks.
Once you write down all the chores and other house works and family members in charge of them, you’re done. It’s up to them to complete their tasks and mark their obligations as Done on the board.
And if you all perform all your tasks at the same time, you’ll get a new time slot to have dinner or watch a movie together, as a family.
The same goes for your business tasks and your kids’ school and extracurricular activities. If the obligations of all family members overlap, it means that you’ll be free at the same time.
You can suggest your kids to apply the same principle when planning their activities. They use different colors and notes to highlight these tasks in order of emergency.
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Simplify your meals
Working parents often don’t have enough time to cook for their children. As a result, they either turn to fast food or prepare processed food bought at the local supermarket.
This is something that needs to change. If parents don’t show their kids how to eat healthy food, kids are more likely to develop bad eating habits.
Therefore, busy parents should find more time to cook. If you don’t want to waste too much time cooking, focus on simple meals. Preparing vegetables, fish, and salads is usually simpler than spending hours making complicated food.
For instance, parents can join forces to prepare meals for the entire week in advance. You two should sit down together, make a menu for the entire week, get those groceries, and cook those meals together.
Since for most families dinner is the only meal that they have together, it’s even more important to have healthy food prepared in advance.
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Use professional assistance
Some busy parents would rather fall apart from business and private duties than ask for professional assistance. Even though it’s an understandable point of view – we want to do our things on our own – sometimes it’s better to use an extra hand.
When both parents are in the middle of a busy period, getting someone to help you around the house is the right thing to do. It will give you more time for your kids and to have a rest from tiring workdays.
Sometimes parents aren’t able to help their kids with school activities. Hiring a private tutor is a solution in that case. Your kids will get proper professional help with their school tasks. After that, you can do some fun things with your kids instead of spending hours doing something you don’t know.
Parents can do the same for younger kids, as well. When they have more obligations in the office, they can hire other teaching professionals, as well. It can give your kids additional value, as well. For instance, if they spend a few hours a week with a French-speaking nanny, they’ll be supervised by a childcare professional and learn another language at a young age.
Entrepreneur parents are often overwhelmed with their professional and private obligations. For better organization, they should prioritize their duties to commit more time to their family. Visual lists of obligations for all family members and to-do lists on business computers will improve your time management, as well. Also, you should delegate tasks to all your family members and prepare healthy meals in advance. Finally, during more intensive periods t work, don’t hesitate to seek professional help, both for your kids’ education and for your own wellbeing.
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AuthorBio: Anne Harris is an HR specialist working for londongoverness.com. She recruits nannies, governesses and other childcare professionals, ensuring top-notch services for parents worldwide. In her free time she likes reading about education, and children’s welfare, as well as visiting sports events.
