Reconciling the tasks of work with the routine of motherhood is one of the greatest difficulties of the modern woman. Coordinating your schedules with your children’s schedules and on top of that still finding time to take care of yourself and maintain a harmonious relationship at home can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to become a nightmare. If you are a tired and very busy mother, the tips below will help you organize a lighter daily life.
1 – Set a regular routine
Children need predetermined schedules for almost everything. Waking up, having lunch, playing, studying and going to bed need to be scheduled activities so that they get used to a regular routine. This saves time, because it avoids endless discussions and arguments about all the tasks they need to perform throughout the day.
Choose a reasonable time for the family to wake up, so everyone can have breakfast together and get ready without rushing. From there, it will be easy to determine bedtime and fit in the rest of the day’s activities.
2 – Refuse a busy schedule
In order not to go crazy managing the schedules of many after-school activities, try not to overload the children. Together, choose just one or two activities for each of them to practice during the week. Too many classes and commitments complicate your life and theirs, as well as reducing the time you can spend together.
3 – Create a collaborative network
You will probably meet many parents who have the same problems with their children’s logistics as you do. Making contact with these people is not just a matter of knowing what kind of people your children are living with, it also creates a network of mutual collaboration. Arrange with these acquaintances a relay system to pick up the children from school and extracurricular activities. This will unburden your schedule and theirs without compromising the education of the little ones.
4 – Have at least two people you trust for emergencies
A last-minute meeting at work or a dinner with clients are emergency situations that are not usually scheduled in advance. That’s why it’s good to have someone to count on to stay with the kids when necessary. It could be a relative, a friend, the parents of a little friend of theirs, or even a nanny who is available beyond regular hours. The important thing is to be able to entrust the children to someone in an extreme situation.
5 – Make a weekly plan
Keep up with your children’s weekly schedule. School meetings and presentations, for example, don’t happen that often, so you’ll be notified in advance. Try to set up an agenda for the week that is about to begin, so you won’t get lost in the middle of commitments, nor will you go crazy trying to fit in appointments that you had forgotten about.
6 – Know how to delegate tasks
You don’t have to do everything alone. Share the chores as much as possible with your husband, the nanny, and even your children. Ask for help with cleaning the house, keeping the clothes in order, taking the dog for a walk and going to the bank, for example. This will give you a little extra time and give them a greater sense of responsibility and teamwork.
7 – Make time for your stuff
At least once a week, make sure you have time for the things you love to do. Don’t forget that, in addition to being a mother, wife and worker, you are also a woman and need care for yourself.