*Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Clever Girls and their client. Thoughts and opinions are my own.
Just over three years ago I left my job in corporate America. Just three weeks later, I found out I was pregnant. To say I was terrified is an understatement, but during my unemployment, I started this amazing blog as an outlet. Fast forward, and I now have a rewarding career, a beautiful toddler, and we are expecting baby #2. We’ve also moved during that time into our first home and Andrew has received a handful of promotions in his career. All sounds fabulous right? Wrong. Yes, most of the time it is. But being a stay-at-home mom and a work-at-home mom comes with very dynamic challenges and as my site grows and I decide to take on more social media clients, trying to balance the work home balance with a toddler is difficult. Not to mention that we plan to start homeschooling also and we will soon have a newborn.
What I quickly realized is that something had to happen and had to happen fast. I came up with these five tips for work home balance that I’ve implemented since the beginning of the year and since doing so, I feel so much happier.
- Create Lists and Schedules
- I never thought I’d be the mom/person that did this, but it has seriously changed my life. I have specified tasks that get done throughout certain times during the day and it’s seriously made the biggest difference in the entire world. I’ve also heard of friends setting timers for 15 minutes and getting as much done as possible during that time.
- Keep your main living areas clean.
- We spend a lot of time in our kitchen, living room, and bedroom. I noticed that when the kitchen was cleaned up at night, that I was much happier to do things the next morning. Since you are constantly in these areas, if they are clean you will feel like the rest of your life is going well. Just don’t think about that playroom that hasn’t been touched in 2 weeks.
- Meal plan.
- Again. Game changer. I started planning one week at a time. I’m not up to two weeks at a time and it’s made the world of difference. Now, at night, I don’t have to rush around like a chicken with my head cut off. I know exactly what we are having for dinner. I know I have all the ingredients, and everyone will eat a healthy meal.
- Delegate tasks.
- This is especially easier if you have older children, but even with our two year old, she cleans up her toys while I make dinner. Andrew is in charge of garbage, making the bed, and a few other things while he’s home. Skibbles helps me unload the dishwasher and do the laundry too. As she gets older, she’ll receive more responsibilities, but ultimately everyone in the house should be helping so you don’t feel overwhelmed.
- Ask for help.
- This one was hard for me. It took a lot of time getting the courage to do so, but I’ve had too. If you have family around use them, but since we don’t, it’s just Andrew and I. Sometimes on the weekends, I need him to do more than I would normally ask as far as chores go, but the biggest change for me was once a week or every other week, slipping away for an hour to go to something alone with Skibbles. Whether that’s go grocery shopping, a pedicure, or lunch by myself, even just an hour makes a huge difference.
Everyone is actually happier and life is going great. Of course there’s days where things don’t go as planned or everything doesn’t get done. Sometimes it’s a few days in a row. I’ve started looking into more natural products when I’m having repeated bad days, and was excited to learn about RESCUE products. They are natural and homeopathic and help you stay less stressed and feel like you have more control. There are no side effects and they are non-habit forming. You can find RESUE products at CVS, Walgreens, Whole Foods, Sprouts, and other places you’d find natural products.
What do you do to manage your stress? Leave a comment letting me know!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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