Managing your time is an important factor in successfully balancing work and family. The tasks that need to be completed at home, time spent at work and time for family all seem to compete against each other. Consider the following suggestions:
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Decide (with your spouse or partner, if applicable) what your family priorities are. They may change from one month to the next, but it helps to have a manageable number of things to get done. Try to let go of the unimportant things. Include your older children in the discussion once you and your partner are in agreement. They, too, have needs and priorities that should be included in the family plan.
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Break down household chores and decide who does what. Posting a schedule or chore chart may help family members to remember what their responsibilities are. Children’s chores may be connected to their privileges. It helps if everyone in the family feels a sense of teamwork and that “we are all in this together”.
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Set up a schedule of what gets done when during the week.
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Keep a family calendar with everyone’s appointments and activities on it where everyone can see it.
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Set aside daily time to spend with each child alone, even if it is just 10 or 15 minutes to hear about their day and discuss problems and concerns they may have or things that may be special and exciting to them. Individual attention is very important.
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Set aside time for just you and your partner to spend together.
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Make lists of things to do and update them frequently.
