Can you answer this million-dollar question? Most parents feel the frustration of competing interests. How is it possible to advance career interests, raise healthy children, and enjoy a few moments for yourself? Is it really possible?
For years I fell into the trap that so many parents do, distributing attention according to which fire is hottest. The problem was that career needs were always most urgent, followed by family, then by personal. This left me as a very busy worker who rarely found personal time to re-charge. This charge to urgency reduced my effectiveness in all of my roles.
Parents need to step back and take time to prioritize, coordinate efforts, and communicate. When these three elements come together, parents can spend their time in accordance with importance rather than urgency. Parents who are organized, knowledgeable of and aligned with their priorities, and revitalized by pursuit of some personal interest will be much more balanced and prepared to deal with the many challenges of parenthood.
I’m interested in learning how other parents either balance their interests or hang on by the seat of their pants. If you fall into one of these categories, please speak up and let me know how you do it.
I’ve worked regular jobs and I’ve also been self-employed from home. Right now, my life is in transition, having recently relocated. I’m now self-employed again. Right now, life is good and some anxiety would be alleviated with less erratic cashflow.
Weekdays are primarily dedicated to work, but family time and time to myself are included in smaller chunks. Weekends are primarily for family, social time, and household chores. Occasionally, family time, me time, or household maintenance time get extra attention.
What I find amazing is, out of the 168 hours in a week, only 40 are for work, yet it seems like so much more!