Working parents undoubtedly have a lot on their plate. From juggling important work-related assignments to trying to feed a sometimes unwilling toddler, it's already quite a miracle that they're still sane. Jokes aside, such determination is required from them nonetheless, further establishing that being a parent takes more than just resolve.
While it truly is a challenge to keep up with such a hectic schedule resting behind their backs, there are still certainly ways in which they can make life as a parent and working professional less physically and emotionally taxing.
Enter: lifehacks. Methods in parenting that they can try including into their routine as a way of effectively managing their time, thus allowing them to be more productive.
1. Keep track of important dates and plans with a family calendar
Many people tend to underestimate the productivity value a calendar brings to the table. It makes a huge difference, especially for those who are just starting with setting up their calendars. It helps keep things organized and easily accessible at a glance.
Having a family calendar is also a great way for parents to still be involved with their children's lives by keeping themselves up to date with important matters like school events or parent-teacher meetings or even parties and other activities.
Furthermore, it makes planning easier to manage as the calendar already shows which days are already occupied and which ones are left blank. It certainly helps in avoiding making conflicting plans. On the other hand, it can also enable parents or family members to become slightly more flexible as they'll have a better overview of how each day is already plotted with activities.
The family calendar could either be a physical one or an online type. However, having an online family calendar could prove to be more useful because it can be accessed easily. Edits and additions can be made without difficulty, and it syncs in all devices where the account is logged in. There are plenty of good options around, with Google calendar being a free but powerful tool families can use in this setup.
Overall, it's a great first step in managing one's time.
It's no secret that cooking takes time—sometimes, a lot of it. The good news is that tasks like chopping up the important vegetables, meats, and poultry can be done in advance. Other dishes such as soup based ones can be stored in the freezer and taken out when needed, while meat dishes can be marinated, stored, and cooked on the day it is supposed to be served.
Moreover, planning meals in advance can be more economic for the family—home cooking most especially.
However, on days where there really isn't any time to crunch up such tasks, ordering takeout can be the way to go. Though it's important that parents mustn't be overly reliant on them.
3. Have the kids do chores in exchange for their allowance
Trying to keep the house clean and neat isn't a responsibility that should solely fall on either parents because if it did, the house will inevitably become too chaotic.
A great method of dealing with this, especially as a working parent is to let your kids do the household chores. In exchange for their effort, they will receive their allowance with the amount depending on how much work they did or what chores they took on.
In this way, the children will learn how to be responsible which can definitely help them as independent adults in the future. It will also teach them to become mindful of their living spaces, and to strive to keep their places clean and neat.
Additionally, by having them put in a little work for their allowance, they will also learn the value of money and how it is earned in real life.
4. For younger children, dress them up in advanced the night before
Changing into different clothes throughout the day can be somewhat of a task, especially with toddlers and younger children. Toddlers could go on a tantrum for hours while young ones just won’t do it even when asked to, thus resulting in having to help them change up.
All in all, it takes up too much time than needed.
For appointments or important events that will take place the next day, it’s a good idea to have them prepped up already which means getting them dressed in their clothes for tomorrow. It may sound a little crazy or even strange to even be considering, but changing up their clothes beforehand not only saves time but also lessens the load of laundry that awaits because essentially, you’re removing one less piece of clothing. With this, mornings don’t have to be so difficult. The routine of changing clothes won’t have to take too long and you can easily make it through with less hassle.
5. Schedule a weekly tradition that you can do with the whole family
Rather than aiming for a balanced work-life, a much better endeavor is to strive for work-life integration as Forbes puts it. Which also means that it isn’t all about trying to make things work between your job and family life, trying to check off certain goals within the checklist, but rather trying to integrate it in a way where it doesn’t take up too much of your attention thereby leading to stress. As such, having a weekly tradition with the family can be a good way of dealing with this.
This weekly tradition can range from indoor activities like movie nights, board games, or simply having a meal together with everyone in the family present. Meanwhile, outdoor activities can include going out to eat at a fancy restaurant, having cookouts, or playing a sport which everyone can certainly benefit from. These weekly traditions are supposed to be something everyone in the family can look forward to. It is a way of spending time with each other despite how busy it can get and makes the familial bond even stronger, creating memories that can last a lifetime.
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