The Career Mom - How to Balance Your Career and Home Life

In this day and age, it's becoming more and more difficult to live off of one income. This means that oftentimes moms have few options when it comes to the decision of whether or not to work while raising children. 

If you've decided to keep up with your career, whether through choice or necessity, you'll be busy, but you can certainly make it work. You'll be rewarded in the end because you won't have to worry about re-entry into the workforce once the kids are older, and you may opt to continue building your own 401K for retirement purposes. 

Scheduling and Planning

When you ask most working moms about how they do it, you'll often hear about their particular scheduling and planning habits. It's important to work out a set schedule that works for you personally. 

Consider the following working mom tips:

1. Plan your mornings. If you're not a morning person, try completing some of your morning tasks the evening before. Set aside enough time to get the kids up and dressed if they're not old enough to do it themselves. If you can, enjoy a meal together as a family before the day's commitments. 

2. Schedule events. Schedule your after work activities in a planner. This will ensure that there's room for everything and that nothing important is forgotten along the way. Play dates, grocery shopping, and other errands can be scheduled as well. 

3. Be flexible. Remember that everything won't always go perfectly. If something doesn't work out and you need to rearrange your schedule, just plan to do something on a different day. Since you're juggling many tasks at once, keeping your schedule flexible is a must for keeping your stress levels down.

Staying Involved

One of the top worries of working moms is the fact that they feel like they're not as involved. However, if you concentrate on spending the time you do have with your little ones in a quality way, you'll still be heavily involved in their lives. Just because you aren't there every minute, it doesn't mean that you aren't making a big difference in their lives. 

When you arrive home from work, do something with your children that you'll all enjoy. Maybe they'll want some alone time to play independently, but you can also stay involved by showing that you care. You'll have quality time with them at meals, and you can always engage them in family games or other activities. 

Taking Breaks

It's vital that you remember to schedule some breaks. If you need a "spa day" every once in awhile, it's certainly something that you deserve. Sometimes you'll feel that you spend every waking moment either at work or worrying about the children, so take some time to unwind. Read a book after the kids have gone to bed, work on your relationship with your spouse, or engage in something you find relaxing. 

Your Relationships

Spend individual time with each member of your family. Be sure to remember your partner during life's crazy times and give that relationship some much-needed nourishment as well. Individual attention will help you get to know your kids better, and you'll have time to truly build upon your lasting relationship.

A career mom is a truly special person. Sure, life can get really hectic at times, but if you follow these tips, you'll be able to strike a happy balance between your career and your life at home. 
