Written by: Barbra Smith / Last updated: Feb 3, 2024
Working mothers seek work-life balance, and that can be stressful and challenging as they have to do numerous things in one full day.
New working mommies think that setting a tight and precise schedule for their day is achievable and an easy task, but it is not.
But do you know that nearly 44% of women stopped working when they had their child? That is due to the stress of leaving the baby at daycare, stress from work, being a wife, etc.
Managing time is hard, and when moms try to set unrealistic schedules for their day and fail, they start giving up.
In this article, we will show you how to scientifically find work-life balance for working moms.
How to balance your life as a working mom?
There was a study done by the Harvard Business Review called the Progress Principle.
In this study, they found that happy and satisfied people with their lives have a common thing, which is making progress in one thing that matters to them.
Moms’ priorities differ occasionally, but all experts agree that bonding with kids in their first 5 years is essential for their development.
For new working mothers:
Assign a fixed time daily to bond with your kid, and for the rest of the day, you are free to do what you want.
For the rest of the day, I recommend reading books about parenting written by renowned authors, as they will help you gain more information.
If you are not a new mom:
Get a piece of paper to write down your priorities and highlight which priority matters to you because you will have to apply the progress principle to that priority.
For example, if you assign 30 minutes of your day to learn a new skill online for 5 days each week, then by the end of the year, you should know that you have studied 130 hours of that skill.
After getting enough experience in that skill, you can become a freelancer and have a flexible part-time job, which is widely done by any work-from-home mom.
Also, remember that maintaining balance is achievable only when you set realistic goals by truly knowing your abilities.
Focus on spending quality time with kids
What many new mommies do right now is sit with their kids at home physically, but mentally, they think about other things, and that’s wrong.
They think that doing several things in parallel is effective in saving time, and that is true in some cases but not recommended at all when we bond with children.
For example, you cannot watch TV or read a book while listening to your daughter’s problems at the same time because she might feel disrespected or not appreciated.
Personally, I assign one day each week to do activities with my family, whether outdoors or indoors, because these activities help us get to know each other really well.
working mothers should Avoid setting tight schedules
What I used to do many times before was set tight schedules with several tasks every day because I wanted to feel productive.
I succeeded sometimes, but mostly failed, and then realized that setting more time aside for a specific task is necessary.
For example, if you decide to do a task in 30 minutes, then assign 40 or 45 minutes for that task to guarantee that you will do it entirely with no stress.
Working mothers should be flexible in planning their days because keeping the balance between all tasks is challenging and will make them feel discouraged when they cannot do what they have planned.
Be flexible and realistic
As a working mom who wants to achieve a work-life balance, you should change your priorities according to your life circumstances.
A mom with one child is different from another one with two children, and they are both different from a single mom with children.
Setting achievable goals according to your current situation is more important than comparing yourself to others because guilt will sneak in and you will feel like you are failing in your parenting mission.
Remember to change your plans when your kids grow older because when they are older, they become more independent, which means more free time for yourself and more responsibilities for them.
Abandon social media pressure
It has become easy to encounter random videos on social media of people claiming success in their lives and achieving the work-life balance we all aspire to.
You can come across this kind of online content, and after watching these videos, you start feeling stressed because you are not satisfied with your life.
You should know that most of these videos are fake and are only made to attract views and engagement.
If one of these videos is real, we do not know the circumstances or the history of that successful person because that person may be showing you one side of her life and hiding the other.
Make personal time
You should have personal time for yourself to avoid burnout, and you should also have a straight 7 to 8 hours of sleep because a lack of sleep will affect your overall performance.
You need to consider going out with friends or your life partner alone from time to time to refresh your mind.
Also, practicing your favorite sport two or three times a week will help you stay in good shape and improve your mental health.
Tips to save time as a working mom
Doing tasks with life hacks will help to save time for your schedule, so consider these tips for more progress.
Stay organized
Take care of your house and put all your supplies in the proper places so you can spend less time putting things together.
Pay money to buy time.
Many successful and wealthy people sacrifice some of their money to use the services of others, like hiring a nanny, a cook, etc.
If you can pay money for some service, then do not hesitate because the more time you have, the more achievements you make.
Share your responsibilities with your life partner.
Having a supportive and understanding partner will make things easier.
Plan your life with your partner and make a mutual plan about the home responsibilities, like who studies for the kids or who will do certain chores.
Ask other working mothers for advice or help.
You can start asking your mom for tips about how she organized her life when you were a kid, or you can ask the surrounding moms in your community for guidance.
It is important to have good relationships with working mothers in your neighborhood because, in emergencies, they can take care of your kids and will rush for your help.
Use online services.
We are more lucky than our parents because we have the internet and we can do many things from home.
Shopping online, like buying clothes, cosmetics, or groceries, can save you valuable time, so do not ignore this great option.
Involve the kids.
When your kids are old enough, do not hesitate to make them share responsibilities.
Asking the kids to help you with chores is a great way to share time together while teaching them some life skills.
A word from parents' diaries
As a busy working mommy, it is a big challenge for you to balance your time. It is difficult, but not impossible; you can do it. Try to follow these instructions. And remember that you will only fail when you decide to give up.
Live your life happily with all the ups and downs because all the difficulties you face right now will be good memories to laugh at in the future because nothing lasts forever.
