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Balancing a family and a full-time job can be difficult. As a dedicated provider for your family, you try to devote as much time and effort to your career as you do to your family. However, sometimes “provision” and “success” come at the cost of family harmony or children’s personal growth. Here are five unique tips for balancing work and family:
1. Recognize that there is no such thing as a “perfect” work-life balance
When you hear “work-life balance,” you probably envision a productive day at work followed by an early departure to spend the rest of the day with friends and family. It’s a nice thought, but it’s not always realistic. If you want to achieve a satisfactory balance between your professional and personal obligations, aim for a realistic schedule, not a flawless one. There will always be “more work to do”. It is important to balance your life by making time for your interests and loved ones every day, rather than relying on long stays at home or away from the office.
Related: 15 Ways to Better Manage Work-Life Balance as a Parent and Entrepreneur
2. Create a digital connection with your teen and make them laugh
As parents, we want to encourage less screen time, but creating a digital connection with your teen in today’s digital age is also important. Inevitably, you will have to stay late at the office, miss dinner with your family, or cancel plans at some point. This is where a digital connection with your teen can help a little. This could mean sending them funny Instagram filter videos or even Snapchat filter videos. You want to try to connect with them at their level, where they connect digitally with their friends. It can take less than five minutes and can make all the difference. Maybe you should learn some of their lingo and surprise them. Brace yourself – this is going to sound a little weird. But here are some strangebut current phrases to learn: “sus,” “cap,” and “bet.”
Theirs (pronounced dry) means something is suspicious.
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Example: “Sydney, why are you acting like that theirs suddenly?”
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Example: “Sydney, you can be honest with me. You don’t need to act theirs – You know I love you.
Cap means that something is not true, it is a lie, or you don’t believe it.
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Example: “Jeremy, don’t cap. You know you didn’t study for an hour.”
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Example: “Jeremy, we both know it is cap. Just be honest with me.”
Make a bet means “okay” or “deal” or “sure, let’s do it.”
- Example: “Okay, Cody, BET. After you finish your homework tonight, you can play video games for an extra 90 minutes.”
If you’re trying to get your teen to smile (or give you a weird look), try using a few of them in one sentence.
- Example: “Andy, I know you want to play video games with your friends. So stop it closure about how much you studied. You behave a lot theirs — I see through you.
Be prepared for your teen to look at you very funny, and maybe roll their eyes and laugh at you when you use any of these words, but always say them with a smile. The point of using their lingo is to connect with them on a different, albeit arbitrary, level.
Related: 8 Ways to Reduce the Stress of Balancing Work and Family
3. Family dinner — as much as possible — NO phones
Family dinner is a time to gather around the table and collectively disconnect from the world. This allows you to spend time alone with your kids (and loved ones) to learn about their days, and it’s the perfect time to laugh together over some food. Do your best as a parent to be positive during this time with your family. DO YOUR BEST to make that time for your family, NOT your job.
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Make it a strict NO PHONES rule at dinner so everyone is present. You may get pushback from your teenage family members about not using your phone at dinner because of teenagers’ phone addiction. This is actually called nomophobia, which means “no mobile phobia”. It is the fear of being disconnected or disconnected from the phone.
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Be sure to ask details about your teen’s day and follow up on questions you asked on previous days.
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Ask about their friends, teachers, classes and sports if they play them.
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Stay involved in their lives. Don’t just “ask for the sake of asking”. Be genuinely interested and listen to what they say.
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Learn what’s coming up in their lives that excites them.
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Find out what you can do to encourage, motivate and help them think creatively.
4. Make a strategy and a routine — AND FOLLOW IT
Strategizing is hard when you have a million things to do at work and with family, especially when new fluctuating situations always pop up out of nowhere. Still, the consideration of creating a strategy with your “must-haves” cannot be overstated. Some things on your list will fall off due to differences in your days, but there are important goals that need to be accomplished from the list and others can be pushed to the next morning. Do your best not to consistently compromise your family promises. It’s understandable from time to time, but our world is built on consistency and your family will notice.
Related: 5 Essential Strategies for a Blissful Work-Family Balance
5. Unplugging is important and recommended
Disconnecting from the digital world/work allows us to live in the moment and recover from daily stress. It also creates mental space for the development of new ideas and thoughts. Unplugging can be as simple as putting your phone down at a certain time or practicing meditation.
A real disconnect sometimes involves taking a vacation and shutting down all work for a while. Whether you’re on a one-day layover or a two-week trip with the family, it’s extremely important to take time off to manage your physical and mental health. Taking time off may seem impossible, but you can do it. This will bring benefits to both you and your family.
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