Tips to Maintain a Family and Work Balance

Single parents, working couples, and other working-class families often struggle to find the perfect balance of family time and work time. Many try to keep the two separated, which can be beneficial, but sometimes if not done correctly it can backfire.

While there is no surefire way to strike the perfect balance between work life and home life, there are ways and methods you can use in order to find what works best for you. Some of these tips include:

●       Find time to relax/unwind

●       Have dinner with your family whenever you can

●       Unplug when not at work

●       Figure out what and who is important in your life

●       Plan some special family trips when time allows

This list is by no means comprehensive – there are a multitude of ways in which you can find the perfect relationship between your work life and family life. However, this small list is a great place to start for the individual or couple looking to relieve some of the stress of work interfering with their family life!

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#1 – Find Time to Relax or Unwind

Allowing a moment or two for yourself is incredibly important. While you might feel like you need to spend every moment not working with your family, this could ultimately prove just as harmful as constantly working. You need to give yourself a chance to decompress after work, or if there was a particularly stressful day in the household. Your mental health and stability will allow you to enjoy the good moments to their fullest, as well as allow you to achieve the most at work.

Whenever possible, find the time and place for you to do something you like that relieves tension. Perhaps you enjoy reading a good book, taking a nap, or drinking a cup of tea, doing yoga, or just sitting in the quiet in front of your air conditioning. Whatever the case, make sure you allow yourself some private time to do something you enjoy. When you are relaxed, you will find life a lot easier to take in stride.

#2 – Have Dinner with Your Family

Whenever possible, depending on your schedule, have dinner with your family. Studies have shown that eating dinner together strengthens the familial bond and builds trust and respect between the family members. During this time, try to insure that there are no phones or televisions on or nearby, as these can detract from your family time.

Have conversations with each other and your children about how your day went, and see where it goes from there. Nurturing that family bond will allow your children to feel that much more comfortable coming to you with problems and create a mutual respect within the family. This dinner time also allows you the chance to push work from your mind for a while in order to simply enjoy your family’s presence.

#3 – Unplug When Not at Work

Even if you are not directly spending time with your family, “unplugging” is supremely beneficial. If you disconnect from your phone and computer or log off from that addictive online casino game you’ve been playing, you will find yourself far more engaged with the world around you, including your family. Unplugging relieves some of your tension (i.e., you will not be constantly awaiting a call that will not come), and you will be able to truly enjoy your family time. Take that time offline to truly enjoy your family, whether it’s laying in bed on your cozy mattress to watch a movie or playing a fun board game.

#4 – Figure Out Who & What is Important in Your Life

This might seem silly, but often cutting things out of your life will not occur to us. However, if you wish to take full advantage of your time between work and family, you must determine for yourself what is important. Obviously work and family, but what about the activities you partake in? Do you miss the days of getting geared up to hike the trails? Or have you secretly been wishing to install a personal tennis court to get back into the game? Maybe you’ve always had a dream of trying your hand at becoming a music producer for a chance at the spotlight. Whatever interests you, it’s good to remember your passions and get back to doing the things you love.

On the flip side of that, if there is something you have been doing that you no longer enjoy, then do not do it. If there is a friend or coworker that you feel has been a negative influence, do your best to respectfully sever the relationship.

Finding out what matters to you will do a world of wonders for your emotional and physical well-being and will also allow you to find more time to spend with your family doing things you enjoy.

#5 – Plan Special Family Trips

When you have a few days off, plan some special family time away from home. You can do a simple day trip, an out-of-state road trip, or even plan for an extravagant but affordable trip to Kuala Lumpur if you’re feeling really adventurous. Regardless of where you go, the new environment will only facilitate more bonding and you can create amazing new memories with your family, while giving yourself a true breather from work. Of course alert employment that you will be out of contact, and then you can truly let yourself be free for a while to enjoy your family!

… And More!

Again, these are just a few tips to get you started on striking the right balance between work and family, but hopefully these will provide you the stepping stones you need to live life to the fullest!

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