Sometimes you feel that pure adrenaline alone is keeping you going and you wonder how you are able to survive, let alone function well at work and juggle all the other requirements of being a busy mum.
You know that if you could only work to a schedule, things would be more manageable, but the little one at home knows nothing of schedules! During these crucial formative years, the baby is entirely dependent on your response and it sometimes feels as if you are working a 9-to-5 shift in reverse at night, as you answer to your newborn baby’s requirements.
You are loving your new life as a devoted mother, but often feel as if you are at your wits’ end as you struggle to find that extra bit of energy to conquer seemingly mundane tasks. Isn’t in awful, when you can see the new work week approaching and not know how you’re going to cope?
While we have already determined that it is difficult to maintain a schedule and if someone mentions the phrase “time management” to you once more, you are going to scream, but it is nevertheless important for you to establish as close to a routine as you possibly can.
Without routines we find ourselves bouncing from pillar to post and it all leads up to an elevated level of stress, which negatively impacts every other area. Although you might not like to think that you have to do so, it’s important for you to get into a routine as soon as possible.
In the mornings, keep your procedures as simple as possible. Getting up can be a real wrench if your night-time rest has been disrupted by baby’s needs. Nevertheless, there is much to do and if you do these items in the same order each day, it will be easier.
Exercise is vitally important and this must be your first priority. Don’t be tempted to take an extra 15 minutes in bed. While you’re on the treadmill, the coffee can be brewing and the early morning headlines, traffic and weather ahead of you on the TV. At the appropriate time, get the children out of bed and ensure that they do their own chores as well, to help you out.
You will need to get this down to a fine art, or even a science, every day. This can be the most stressful time of the day as you are trying to wake yourself up and focus on what you have to do. If your routine is clockwork and all the other members of the family understand this and also do their bit, you’ll be better prepared to get out of the door running.
From time to time, you might think that you have nothing available when it comes to keeping up with your “me time” and enjoying your social life, having to concentrate so hard on work and the baby. You will hopefully have a great understanding with a caregiver and understand just how important this person is within your whole picture.
At work, you will, also hopefully, have a very understanding boss. Never take advantage of the situation though and only call in any favours or use any delay allowances or personal days if absolutely necessary. If you always play fair, whenever emergencies come along, you will be more able to deal with this situation and to meet with your boss’s favour.
At work, try not to schedule anything too technically demanding for first thing in the day and make sure you do not overload your schedule with unrealistic expectations.
Time management is very important during your 9-to-5 routine at work and you should try not to allow work to spill over into your own personal time.
In most cases, professional coaching can focus your attention on key areas of your life. Dedicated coaching for women is praised by many in your situation, who have turned to online life coaching to really help them get past “the wall.”
Amanda Alexander, Director of Coaching Mums, helps pressure-cooked, stressed working mums who long for more hours in the day. Through her coaching programmes and online life coaching courses, Amanda shows mums how to create fulfilling and successful lives. For your simple 5 step guide to balance as a working mum, download our free eBook today!
Tags: (coaching, business, Family, Parenting, work life balance)
