As a working mom, it’s often incredibly difficult to find the time to reach any semblance of balance while being stretched all directions throughout each and every day. These days, it seems that unless you’ve got a special gift for effective time management, it’s just not possible to find enough time to take care of all the needs of your children, your job, your housework and the myriad of other tasks that are always so necessary.
When we choose to put things off until tomorrow – or the next day, we usually end up feeling guilty about it, and unfortunately this course of action only serves to magnify our daily problems. Budgeting can be quite a challenge and if you only have a limited source of income you will always feel pressured to spend it on the kids and other household items, relegating yourself to last place in the pecking order.
As a working mother, you have to keep in mind one crucial point – you represent the “engine” that keeps the whole family going, and without you being at your best, other aspects of the family machine simply won’t work as well. Therefore, relegate any feelings of guilt to the back of your mind and understand that any time you invest in yourself is an investment in everything around you, your kids and your overall life. It’s essential that you feel good about yourself or, with the passage of time, you’ll feel increasingly burdened, and put yourself in a situation where depression could take hold and create a never-ending downward spiral.
One of the most crucial goals for you to work toward should be to establish a solid support network all around you. It’s a good idea to remember to lean on your close friends for support – you know who they are, they’re the true friends you can always turn to in situations like these at any time. Don’t forget though, that this kind of support is a two-way street. You may already have close family members who help you out, but don’t be afraid to seek the help of a professional coaching expert, specifically coaching for women in your situation as well.
Hopefully you can find a good friend who is willing to become a babysitter for you, so that you can take that special “me” time. If you try hard enough, there’s always a way to find a little bit of extra time to make yourself feel “yummy,” instead of slummy! Always keep in mind that no matter how much chaos seems to reign everywhere around you on a daily basis, you have to take control over the factors that you can manage.
Looking and feeling fabulous on a low budget is not that difficult. Your toughest challenge will be in setting aside the necessary time to truly pamper yourself. Once you accept this as a priority, pay attention to the essential elements.
The best thing you can do for yourself on a daily basis is to commit to an exercise routine, and we don’t mean carrying around big bags of groceries or tidying up your home! A concerted period of cardiovascular work is perfect, or you can event start out by using a small set of hand weights while walking around the neighbourhood.
Before you know it you’ll feel better physically and mentally, and your skin tone will even start to shine brightly again. You can pick up supplies to do a really great home manicure and pedicure, schedule a visit to a beautician or hairstylist and just focus on your personal time in the bathroom more often.
Feeling good is a state of mind. This process usually begins with a renewed focus on setting aside time for you, and then giving this time an equal priority.
For more hints and tips on how to feel great as a low-budget mum, check out the numerous online life coaching resources available!
Amanda Alexander is the Founder and Inspiration behind Coaching Mums. She’s a distinguished ICF accredited coach, who for almost seven years now, has been bringing a new feeling of hope into the lives of working mums from around the world, showing them how to discard their guilt, rediscover their passions and to have a lot more fun! For amazing articles and truly effective professional coaching tips, sign up to get “Inspire” right away, our absolutely outstanding free newsletter!
Tags: (coaching, business, coaching for women, life coaching, mom, mother, mum, professional coaching, therapy
It is nothing short of amazing to think how a single mum can balance her time between so many commitments. After all, it can seem very difficult when there are two parents in the household, so how on earth do single mums cope? Answer: They just do what needs to be done! In any given day as a single mum, there’s just so much that needs to be done, and you have to keep on looking for new and inventive ways to accomplish everything.
Your list of commitments might be never-ending, but there is nothing in the rulebook to say that as a single working mum can’t have time for yourself. In all likelihood, you may have two full-time jobs, a day job dedicated to your career and the other to ’round the clock’ Family Ltd., but even in these incredibly difficult circumstances, “me time” is crucial, not just for your own sake, but for your children’s as well. A happy mum has happy kids!
If you’re trying to find more “me time” as a single mum, the first thing you should do is look into your time management methods. This is not to say that you must “clock-in” and “clock-out” of every task and project, but you must be able to prioritise ruthlessly. If this isn’t one of your natural abilities, try this exercise: Start a diary of everything you do for around 3 to 5 days in 15 minute increments. It’s not easy by any means, but it’s incredibly worthwhile! Once you’ve done this you’ll get a clear picture of where the time “goes” and where you are making the most of your time and where you might be “losing” time. If you have an interest in refining your time management skills and balancing out your daily life, it’s fairly easy to find helpful online life coaching professionals who can help you put everything into perspective.
Professional coaching tells us that time management is one of the most important assets in business. Whilst blue-chip companies invariably employ a host of advisers and consultants, coaching for women has become increasingly sought after, especially for single working mums who are looking for a way to balance their family, career and personal life.
To enable you to find “me time,” it will help if you become more efficient at some of the tasks that you perform, day in, day out. Take a look at each area. Sometimes it will not be possible to streamline and become more efficient, but you need to tackle this with a “can do” attitude. Challenge yourself to experiment with new ways of doing things. If you have to work within a tightly constrained budget, this may not allow you to be as efficient as you otherwise could, but nevertheless, analyse everything. For example, are you being as efficient as you could be when it comes to cleaning? Do you absolutely need to repeat a certain process daily or would you be better served by allocating more time for a really thorough cleanup on one day and much less time on some of the others? If you’re a manic cleaner, try going on a cleaning diet for a few days and see if the World really does fall apart without the bathroom being cleaned daily!
While no one is advocating that you cut corners or that you don’t eat a healthy diet, see if you can make alterations to cut down on the amount of time that you spend preparing or cooking. Introduce fresh vegetables or fruits more often, scoring in terms of diet and less preparation. Take the “cook once eat twice” challenge, looking for recipes that you can double up on and either eat on two days running or freeze. How much time could you save if you cooked only 4 times per week instead of 7 and what could you do with that “cook free” time that you’ve saved?
Remember that certain things are not optional. You must get an adequate amount of sleep and you can’t “buy into” this time, and building exercise into your week is like paying into a health savings account – you’ll see “compound” benefits very quickly in your resilience, your health and your self-confidence . Simply by concentrating on exercise routine you can often get more energy, promoting greater efficiency during your working day.
Amanda Alexander is the Founder and Inspiration behind Coaching Mums. She’s a distinguished ICF accredited coach, who for almost seven years now, has been bringing a new feeling of hope into the lives of working mums from around the world, showing them how to discard their guilt, rediscover their passions and to have a lot more fun! For amazing articles and truly effective professional coaching tips, sign up to get “Inspire” right away, our absolutely outstanding free newsletter!
Tags: (coaching, Family, mom, mother, mum, relationship, work life balance)
When you think about it, it’s absolutely amazing how a single mum can balance her time between so many different obligations. After all, it can seem very difficult when there are two parents in the household, so how on earth do single mums cope? Answer: They just do! In any given day as a single mum, there’s just so much that needs to be done, and you have to keep on looking for new and inventive ways to accomplish everything.
Your list of commitments might be never-ending, but there is nothing in the rulebook to say that as a single working mum can’t have time for yourself. In all likelihood, you may have two full-time jobs, a day job dedicated to your career and the other to ’round the clock’ Family Ltd., but even in these incredibly difficult circumstances, “me time” is crucial, not just for your own sake, but for your children’s as well. A happy mum has happy kids!
If you want to find “me time” as a single mum, first of all you must look at your time management. This is not to say that you must “clock-in” and “clock-out” of every task and project, but you must be able to prioritise ruthlessly. If this isn’t your forte, try the following exercise: Keep a diary of everything you do for 3-5 days in 15 minute increments. Not easy, but very worthwhile! Once you’ve done this you’ll get a clear picture of where the time “goes” and where you are making the most of your time and where you might be “losing” time. If you want to hone your time management skills and balance your life, you’ll find online life coaching experts who can help you to get to grips with all this.
Professional coaching will help you to understand the many facets of time management, and why it’s become one of the most valuable assets in business. Whilst blue-chip companies have always employed advisers and consultants, coaching for women has become increasingly commonplace, especially for single working mums who seek to balance family, career and personal life.
To enable you to find “me time,” it will help if you become more efficient at some of the tasks that you perform, day in, day out. Take a look at each area. Sometimes it will not be possible to streamline and become more efficient, but you need to tackle this with a “can do” attitude. Challenge yourself to experiment with new ways of doing things. If you have to work within a tightly constrained budget, this may not allow you to be as efficient as you otherwise could, but nevertheless, analyse everything. For example, are you being as efficient as you could be when it comes to cleaning? Do you absolutely need to repeat a certain process daily or would you be better served by allocating more time for a really thorough cleanup on one day and much less time on some of the others? If you’re a manic cleaner, try going on a cleaning diet for a few days and see if the World really does fall apart without the bathroom being cleaned daily!
While no one is advocating that you cut corners or that you don’t eat a healthy diet, see if you can make alterations to cut down on the amount of time that you spend preparing or cooking. Introduce fresh vegetables or fruits more often, scoring in terms of diet and less preparation. Take the “cook once eat twice” challenge, looking for recipes that you can double up on and either eat on two days running or freeze. How much time could you save if you cooked only 4 times per week instead of 7 and what could you do with that “cook free” time that you’ve saved?
Remember that certain things are not optional. You must get an adequate amount of sleep and you can’t “buy into” this time, and building exercise into your week is like paying into a health savings account – you’ll see “compound” benefits very quickly in your resilience, your health and your self-confidence . Simply by concentrating on exercise routine you can often get more energy, promoting greater efficiency during your working day.
Amanda Alexander is the Managing Director of Coaching Mums. She is a celebrated ICF accredited coach, who for over six years, has been helping thousands of working mums from around the World bring balance back into their lives, lose their guilt, find the time to explore their passions, and generally, to have a lot more fun! For fantastic articles and hot professional coaching tips, sign up to receive “Inspire”, our famous free newsletter today!
Tags: (coaching, Family, mom, mother, mum, relationship, work life balance)
