Children are wonderful. However, the changes they bring to our lives can be too substantial. Many parents complain that they simply do not have time for themselves. At the same time, it is very important to devote time to favorite activities, be it reading a book, going for a walk, or playing Winboss. In this article, we will tell you how to properly balance your life in order to remain a good parent and not forget about yourself.
Main Mistakes of Parents
Very often, there is not enough time due to improper planning. What prevents a parent from building a new planning system? Here are some typical mistakes:
The Desire to Do Everything Here and Now
It is impossible to stay focused when you are rushing between several complex tasks from different areas of life. Conduct a work call while explaining how to add fractions to your child. Better not even try.
Unrealistic Time Expectations
The phrase “I’ll do a general cleaning in an hour, and then we’ll go for a walk in the park” sounds dubious. However, some parents sometimes feel like Flash and leave too little time for big tasks.
Incorrectly Set Priorities
Throw a school uniform in the wash or make an appointment with a doctor. Cook dinner or clothes for tomorrow? At first glance, some tasks seem unimportant, and they are put off for a long time. On the contrary, others come to the forefront, although they can easily wait for a more convenient moment.
Lack of Flexibility and Adaptability
If a parent cannot flexibly respond to planned changes or unexpected situations, plans collapse like a house of cards.
Hope that the Situation Will Change on Its Own
Children grow up, and sometimes it seems that the difficulties with planning will disappear when the child learns to walk, goes to kindergarten, school, and so on. But as they grow older, new tasks and plans will appear – so problems with time management will not become less.
Overload of Tasks
It is more often encountered by super-responsible mothers who take on too many responsibilities and do not dare to delegate some of the tasks.
As a result, their schedule is overcrowded → there is no time left for themselves, → burnout sets in.
How to Learn to Make Time for Yourself
Most often, the reason for neglecting one’s interests is, oddly enough, not a lack of time, but a feeling of guilt. Young parents believe that the child is most important, so instead of their favorite hobby, they do something else. However, in reality, this is not so good. The child clearly senses that the parent is not in a good mood. And as a result, the time spent together turns out to be of poor quality and leads to a cooling of relations.
If this is you, you should first learn to put your interests higher on the list of priorities. Of course, this does not mean that you should go back to your previous life and completely ignore the needs of the child. But you should not think that you are no longer critical.
How to Achieve Balance
In order not to push yourself to the limit, it is better to act proactively. We have collected working methods to make life a little easier – consider this as prevention of emotional burnout of parents. Try to choose those that suit you and your family.
Family Time Management
Write down all the tasks that need to be done regularly and distribute responsibilities between family members. Joint planning is conveniently done in special applications. Create a typical project and invite your relatives.
Plan Ahead
“What to cook for dinner?” is a question that torments many. In order not to waste time thinking, make a menu for a week or even a month: include those dishes that your family will definitely “go for.” At the same time, the menu will help you easily make a list of everything you need, so that you can buy groceries once a week.
Add Time for Force Majeure
Are you planning to get to kindergarten in 5 minutes? Set aside 10, or better yet, 15 — this will be your time credit in case of traffic jams, a broken zipper on your jacket, or an unexpected morning tantrum because of a dropped cookie. The younger the child, the more “credit” you should set aside for tasks.
Use the Moment
Advice that partially follows from the previous point. If you have some free time, do something small that you usually don’t get around to. Choose for yourself what it will be: something around the house, work, or a pleasant break and self-care.
In order not to waste the miraculously acquired time on a difficult choice, keep a list of short-term tasks at hand. For example, make lists of “For the soul” and “Something necessary.”
Test Yourself for Chronophages
If you constantly feel like time is slipping away, watch yourself. Simply put, practice timing your day: record what you do every 10–15 minutes – in an electronic planner, phone notes or in a paper notebook. If it turns out that scrolling through social networks takes more time than you would like, set the “Concentration” mode on your smartphone.
Conclusion
Despite all the difficulties, it is quite possible to be a good parent and enjoy life at the same time. Small changes in planning and smart organization of your day will allow you not only to fulfill your duties, but also to relax. And remember, there is nothing wrong with taking care of yourself. Only a happy and fulfilled person can make others happy.
