By Brad Everton – 18/5/2016

How many of you working mums and dads out there ever feel guilty because you don’t spend enough time with your children and your family?

How many of you get stressed out and overwhelmed by the pressure of trying to be a supermum?

And I bet you have wished on more than one occasion you didn’t have to work so you could spend more quality time with your kids?

As a parent who wants the best for our child, and a business owner I can certainly relate to how you feel.  I really can understand a job that is all-consuming.

Fact is…

It really tears me up when Corey wants me to spend time with him after school but I still have counselling sessions to do… That’s when I wish I could just cancel the appointment and give Corey that time.  And as the saying goes, love is spelled TIME.

And I understand your pain because there are days when I have been up since 4am, helped people solve their problems for 9 hours and then feel so mentally drained I don’t think I have the energy to ‘be there’ for Monique and Corey.

I get it.

That guilt just twists like a knife.

Which is exactly why I want to share with you:

“3 Quick Tips Guaranteed to Get Your Work-Life Balance Back!”

Quick Tip # 1 is to get really clear on what it is you want from your life.

To help you do this, I have a really quick and clever strategy that is so simple you will wish someone taught it to you when you were a kid.

Would you like to know how to do it?

Take 15 minutes to sit down and just brainstorm the things you don’t enjoy about your work life.

Then list 5 ways you can turn them into a positive.  That’s right… Grab a pen and paper and find something positive about what you don’t enjoy around your work life.

The next step is to prioritise what’s most important to you and work on that one thing daily until you see the new results you want.

Just a word of caution: make sure you don’t get bogged down with the negatives.  Give yourself 5 minutes to catalogue the bad stuff and spend twice as much energy on finding the solutions.  Trust me, you’ll be glad you did.

Now you’ve got that out of your system, spend another 15 minutes doing a similar exercise for your home life.

And…

Here’s a big tip about this tip…

Choose the one thing that can have an impact on other things.  E.g. Doing chores as a family can get things done quicker, giving you more time to share as a family.

Also…

Remember when it comes to family we want to focus on the good things.

Why don’t you try writing down how your ideal family looks?

Once you have a clear picture of what this looks like, write it out neatly and read it every day.  When you do that you over and over again you will find that your clarity will increase… and so will your results.

FREE Webinar!  Go to www.backontrackparenting.net/webinar

Quick Tip # 2 is to Recharge Your Batteries

Think about a battery that is running flat… How effective is it?

Pretty sluggish and not performing at its best right?

It’s the same for us, particularly when we are experiencing challenging moments.

So what should you do?

Here’s one exercise I often share with parents who are always putting others first and forget to look after themselves.  I want to encourage you to think of activities and things you like doing.  Better still, why don’t you jot down 3 things right now.

Some examples might be to have a coffee with a friend…

 

 

 

 

And let’s take that one step further.

Don’t just write them down… Go out and actually DO at least one of those things today.

Because looking after yourself is very important for creating balance in life and it’s a huge part of self-care.  And remember working mums and dads, self-care is one task that can’t be delegated.

And if you would like more, why not check out my Live Webinar!  Go to www.backontrackparenting.net/webinar

Quick Tip #3 is BlockOut Time

Now of all these tips I have shared with you, this is one of the big keys to success.

Because…

To be able to connect with your family and to be able to find that work life balance, we do need to block out time.  Make it a priority.

Don’t get me wrong…

Work time is important… but make sure you schedule family time too.  Know exactly when you want to spend time with your family and then commit to it.

It doesn’t always have to be special.  Maybe it is simply making sure everybody is sitting down together for breakfast.  Or maybe breakfast is not possible, so you choose dinner.  And if neither of those work, perhaps Sunday mornings become your new ‘family time’.

The thing is…

It is very, very important that once you have set your time priorities, you stick to them.  That will make you feel better and it will show your family members that you care too.

One more thing…

Try to keep work at work and as much as possible and aim to leave work on time.

Have you ever noticed how when we make the decision not to stay late anymore we actually get out on time?

And you’ll be surprised at how much more life you get back for you and your family from that 5… 10…  15… 30… minutes you keep giving to the work side of your work/life equation.

Check that out!  Working on just 5 minutes a day during the week… you already have nearly an extra half an hour to give back to your loved ones!

Oh, and don’t worry.  We all fall off the wagon from time to time.  That is why it is so important to stay engaged with others that can help you stay on track.  (That’s a big tip right there.)

So, working mums and dads, remember… to get the work life balance you dream about:

 

 

 

Now…

I know if you just follow these simple tips, you will see a dramatic change in the satisfaction you can get from your life.  Because when I share just one of these things with a client and they go away and implement, it makes a huge change in their life.

It can for you too.

Thanks for reading this blog and may you have a great day…

Brad Everton

P.S. If these tips resonate with you and you would like to get more from me, I would like to invite you to check out my free webinar.  That’s right, for a limited time you can watch my 60-minute online training for free where you will discover 5 Secrets to Eliminate Conflict at Home and Raising Happier, Calmer and More Confident Children.

I believe the webinar has some more great tips, tools and strategies you would enjoy, and because it is already recorded you can even check it out right now… Simply go to www.backontrackparenting.net/webinar

P.P.S.  You can also check out my YouTube channel called Back On Track Parenting where I share more quick tips, essential life skills and really useful tools and strategies to make your parenting experience smoother and easier.