Even With Children Life Can Be Simple

It’s true, even when raising more than one child at a time, you can simply your live with one simple rule: following routines.

While we adults tend to think of routines as monotonous and much like running a rat race, if you’re raising a busy family, these “boring” routines will mean the difference between craziness and sanity. If you work outside the home, when you’re at work you undoubtedly have routines that help you stay productive, organized and on track. It should be no different when raising a family – particularly if everyone has somewhere else to be on a different day.

Start your day off with your morning routine and this doesn’t mean let everyone sleep until the last possible minute, or even worse over-sleep, before you get your day started. Set your alarm and get up on time. Get everyone in the habit of getting everything ready the night before so that your morning isn’t started off looking for a lost sock or matching shoes. Finish your morning routine with a quick but health breakfast.

Afternoon routines can be a little trickier depending on the age of your children and the afterschool activities they are involved in. If you have younger children who are not yet involved in extracurricular activities, even if the babysitter has taken your place in the afternoon, a routine is still feasible. Teach the children to put their things away as soon as they get home, not dump them in front of the door they barrel through when they get off the bus. Make time for a quick snack and some downtime before starting homework.

The dinner time routine is one that should be kept at all costs as much as possible. Family dinner times are the most important time of the day. It’s a chance to reconnect as a family and recharge. It’s a time laugh and make memories that last a lifetime. But you can’t start thinking about dinner when you’re on your way home from picking up three kids from three different activities. Be sure to do your grocery shopping ahead of time and there’s nothing wrong with cooking meals ahead and having them in the fridge or freezer to make a quick transition to the oven. Make sure everyone has an assigned chore after dinner to make clean up easier.

You can see how even simple routines can keep your life organized and even a little less hectic. Just keep in mind that routines need time to become a habit so don’t get frustrated when it doesn’t happen overnight. Be patient and soon life will be less complicated.

Restoring Poor Work/Life Balance

People who are suffering from a poor work/life balance are easy to spot and know who they are. They are the ones who can barely make it through to the end of the day, let alone the end of the week, and who feel as though they are forever behind in the game of life.

The good news is that there are some things that people who are caught in this situation can do to turn it around. One good tip is to visualize your perfect life. Write down ten things you would really like to accomplish and set goals to make them happen.

Goals can relate to work and finances, of course, but in order to provide a successful work/life balance they also need to include areas such as family and friends, fitness, faith, and even fun. Fun may seem like an odd goal to some, but the reality is that if you’re not having any, there is something very wrong with your work/life balance and it is no wonder you are lacking energy and enthusiasm.