Working and raising children at the same time can be very hard on women. There are many challenges that working moms face when balancing work and motherhood such as;
- How to effectively manage time – Especially when working full time, there is always no time left after work to spend on family or run personal errands.
- When and how to spend quality time with children – It is hard for working moms to find time away from work to dedicate fully to your kids. Often working moms leave early before kids are up and come back late when they are already asleep.
- When and how to spend quality time with spouse/partner- Your spouse or partner will most likely get neglected because of lack of time and energy to spend quality time with them amidst all other demands.
- When and how to spend quality time with friends- Priorities change when you get a child and you may forget your friend because you rarely have time to talk to them or meet up with them.
- When to find time for exercise – It is a challenge for working moms to create a practical and sustainable exercise routine, especially if working full time or night shift.
- When and what to engage on self-care-Most working moms forget to take care of themselves because of too much fatigue from caring for others and lack of time.
- Finding quality and affordable childcare – You need a reliable person looking after your child when you are working or running personal errands. Finding an affordable and convenient option that suits your needs can be challenging for working moms.
- Meeting the increasing financial demands – There are always increasing bills, especially those related to the kids. Once you have a child the finances change and you need more money than before, giving you financial pressures.
- How to deal with and process negative emotions and feelings- Both work and motherhood can be stressful and overwhelming. Most working moms are burden with such and do not have a healthy avenue to channel these emotions.
Lacking solutions to the above challenges can make working moms lose motivation and inspiration to work. Studies have noted that women lose interest in work and careers after they have had a baby because this is the entry of these challenges.
Yet staying motivated and inspired is very important for overall wellbeing. Fortunately, there are several sources where working moms can find the inspiration to keep doing what they are doing.
When feeling lost, working moms can find inspiration and motivation from the below sources.
- Your family- think of your kids and your partner and that you need to meet their needs
- Personal growth and development- Progress in your personal and career life can give you the fuel you need to say positive in life despite these challenges you are facing as a working mother
- Self identity and purpose- both being a mother and a career are identity that gives you pride and helps you feel inspired to keep pushing forth.
- Work life balance- Both work and motherhood gives you a balance that is necessary in your life, especially by improving your quality of life and keeping you happy.
- Passion- Being passionate in what you do is very important. If you are passionate about your life of work and motherhood, you will find it easy balancing these two and overcoming the challenges that come your way.
How you can Overcome Working Moms Challenges and Maintain Good Quality of Life
1. Learn How to Effectively Manage Time
As a working mom you will always be short of time. If working full time, you will spend most of your day at work. Therefore you must effectively plan your time both at work and outside. At work you need to ensure that you are staying focused on the priority tasks, and have SMART daily goals among others.
Outside work, have a weekly plan of how you will spend your time. Ensure that you have allocated time that you will spend with your family, friends, and also for your self. Eliminate all time wasters and always know before hand how you are spending your day to remain focused.
Read: How to Effectively Manage your time when Working Full Time
2. Surround Yourself with a Strong Support System
To overcome all these challenges, having a supportive network is very important. You need to surround yourself with people who are close to you and wish you the best. It could include your friends, colleagues and partner.
As a working mom, the network will help you by;
- Assisting with baby sitting when you need urgent childcare help
- Help you process hard emotions from work or motherhood
- Brain storm for solutions to hard situations from work and motherhood
- Offer a platform when you need to vent and process difficulties
- Share your achievements and failures with them
All this is very crucial for you to lead a quality and happy life as a working mom. Such a unit plays a very important role in the life of an individual and its ability to motivate a woman to work cannot be ignored.
3. Create a Reasonable Exercise Routine
Exercise is very important, both for your mental and physical health. Despite working full time or night shift, you still need to exercise. It will help you in processing emotions and improving your mental health. Eventually it is crucial for keep you motivated and inspired with life in general.
To achieve a quality and happy life a working mother, it is important that you have an exercise routine. Make it practical and integrate it into what you do every day so that it become sustainable.
Read: How to create an exercise routine for Full Time Working Moms
Small Exercises you can do at the Office
Exercise Routine for Night Shift Working Moms
3. Create a Self Care Plan
Caring for yourself is as equally important as you care for others. You will not manage to love and care for your family, children and friends if yourself you are not okay. You will not manage to be productive and perform well at work if you are not caring for yourself.
Therefore to lead a quality happy life as a working mom, ensure you have good mental and physical health. To achieve this, you need to create a self care plan. Your plan should include;
- A balanced diet that includes all necessary foods, water, avoid indulging in alcohol, coffee etc..
- Adequate sleep – minimum 8 hours
- Personal entertainment- take yourself out for a drink, dinne, motive etc.
- Personal grooming- consider hair, nails, shopping etc.
- Pursuing your personal interests- learn a new skill, travelling etc.
All these are necessary to help you overcome the challenges of being a career mom balancing both work and motherhood.
Read: How to Create a Personalized Self-care Plan
4. Look for Reliable & Convenient Childcare
It will be impossible for you to work effectively without a reliable childcare arrangement. You need this arrangement to be affordable, reliable and convenient to allow you to productively work and run other errands.
Some childcare the options you can consider as a working mom include;
- Daycare
- Nanny/Baby Sitters/Nanny Sharing
- Help from Family & Friends
- Working from Home
- Day Camps (During Holidays)
Read: Affordable and Reliable Childcare Options
5. Have a Solid Financial Plan for Security
You need a plan that ensures your financial security as a working mother. Because of the rising costs of raising children among other costs, you need a secure and stable source of income to avoid being overwhelmed by costs.
Some of the ways you can improve your financial security is by;
- Going back to school to advance your studies- From her you can then get a better paying job
- Working two or more jobs on the side- Increasing your income streams will raise your ability to meet most of your financial demands
- Saving and investing for your future- Consistency in saving will give you financial security in future should anything happen to your job
- Starting your own business- Being your own boss gives you more financial freedom as you are in control of your income
- Cut down on costs- Look for ways where you can minimize your expenses as you increase your income
- Financially planning for your pregnancies- Do not get pregnant without first getting ready for the baby both financially and emotionally.
Read: How to Manage Studies and Work as a Mom
Working Multiple Jobs without Fatigue
Guide to Quitting Work and Opening your Own Business
6. Have a Personal Growth Plan
As a working mom, you need personal goals you want to achieve; both in personal life and career-wise. From these , you will find the urge and motivation to work in order to meet these goals. They will help you live a quality and happy life.
Some personal and career goals you can think of pursuing include ;
- Getting a promotion and/or financial raise- it gives you the feelings of an achievement
- Travelling- set destinations you want to travel to, either for work or personal tour
- Pursuing further education
- Getting industry certifications
- Starting your business- It is a huge accomplishment for any working mom to open and run their own company
- Enrich your social life- A larger social network enriches one life. Strive to meet, interact and work with great diverse people as it enlarges your perspectives about life.
