Maintaining a work-life balance is very crucial for working moms as it is the only way moms can enjoy work and still have a fulfilling life. Even with the time limitations of working full time, working moms need to incorporate aspects such as family and friends. Each person should and can have a thriving social life no matter the number of hours they work every day.
If you work full time, you can enjoy a thriving social life by befriending other people who also work fulltime, plan for scheduled events for your friends, pursue a hobby or sport, work out in a social environment, manage your time effectively and take care of yourself.
How Working Full Time Affects Social life
- Limits your Social Activities– You have limitations on the kind of activities you can attend to as most happen when you are working.
- Focus Shifts from Social Life to Work– You can’t enjoy the social time when you are always thinking about work. E.g. you can’t stay out with friends too long on a weeknight because you have to work the next day.
- Fewer Night Events– Working full time makes you unable to go out on most nights as you need to sleep.
- Family Competes with Social Life– Working full time always feels like your family/kids, friends, and self are always competing against work. As a result you are always making a decision of either, affecting your relationships with other family members and friends when you turn down invitations.
- Odd Hours for Socializing -Working full time limits the hours you can use for social life to either weekends or nights. You hence miss out on some crucial events happening on week days. Also you cannot manage to attend impromptu events as you need to plan for your events in advance.
The impact of a non-existent social life on your life is serious. Handle it like an obligation; make time for them and part of your regular daily/weekly routine, even if you don’t want to.
How to Have a Thriving Social Life when Working Full Time
1. Befriend Other People who Work Full Time
It would be difficult to hand out with friends working the night shift, part-time, or just not working. An effective way of solving this social life dilemma is by making friends with people who are also full-time. It allows you adequate social interactions that align with your work and social schedule.
It then becomes easy to hang out and have fun together because you are active and available when they are. Therefore you are unlikely to miss out on key outings, meet-ups among other social things with these friends.
The initial push to be social is hard and mentally taxing and requires a significant amount of effort to get going. However, once that ball starts rolling, it takes little to keep it moving.
Read: How to Make and Keep Mom Friends
2. Plan for Friends/Family Events
Make a weekly/monthly calendar of all the events happening and plan for them adequately. Take advantage of your days off and plan most social commitments around this time for your friends. Knowing what you are doing before ahead is very crucial and an effective way of making sure it saves you from a lot of inconveniences.
Also, be intentional about showing up for your planned events/activities. Go ahead and pay up for bookings if you have to, for better commitment on your side.
However have priorities on things that you REALLY care about. Don’t try to fit everything into your time-deprived schedule. Know what is important, what to pass and what can wait. Don’t feel bad at all if you have to decline some social invitation because of other priorities.
Effort, communication and reasonable expectations are the key so communicate to your friends the day and time you are available for them. If they can have you on your schedule, then that works out well and if not just be as flexible as you can.
3. Pursue a Sport/Hobby
Hobbies and sports are a very nice way of spending your free time but also a great way to socialize. You can do this alone to enjoy the thrill of meeting and interacting with new friends. Alternatively, you can do this with current friends if the sport is something you have in common.
Identify a sport that you care for and enjoy. Then find a local group in your area that you and your friends can join. Other options include joining the gym which in addition to keeping you fit, it enhances your social life.
Read: Practical and Time efficient Hobbies for Working Moms
4. Engage In a Semi-Social Physical Exercise after Work
Multitasking your exercise routine and socializing can improve your social life. You can do this by opting for semi-social exercise setup. It allows you to socialize in an environment where you can modulate your social interaction.
Also it keeps you fit by increasing your exercise level resulting in more physical and mental energy during your work hours.
Read: How to Schedule for Exercise while Working Fulltime
5. Effectively Manage Your Time
When you are working full-time as a mom, time is your greatest asset. You need as much time in a day as you can get to juggle between work, mom responsibilities, and social life. The most effective thing to do is optimal time utilization and avoid time wasters.
Always plan for your daily activities so that you do not digress into things that are not productive and waste your time. Avoid time wasters such as social media, phone, and chit-chatting at the office among others as they prevent you from achieving your day plan and eat into your social hours. Lastly use effective and productive apps to assist in time management and planning.
Read: A Guide to Effective Time Management
6. Prioritize Self-care
You must take care of yourself to be useful to your family and friends and be the best version of yourself out there. The quality of your health will reflect on the quality of time you share with them. Always get your 8 hours of sleep, eat healthily, and exercise among others.
Related Articles
How to Have a Social Life when Working Night Shift
How to Have a Social Life when Working from Home/Remotely
How to go from Full Time to Part Time
