Do you have days when you have to be at two different places at the same time, when 24 hours in a day never seems to be enough for the work you have or when you are haunted by the guilt of not being a good parent?
Your kids are your world and you love them dearly but there is no denying that single fatherhood is a struggle. On one hand you have a career to manage and on the other you are expected to be there for your children and manage domestic duties – all single-handedly.
Yes, the life of a single parent is not easy and the hugest challenge you are likely to be facing is managing your time. Here are ways to make your life easier with these 6 time management hacks –
Plan Your Day
Planning is hugely underrated. You think you can jump into the day, juggling all your tasks but by mid-day, you realize everything is going haywire. You have double-booked yourself and will now have to give that important PTA meeting a miss. Embarrassing, isn’t it?
Why not plan your days and prioritize your tasks to manage time better? Effective planning gives structure to your day, letting you tackle urgent and important matters first. You begin your day knowing what you have to achieve and ensure you meet your goals by the end of it. Maintain a to-do list and tackle life, one day at a time.
Take Help
You often think how life would have been so much easier if you could share your workload with someone, don’t you? However, don’t let this thought make you upset. If you are grappling with too much, you should look at getting external help that can help you save time.
For instance, if your teenager has to submit a ToK essay, why not seek assistance from a ToK essay writing service to get the required help? Similarly, if you have an official event to attend after work hours, get a babysitter to take care of your children till you are back.
Outsourcing certain tasks does not make you a bad parent so don’t feel guilty. In fact, it is a smart choice to make in order to keep your sanity.
Use Travel Time Wisely
If you are one of those who spends hours commuting, you will agree that it sure is a major waste of time. You can either whine about it or you can use this time to be more productive.
Spend commute time completing tasks like making important phone calls, reading a book, making your to-do list for the day or even planning meals. It is also a good idea to close your eyes, listen to your favorite music and use this time to just relax after a tiring day.
Prepare Meals in Advance
It is frustrating when you are running short of time and to make matters worse, you have meals to prepare as well! It is not always possible to cook for the family every night and spend time thinking about what needs to be cooked the next day.
Instead of turning to unhealthy eating options, plan your meals in advance. On weekdays, you can stick to cooking simple recipes or better still, batch cook for the entire week on weekends if you are likely to have a busy week. You should also invest in smart kitchen devices like crock pots, blenders, coffee makers and more to save time in the kitchen.
Involve Children in Chores
Apart from spending time with children and helping them with their homework, it is also your responsibility to instill important life skills in them like being more responsible, independent and accountable for their actions.
A good way to make them more responsible is by involving them in household chores. Assign tasks to them such as keeping their rooms clean and tidying up after meals. Involving them in these simple chores goes a long way in making them independent in future and at the same time, you get some assistance with the chores too.
Avoid Overworking
There is no end to your work at office and you end up working around the clock. However, being a single parent, it is even more important to strike a work-life balance considering you have equal duties at home too.
So, ensure you stick to sane working hours and not bring work home. When you are home, you should be mentally present – talk to your children about their day and spend quality time with them. This time with them forms a crucial part of their growing years and will never come back so cherish it while it lasts.
Finally, through all this, it is also essential you take good care of your mental and physical health and devote time to doing things you like. Plan a day, or a few hours in a day at least, when you can leave your child with a trusted friend or family member, or even a sitter, and spend some time unwinding.
Whatever you like to spend time doing, do it. If you live in a place that allows recreational use of plant-based derivatives like cannabis or just CBD, then you could visit a local dispensary (or buy weed online) and share a joint with a friend!
If you are not interested to partake, then maybe go out for a drink or go fishing, even reading a book or meditating for a while can help you de-stress and relieve yourself of all your worries. It doesn’t matter what you do, but take care of yourself too.
There is no way you can excel at work and be a good parent if you are forever stressed and burnt out.
Author Bio:
Adela Belin is the Head of Digital Marketing at Writers Per Hour She creates content surrounding marketing with a focus on social media and digital marketing. Feel free to contact Adela on LinkedIn.
