Busy Parents: Helpful Ways to Balance Family and Work

Working parents never seem to have enough time to for a life at home as well. Then when they do, there's more work there waiting for them. Being able to take a minute out of a busy schedule doesn't seem to exist. There are ways, however, to have a career and a home life by following some simple guidelines.

The first is to prioritize both work and home life. By examining the things that you are doing, you may come up with some things that can be left out of your busy list or delegated to another person. The last thing you want to do is work hard all week and have to spend the weekend doing yard work. You could probably find a kid in the neighborhood that would like to make some extra money raking the leaves or cutting the grass for you. By prioritizing your responsibilities, you'll find out what has to be done and what can be put aside or handed to someone else.

Next, you'll want to explore your options. Take a look at the monthly income and see if time from work can be shaved down somewhat without hurting your budget. Maybe you could could afford to back off some of the overtime you've been putting in or even changing jobs to one that isn't so dependent on a lot of hours per week.

It's also important to share the load of chores at home. If both parents share equally in the housework, neither will feel overloaded when walking through the front door after a long day at the office. For the single parent, if your children are old enough, get them to share in keeping the home clean or washing dishes.

Try to combine tasks as you're going about your chores at home. Put the baby in a walker with you while in the kitchen getting dinner ready or if you have work brought home from the office, you could sit with the kids at the table while they do their homework as well. That way, you could get your work done and answer any questions they might have with their schoolwork.

You always want to enjoy quality time with the family even if it means you have to put off some odd job that's on your list to do at home. The extra load of laundry can wait until another time if it means you get to watch a special movie with the kids or spend time with your partner.

Another thing you can do is to try to simplify your lifestyle. Instead of trying to create a three course meal, find some quick 15 minute recipes you could use on the busiest of nights. As the family is finishing dinner, have dishwater ready in the sink where everyone can wash their own plates and silver wear to save yourself some time doing dishes.

And lastly, understand that having a career and a home life is a balancing act. If you need to be at a school play, forfeit some time on the job. If there is a big project happening at work, you may have to miss something at home. And if you want to catch a sale at your favorite store, you may have to give up time at both work and home. Your goal it to balance all three so that no particular one is neglected. If you remember you can't do all by yourself, you'll be able to find a happy medium somewhere in between and learn to juggle your home life and your career.

*15-Minute Meals, RealSimple.com