MONDAY MOOD: How I Balance Family and Work Time

It’s been a few weeks since I did a Monday Mood article for you girls but hoping to get back into the swing of things as school starts (virtually) and we have some sort of routine again over here! I get a lot of questions from you girls on real-life topics like mama life, marriage, and balancing it all so trying to cover that today. But as always let me just say- I definitely don’t have it all figured out! We struggle daily over here but the good days outweigh the bad and we’re all just doing our best. Balance is key so today I’m sharing a few rules that help me balance life between blogging/work and fam time…

Put the phone away

You’re going to see a couple phone rules in this post because for me I find it’s our biggest distraction. Tech use is at an all-time high especially with everything going on right now. I’m always getting on to my kids about turning off their ipads and telling them to get outside more and realized I need to be taking my own advice as well. For me, my phone and computer is 90% of my work but I have started incorporating some guidelines because it was taking over my day.

I really try my best to stay off of it as much as possible. If I need to record something for IG, I’ll do it quickly and save to post it since that’s what takes longer. And on the weekends, I try not to grab it first thing in the morning and only check in here and there. Leaving it in the other room or even turning it off helps to forget about it a bit and be present with the kids.

On weekday mornings I like to wake up before the kids and have my coffee (in peace ;)) and run through emails and tackle my DM’s. I try to get as much accomplished in that first hour so I can be more present with the kids when they finally come downstairs in the morning. We will do breakfast together (well coffee for me as I don’t eat until much later)  and then they like to watch a show and I can then go back to prepping my post for the day.

Keep my phone on silent

This is kinda similar to my first tip but I ALWAYS have my phone on silent. This lets me choose when I want to be in work mode/checking notifications and I don’t get as distracted by constant texts or noises from my phone.

Work mode on

Since the kids have been home, the hubby and I have taken turns with work mode. Whoever is with the kids tries to keep them away from the office (key word: tries) so that the person work mode can really focus. We try to get out of the house during this time too so that the other person can have some peace and quiet even if it’s only an hour (and the other parent gets good 1:1 time with the kids). It’s kinda crazy how much more I can get done now if I’m in work mode because I know my hours are more limited. Helps to prioritize what I really need/want to get done for work.

Delegate

I’ve told you girls about this a few times but a couple of years ago I started delegating some work tasks that other girls can help me with (setting up posts, graphics, that kinda stuff I don’t actually need to run myself). It’s been hard for this control freak but it seriously gives me more time in the day and time to be with the fam and is a necessity!  We also delegate things like grocery shopping, cleaning the house, and things that ultimately took us away from quality fam time.

Meal Prep

I feel like I need to share a post on my weekly meal prep because I have found it to be so beneficial! On Sundays, I like to make a couple batches of healthy meals to have on hand for the week. It just helps when you’re in a crunch for time and makes eating healthy SO much easier when it’s prepped and ready to go. I also like to double up on a weekly meal so that we can have leftovers and it’s nice to not have to think about what to make that night.

Vacations (big or small)

I find that I’m always more likely to not work and to be present when we take a little trip, like our recent road trip up to Tahoe and Yosemite. Having something that takes me away from my office and normal routine lets me relax a bit and separate work from fam life. Each trip gets easier and now that the kiddos are older and active, and I appreciate them SO much! I always love sharing our vacay snaps with you guys so I try to my best to take some quick snaps while we’re away and then put my phone away until later than night when them the kids are in bed and I can put my stories together to share.

No phones at bedtime

This rule was more for me. I caught myself bringing my phone with me whenever I was doing our bedtime routine and getting so distracted. I don’t know about you girls but that short period of bedtime where you’re laying with your kids before bed and having those little silly conversations and cuddles with them at the end of the night is the BEST! I caught myself bringing my phone for bedtime and wasn’t getting that quality time with them at the end of the day. Now I leave it downstairs for bedtime and feel like I get so much more out of our nightly routine.

Alright mamas- would love your advice too! Do you have any balancing tips to share?