Instead of Trying to Juggle It All, Do This

If you have the budget available, you could address many of these challenges with the help of a paid professional. A part-time cleaner, babysitter, or personal assistant is an expensive investment, but if it awards you the time and energy to live your life to the full, the payoff may be well worth it.

On a tighter budget, turn to your family and friends for additional support. Perhaps your parents could help to look after your children more regularly, or you could organize a carpool system with another parent from the school. If you live with a partner, consider whether they are sharing the emotional load when it comes to organizing your day-to-day schedules and running the household. 

When you’re going through an especially busy or difficult time, it’s not unreasonable to expect those around you to step up. You’d do the same for them in return. 

In the workplace, talk to your manager when you are feeling overwhelmed or overworked. It’s their responsibility to help you to manage your time and delegate work when your schedule becomes hectic. 

3. Prioritize 

“Having it all” is subjective, and so it’s vital that you learn how to prioritize the things that matter the most to you. 

Step 1

The first step is to identify your core values, and then connect those values to your bigger long-term goals, be it actively raising your family, securing a life-changing promotion, or moving abroad.  

Step 2

The second step is to focus on the incremental changes required to help you reach these goals. 

In the workplace, you might choose to set clear boundaries with your colleagues and manager so you can better juggle your home and work life. Or, you might offer to take on additional responsibilities to prove yourself as a worthy candidate for promotion. 

In your personal life, you might endeavor to take on less responsibility around the home, go to the gym more regularly, or hire someone to help you with childcare. 

Step 3

Next, it’s time to get yourself organized. Maintain up-to-date checklists of everything you hope to achieve in the home and the workplace on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. 

Based on your core goals, identify the most time-sensitive and important tasks and allocate time to complete them. This should include segments of “focus time,” during which you can address the most mentally demanding items on your list, and “rest time,” during which you can switch off and recuperate while doing something you enjoy. 

Step 4

Finally, commit to living in the moment and owning the decisions you’ve made. 

If your commitment to securing a dream role means working late every night for three months, don’t agonize over the time you’re missing out on with your children. Conversely, if you want to attend your children’s weekly sports matches, don’t spend an entire game worrying about your work email inbox. 

Trust that you have made the decision that’s right for you at this specific moment in time, and know that the most stressful periods will pass.