How to find work-life balance while home schooling

The everyday tension between what’s urgent and important has once again been intensified as many parents return to juggling work commitments and home schooling.

This is an incredibly challenging time and keeping every plate spinning may seem impossible right now. It’s hard enough at the best of times. It is vital that we recognise the current situation is not normal and practice self-compassion. There are also small things we can do to take the pressure off a bit. Categorising our time into these four boxes can help to re-focus on the right plates to turn:

The high important, low urgent. Some things in work and life - while important - don’t come with a pressing deadline. We might need to pause on the big goals for now. But as these are often things that motivate us and hold deeper meaning, it’s good to find small, manageable ways to give them some focus. This also helps us take a step back from crisis mode, which is important for well-being. If you value career development but haven’t the headspace for training, try immersing yourself for 10 minutes in an interesting blog or podcast. If you want to be fully present at bath time, block out 30 minutes in your work calendar to avoid interruptions.

The high important, high urgent. We need our daily planning hat on here. Take two sheets of paper and write down what absolutely must happen today for work and family. Like closing a client deal or paying a bill on the due date. Then prioritise to give some structure. Be strict in asking: what’s really important and most urgent? Build in some flex for the unexpected! These tasks can zap our energy, so we also need to plan breaks and find balance in our day to avoid eventual burnout. 

The low important, high urgent. Now it’s time to talk about managing expectations. Are certain tasks getting more of your precious energy than they require? Perhaps some e-mails, What’s App groups, or anything with instant notifications. Do you need to be kinder to yourself and lower expectations of what’s possible right now? Sometimes it’s other people’s priorities (at work and home) that populate this box. We can manage their expectations and our time by openly and honestly saying: ‘This is the time I can give, what’s most important to you and I’ll focus on that?’

The low important, low urgent. Our real time stealers. What can you instantly delete from your home-life to-dos? What work calls, meetings and e-mails can you put in this box, then treat accordingly? Reclaim energy by removing the non-essentials.

Our relationship with time plays an important part in achieving work-life balance. Currently this relationship may feel more one of survival, but a quick check-in on where we are spending the hours in our day can still offer a valuable opportunity to choose where to focus. This in-the-moment review of where our time is being spent can help us spot small steps to finding some re-balance.

Jayne Ruff – Chartered Occupational Psychologist & Founder of Parenting Point.

Parenting Point exists to give everyone the self-belief that they can flourish as a parent and a professional by positively aligning both worlds. We help parents find their meaningful and fulfilling work-life balance through practical, psychology-based workshops and coaching. We work with organisations to create positive and inclusive performance cultures that support and encourage the growth of working parents.