Be Productive at Home: Advice for Busy Parents
How to find the motivation to be productive at work and at home.
5:00 PM rolls around and your work day is done. You hop in your car for your long commute, instead of calm and tranquility when you arrive home there is just more “work” to be done.
Getting anything done around the house can be difficult after working all day (this goes doubly for stay at home parents). Dinner needs to be made, the kids need to go to soccer practice, the laundry is piling up, and the list goes on, forever in fact. With all of this on your plate, that couch looks mighty inviting right now doesn’t it?
Don’t complain, it could be a lot worse.
I saw a film recently that depicted a gentleman whose circumstances were far more dire than my own. It really made me think about how little an obstacle a sink full of dirty dishes is, or how petty it is to be grumbling about cleaning out the attic. Suck it up and don’t complain about the little things. Chances are your life is pretty good — and to some people even having a refrigerator to clean would be a welcome problem.
Don’t treat work at home like your job.
I often have the problem of trying to tackle house chores and projects as if they were actually my job. I try to focus in, get it done a move on. It’s okay to shut your office door so your co-workers won’t pester you, but that doesn’t fly with family. Your time with them is very valuable, don’t mess that up. If they are distracting you from your tasks, either take a break and give them the attention they need, or find a better time to get them accomplished.
You can also try getting your kids involved. It can sometimes be more difficult and take longer, but it’s a good bonding experience and teaches them some valuable lessons about work.
Parkinson’s Law
Parkinson’s Law states, “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” Set time limits when tackling house work. You’d be surprised how many pots and pans you could wash if you knew you only had 10 minutes to get them all done.
Create a weekly schedule
Every Sunday I sit down and take note of everything that needs to get done in the coming week. Each item on the itinerary has a day in which it needs to be accomplished. Every day I wake up, I know exactly what will be getting done that day; I don’t even have to think about it — it just has to be done.
Sleep, sleep, sleep.
I harp on this a lot, but I think getting adequate rest is the key to being successful at almost anything. It’s hard enough finding the motivation to get everything accomplish as it is; being tired and miserable will in no way make that easier (ask anyone with very young children). If it is possible, take advantage of getting a good night sleep. You will forever be thankful.
What do you do to stay motivated at home? Tell me about it in the comments here.
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