Structure at Home and Organization Techniques
For many women, juggling their personal and professional lives might have been a fairly simply task...until a baby threw a wrench in the plan. The key to maintaining the delicate balance of life with children and a full-time job is organization. A few simple strategies to get and stay organized will help the entire household run as seamlessly as possible. When children are involved, there will always be a small amount of chaos, but freeing up a mom's time at home leaves more time for enjoying that chaos.
Like a girl scout, always be prepared
Eliminating the last-minute scrambling when leaving the house makes the journey that much more enjoyable. Imagine this scenario: You've just finished getting dressed and somewhat put-together while keeping one eye on the children. The kids are dressed, and standing by the door. Where are the car keys? You begin a ten-minute scramble to find them. In the meantime, the kids have decided to dismantle the house, remove their shoes, and you are frazzled and stressed. By the time you have located the car keys, you must then try to get everyone ready to go again. It's an exhausting process, but one that can be eliminated. The best way to combat this problem is to do everything ahead of time. Pack diaper bags, backpacks, and lunches the night before. Make sure everyone in the family has everything they need in an easily-accessible place. This brings us to the next step.
A place for everything and everything has its place
The options are endless when it comes to storage. There are bins, hooks, shelves, buckets, and baskets. It is very helpful to have an area by the door that is most used to enter and exit the home. In this area, place a bench for removing shoes, a low bookcase or shelving unit for storage, and hooks at multiple heights, so that children can reach them as well. Organization is a valuable skill for everyone in the family, not just mom. The children can hang their school bags and jackets on the hooks at their height, and mom can use the higher hooks for her own bag, car keys, dog leash, etc. In the shelving unit, bins or buckets can hold shoes, sports equipment, and any other necessities. Assign each member of the family a color, and this ensures everyone has their belongings in their own container. Storing all of these items near the door ensures that it can easily be reached when leaving, and the stressful scramble is non-existent.
Shifting into 'Mom Mode'
Another highlight of having this organized point-of-entry is more readily transitioning from working woman to involved mom. You are able to step out of the busy life outside of the home, and into the busier life inside. Walking into the home, shedding your coat, shoes, briefcase, and keys into an organized space alleviates the stress of having to go back after the kids are in bed and put everything away later. It just makes sense to only touch things once. You have to remove your coat, so why not go ahead and place it on a hook? More time is now available for homework, preparing dinner, and the precious family time that is always on a shortage during the work week.
And there is even a little time left over for Mom
A working mom always finds her self wearing many hats and being pulled in many different directions. While parenting delivers more rewards than any 9 to 5, it is an all-consuming job. Mom needs to take time out for herself to recharge her batteries. The satisfaction gained from knowing that the house is not covered in a pile of personal belongings and the mornings just became less of a hustle, will allow Mom a little more time to unwind and get a peaceful night's sleep. Now, instead of the midnight madness of trying to prepare for the morning mayhem, Mom can have a bubble bath, a glass of wine, and possibly even a conversation with Dad about something that does not involve the children.
