How can good habits make you a productive parent?
Motivation
How to Be a Productive Parent
How can good habits make you a productive parent?
There’s always that one parent who has it all.
Whether it’s the working parent juggling a job and childcare, the mom that holds down multiple self-employed kids while raising several children, or that parent who always looks put-together at the school gates, it’s easy to compare yourself to others. But when it comes to raising your children right, it’s not just about appearances; if you want to be the best parents, you can be without sacrificing your lifestyle. Getting productive is the way to go.
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Why productivity?
A productive, more efficient parent is one that still cares for and looks after his or her children but manages to fit everything else into the day, such as:
- Working from home alongside raising their kids
- Doing the grocery shopping on schedule every week
- Never missing those all-important events
- Helping your children with homework without sacrificing ‘me’ time later on
While there’s no quick fix to becoming more productive, and you can’t be expected to be a super-parent 24/7, a little bit of productivity injected into your family can easily turn your household around. Who doesn’t want a little extra time on their hands, anyway? Read on for a few tips to help you ‘do it all’ and get that parenting productivity flowing:
Get help where you can
If there’s one magic secret for being more productive, you can’t do it yourself. According to The Parenting Junkie, a big part of upping your daily productivity isn’t by taking on more work yourself. It’s by spreading it around a little and taking all the help you can get when you can get it. That help might be in the form of a homework tutor for your child, your partner taking a day off to spend time with the kids, or even something a little more electronic.
There are many apps and tools designed to enhance productivity, whether it’s an app for making those essential grocery lists or software that enables you to work a little less at your desk and spend more time with your children. Knowing when to ask for help is the remedy for success in most cases. Behind every super parent is a team of helpers, human or otherwise, to smooth the way to productivity.
Create a routine
Many households live in chaos, but most don’t thrive in that atmosphere. For families where their daily routine involves no routine, a little extra scheduling can make all the difference in providing a much-needed boost of productivity. At least, according to Lifehack, it can. If you’re like most parents, much of your time after school hours is spent convincing your children to do things they don’t want to. From eating their dinner, brushing their teeth, doing homework, and getting in bed reasonably, it’s no wonder we’re left with no motivation after hours-long debates every evening.
Implementing a routine not only benefits your children by providing stability and boundaries, but it also helps you. While the first few days or weeks might be a slog, over time, your children will adapt to their routine, and you’ll also be able to access that extra much-needed productivity. Procrastination can be a serious issue for some families, so nip it in the bud by scheduling everything from mealtimes to lights out for the best results.
Don’t rush through the important things
Our perception of productivity is often ultra-efficiency, getting things done as effectively and quickly as possible for more of that free time we love so much. But when it comes to being a productive parent, it’s also important to discern the difference between wasted and well-spent time. While it may not be practical to sit and play a board game when there’s washing up to do or to read another page of that book when it’s bedtime, these moments should be valued instead of veto-ed for the sake of productivity.
As Red Tricycle states, time spent as a family is well spent. Whether it’s working together to get chores done – even if it takes three times as long for your little one to dry up compared to you – or enjoying a movie together, by being productive in other areas of life, you can make room for some great memories. There’s no secret to being a productive parent, but having it all shouldn’t mean sacrificing the valuable time you spend with your kids.
If productivity is your end goal for parenting, then be ready to make significant changes to shake up your family life. While the road may not be easy, it’s worth the extra effort put in for a more harmonious home life and spare time to do the important things. How productive are you as a parent, and what resources do you use to save a little extra time? Let us know in the comments below.
