In past articles, viagra 100mg I’ve talked quite a bit about balance and working at home. I’ve discussed the importance of setting up a work space and the importance of managing time. This month, click I want to swing the pendulum to the other side and discuss
How to keep work from taking over your family life.
The struggle with extremes is not common.
- We’re hot or cold.
- We’re up or down.
- We’re missing work/blog deadlines or so focused on work we forget to feed the kids.
We might feel we have it down. After all we’re not sitting at a desk and we can easily walk away from the computer. But, viagra 60mg can we walk away from social media? I mean really walk away. Or, are we cooking dinner while shooting off an occasional Tweet. It’s easy to get distracted isn’t it? We’ll sometimes call it multitasking to fluff it up a bit. But, in reality we’re not really fully engaged with our family if we’re in conversation even via social media with our co-workers or blogger friends.
So, how do we divide up our time? We want to be fully engaged when we’re with our family. I mean, we’re setting the example of social media etiquette for our children and teens. I know my kids won’t be receptive to correction from me about texting at the dinner table after witnessing me “just posting a quick message “to my company Facebook page while they are proudly showing me their history paper.
So how do we find that balance? How do we learn to unplug so we set an example to our family and show them they truly fall into that special order-God-Family-Work
Set up a time whether it’s days or hours that you aren’t working
This will give you an off limits time for checking emails or doing any social media that pertains to work or your blog. It’s fine to visit on Facebook with family and friends, but only if you can do this without being tempted to check in on your work accounts.
Have a loose plan of what to do during your off time
In my house I block off Saturday and Sunday through late evening for family time. We look forward to simple things like the summer time Farmers Market, making projects we’ve pinned on Pinterest or just running errands. Sunday afternoon we always have lunch together as a family. We might miss a few meals as teenage kids have activities during the week. So, Sunday afternoon is the time we look forward to each week. We’re able to cook together and really talk to see how everyone is doing. We’re also able to see what everyone has on their schedule for the coming week.
Don’t let someone else’s failure become your emergency
We want to extend grace when working with others. However, doing so should not be at the constant expense of your family. If you find a constant stream of late projects or favors for others is forcing you to work into your family time, don’t be afraid to put up firmer boundaries. The order of God-Family-Work quickly gets out of balance if one exception for work becomes two then three then four.
When you give your family your full attention, you show them how special they are. They’re part of your support team, and you need them cheering you on while working from home.
Balance is so difficult – in every area of life. Work isn’t the only thing that can distract from family time. Even things we are doing “for our family” (like housework or paying bills) can be a distraction. Trying to find a balance can make us more dependent on God’s guidance, if we let it.