While many people do it all the time, being a single parent isn’t an easy job. It’s a job that doesn’t get any time off. It also requires you to be selfless, strategic, and intentional. However, it’s very possible to manage your home and family as a single parent. If you don’t know where to get started, consider the following four tips.
Don’t Try to DIY Major Repairs
Instead of trying to be a superhero in your household, know when to delegate certain tasks to the professionals. Even though YouTube University can be helpful for certain tasks, you don’t want to DIY your furnace repair needs. Even if you’d like to knock down a wall in order to get an open floor plan, call the professionals because you don’t want to mess with the electrical wiring inside of the walls. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Create Realistic Schedules
When you’re doing it all on your own, don’t overwork yourself. Be realistic about what you can manage. Create schedules that don’t require you to exhaust yourself. Instead of taking trips to the grocery store, consider using a delivery service. Instead of putting each child in multiple extracurricular activities, tell them to choose one. This will decrease the amount of pressure everyone feels on a weekly basis.
Plan Ahead
The weekdays can get pretty hectic with work, homework, and extracurricular activities. In order to avoid overwhelming feelings, plan ahead. Use the weekend to do laundry, set out clothes for the week, and plan the meals. These chores will really make it easier to create more time during the week to spend time with your family members, savor the moments and remain productive.
Set Time for Personal Self-Care
In order to avoid deep resentment toward your family, you have to fill up your own cup. On a daily basis, set aside personal time to connect with yourself. Move your body with yoga, running, or strength-training exercises in order to maintain your health. Eat healthy foods that will fuel you as you run a household. At the end of the day, take time for pleasurable activities like a great book or a fun television show. Maintain your own goals so that you don’t lose yourself as you care for others.
Know that you won’t always get it right. You’ll have days where you make mistakes, lose your patience, or get discouraged. The key is to know that everyone has bad days. A bad day doesn’t equate to a bad life. As the leader of your household, you have the power to set the tone and atmosphere for a beautiful life. By implementing these four tips, you’ll be well on your way to thriving as a single parent.
