A Work-Life Balance Guide for Single Parents

Being a busy working professional can be time-consuming and demanding even when you don’t have a family to think about, but when you’re also trying to raise a child (or children), either your work or downtime can easily take a hit. This can lead to excess stress, worry, and burnout, which isn’t good for either you or your child. 

A good work-life balance is essential for anyone, but especially for working single parents who need to take care of themselves, too. 

Signs Your Work-Life Balance Needs Improving

• Your own health has taken a backseat. This could be through a lack of exercise, bad eating pattens, or bad sleeping patterns. You could be focusing only on your child and your job throughout the day and forgetting about yourself.
• Your mood is at a low point. You may be working on autopilot and ensuring your daily workload and parental responsibilities get completed, without experiencing much joy with either of them. 
• You’re losing those boundaries between work and home. This is especially applicable if you work from home and you’re losing grip on when work ends, and home life begins. 
• You’re overwhelmed. Every day may be a struggle for finding time to finish your work and fulfill all your parental obligations, and you may never find time for pastimes or relaxation as a result. 

How to Improve Your Work-Life Balance as a Single Parent

If any of the above points ring true, or you simply know that your balance needs to improve, here are some ways you can look to achieve it. 

Take Advantage of Online Ordering

Being able to order online and have items delivered to your home has revolutionized the way in which people shop, but it’s a huge benefit for busy working professionals and parents. Especially if you work from home and are always there to accept delivery, this can save you heaps of time and stress — especially when it comes to parental duties. 

You can do your grocery shopping online. So you don’t have to worry about traveling to the grocery store and taking your child with you. You can order anything online which your child needs, including clothes with a subscription box for kids to take the stress out of buying essentials for your growing child. You can order your own supplies whenever you need them, too, saving you time and energy. 

Get Support Wherever You Can 

Being a successful working single parent doesn’t mean successfully accomplishing everything alone without help. There is no shame in asking for help, and it’s encouraged. Call on friends and family if you need childcare so you can spend time relaxing or catching up with work. Invest in childcare if you need to, or speak with your employer if you need more flexibility with your schedule. 

Don’t Neglect Time Alone

For a good balance, you also need time not spent working or caring for your child so that you can catch up with yourself, care for yourself and focus on your own mental health. So if you need one evening off a week by seeking out babysitting duties from a loved one, then take the time you need to get back on track.