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An Array Of Useful Survival Ideas For Exhausted Working Mums

By blogger | March 11, 2010

Sometimes you feel that pure adrenaline alone is keeping you going and you wonder how you are able to survive, let alone function well at work and juggle all the other requirements of being a busy mum.

You realise that you would do well if you could work to a schedule and manage things much more effectively, but your new arrival is not aware of your need to schedule things, at all! These are crucial formative times for the newborn, who is entirely dependent on mum and all these requirements can sometimes make you feel as if you are working a 9-to-5 shift overnight, as well.

You are loving your new life as a devoted mother, but often feel as if you are at your wits’ end as you struggle to find that extra bit of energy to conquer seemingly mundane tasks. Isn’t in awful, when you can see the new work week approaching and not know how you’re going to cope?

It can be extraordinarily difficult to maintain a schedule and you may have heard the phrase “time management” many times from well-being people, but it is nevertheless essential that you maintain a routine of some kind as closely as possible.

Without routines we find ourselves bouncing from pillar to post and it all leads up to an elevated level of stress, which negatively impacts every other area. So, insofar as you will have to practice an element of damage control here, get into your routine!

In the mornings, keep your procedures as simple as possible. Getting up can be a real wrench if your night-time rest has been disrupted by baby’s needs. However, you have things to do and you should do them in the same order every day.

Your top priority must be your exercise regime. Don’t be tempted to take an extra 15 minutes in bed. While you’re on the treadmill, the coffee can be brewing and the early morning headlines, traffic and weather ahead of you on the TV. At the appropriate time, get the children out of bed and ensure that they do their own chores as well, to help you out.

After a while, you will get this procedure down to a finite science, every single day. This is probably the most stressful time of the day, as you are trying to focus while still trying to wake up! If your routine is clockwork and all the other members of the family understand this and also do their bit, you’ll be better prepared to get out of the door running.

From time to time, you might think that you have nothing available when it comes to keeping up with your “me time” and enjoying your social life, having to concentrate so hard on work and the baby. Take time to foster a good relationship with a caregiver and understand how important this person can be to you.

You will hopefully have an understanding boss at work. Never take advantage of the situation though and only call in any favours or use any delay allowances or personal days if absolutely necessary. If you always play fair, whenever emergencies come along, you will be more able to deal with this situation and to meet with your boss’s favour.

Try not to schedule anything that is too demanding, technically for you at work in the morning and at all times, do not overload your schedule unrealistically.

During your 9-to-5 routine at work, time management is very important, as you don’t want your work requirements to spill over into your personal time.

In most cases, professional coaching can focus your attention on key areas of your life. Dedicated coaching for women is praised by many in your situation, who have turned to online life coaching to really help them get past “the wall.”

Amanda Alexander, Director of Coaching Mums, helps pressure-cooked, stressed working mums who long for more hours in the day. Through her coaching programmes and online life coaching courses, Amanda shows mums how to create fulfilling and successful lives. For your simple 5 step guide to balance as a working mum, download our free eBook today!

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