Easter holidays stress and burnout prevention - 3 tactics in juggling kids and work
It’s the Easter Holidays! How will you juggle the workload and the kids? For me, as I work for myself I’m lucky enough to choose flexible hours - but this has a flips side in that it could easily see me working all hours and especially after the children are in bed. I won’t be doing this during the holidays - unless I feel inspired about a task - because after many years of freelancing and running my own businesses I have learned where to place boundaries. And I mean with myself as much as with the children.
So my tactics for these holidays are to set boundaries so that everyone knows what to expect:
Allocate ‘work times’ that are consistent each day, and communicate these to the kids well in advance so they know where they are and where I am. They will be more than happy entertaining themselves given then, given the knowledge that at say 12.30 we’ll stop for lunch and then have a tickle fight or get outside.
Allocate - and protect - and fully immerse in - activities with the kids. There’s NO point in pretending to play while thinking about clients, strategies and meetings- you are neither fully present for the kids, or for your work, or for your self. So how come we still find ourselves with heads in phones only half taking part. If you did that at work what would be the recompense? So why do it with your kids
Likewise - set time aside for ME time. And this is not work time, children time, dish washing time, hoovering time. This is fully protected me time that involves replenishing and nourishing activities to keep up my mojo. They don’t have to take hours and can look like - a 20 minute walk down the road (massive gains for minimum input). A 10 minute lie down. Yoga or stretching or quiet time after the kids go to bed. And on a Sunday morning a mandatory run up the fell. These are sanity levellers and absolutely necessary.
Hopefully this will reduce the boredom, meltdown, stress, unfinished work and keep us all sane.
What are your go-to tactics for changing pace in the holidays?
#freelancing #work #Easter #holidays
If you feel like the burnout is already starting then get in touch and we’ll make a plan for prevention!
