Spending quality time with your family is important, but working is also important so that you can provide for your family. Sometimes, we take on side jobs to help add to our savings or make a larger purchase that we need. Working these side jobs, however, can often interfere with our family life, so how do you balance the two?
Talk about it.
It is important to talk openly with your family about your side job, especially if you have children. Tell them that you have taken on another job and your family time may be limited for a while. Let them know when you will be available and/or how long the job will last. This way, your children will know when to expect you home and when not to.
It is also important to talk about your responsibilities with your spouse. If your side job requires you to be on-call 24/7, you need to make them aware of this. If your spouse is unaware of your schedule, it could cause stress and conflict between the two of you.
Try to be consistent.
If you have the option of scheduling the time your side job takes place, try to make sure it is consistent on a day-to-day basis. This way, your family will not have to try and remember your varying schedule. Plus, your children will know that you will be home at a certain time every day, so they can try and schedule some quality time with you.
Spend quality time with your family.
Make sure to schedule quality time with your family. For example, if you only get to see your family on weekends, try to schedule some quality family time during those days. Take a special trip to the zoo, plan a picnic, or even have a family movie night. Making time for your family will help relieve your stress level, and it will also make them happy.
Have a family dinner.
Sharing a quality dinner with your family is important. It allows everyone to be together and lets everyone share the happenings of that day. If your side job keeps you from having dinner with your family during the week, make sure to always have a family dinner on the weekend. Anything from a big family dinner to ordering take out is perfectly fine, as long as everyone is there together.
Don’t bring work home.
If you are constantly bringing work home, you are erasing the line between family and work. When you bring work home, you tend to focus on work, and your bring the stresses back to the house too. This will impact your family, as you will not have time to spend with them. Make sure that when you leave the office, you leave everything at the office too.
Hire an associate.
If your side job becomes too overwhelming, hire an assistant or an associate to help you out. Even if they only fill in for you one day a week, that is one more day you have to spend with your family instead of coworkers. Sometimes that small break is just what you need to keep a healthy balance between your side job and your family.
Side jobs can interfere with your family life, but keeping an open line of communication with your spouse and your children as well as always carving out time during the week to spend with them will help maintain the balance.
About the Author: Michelle McCurdy is an author of children’s books and a mother who loves to blog and give advice in her spare time. She is only able to keep her busy schedule and balance the needs of her children and work thanks to her trusty Nissan.