How We Make It Work With Two Toddlers And Two 9-5 Jobs

8 Tips for professional parents

Being a professional mother is not for the faint of heart. You have demands on multiple fronts, and dropping the ball is just not an option on certain things.

I have been a mother for almost four years now. And I never stopped working, not even for maternal leave. How do we make it work?

Here are some tips and tricks that have made it possible to continue not only staying but also growing in our careers during the transition to parenthood.

1. Nothing will be as perfect as you want it to be

That’s one of the most important things on this list.

Things won’t be pretty, things won’t be perfect. Things won’t be like you pictured them.

And the sooner you not only understand but also accept this, the sooner you’ll be able to start living and enjoying your life as a professional parent.

2. Your time will be redistributed

Days had the same number of hours before and after you had kids.

But these hours now need to be distributed differently. There are young humans who depend on you, and that will end up being a priority.

3. Pick your battles

Related to the point above, you won’t have as much time anymore. You won’t have as much energy either.

As we also mentioned, things won’t be perfect.

So do some reflection and decide what are the things that you absolutely need to make work a certain way, or as close as possible to a certain way, and focus on those.

Trying to win at every aspect of your lifestyle will be like cleaning after your toddler… I mean, like swimming against the current.

4. Get organized

We have accepted that we won’t be able to achieve everything.

But if we want to maximize the number of things that run semi-smoothly, we need organization.

This could look like timetables or meal plans on your fridge.

Maybe like taking some self-help books on organization and productivity and learn to maximize the time you can dedicate to working.

But you will need some level of organization before things start running on autopilot with their own inertias.

5. Create a schedule.

Related to the previous point, a schedule could be your best ally.

First and foremost, research shows that kids thrive when they have schedules and routines when they know what to expect.

And you will probably benefit from that too.

Having a schedule means putting your decision-making hat first and then letting things run as they are supposed to.

Science has told us that decision fatigue is an actual phenomenon, and having a schedule helps prevent that.

6. Time at work/kids is time off kids/work

Something that has been working for me is to treat the time that I’m with the kids as a break. I convince myself that it is so great that I can take a break from work and be with the kids.

And when I’m at work? Well, I convinced myself that it is great to have a break from my children.

This way I think a bit less about the fact that Me-Time, although existent, is not abundant.

I get breaks, even if they are not the perfect breaks (remember when we said to not expect perfection anymore?).

7. Use sleep wisely

Once your kids are sleeping, consider what would be the best use of your time.

Some days the best use will be sleeping and resting. Maybe watching a show or YouTube video.

Some other days it will be working on your resume or writing a new blog.

Think about what you need each day. But do something with that time that helps you on your journey.

8. Monitoring and Evaluation

This is the most important one.

From time to time, or as life happens, take a step back and reflect on how things are working.

Children grow and their needs change. Jobs evolve. Seasons change.

Schedules, processes, and organizations will need to evolve while on autopilot.

Make sure you reduce decision fatigue, but be ready to make small and/or slower changes here and there.

This is the list of some of the things that help us keep growing in our careers while being alright parents.

What about you? Would you add any advice to the list?