Workweeks can be tiring and overwhelming on their own, but if you have a household and family to keep up with before and after your hours of employment, you might be feeling run down and exhausted on a regular basis, which isn’t good for your morale or your mindset. Fortunately, we have a few handy shortcuts and hacks for common problems that (we’ve been told) can make your days go a little easier if you’re struggling to manage the many activities and demands outside of the office each day.
- If you’re having trouble pulling together dinner…try stocking your freezer! Set aside a few hours over the weekend to prepare for the coming week. Pre-cook meats, put together freezer-friendly casseroles or soups, chop up veggies, etc. and stock your fringe and freezer with lots of “halfway done” meals that can be tossed together, cooked, and on the table in less than half an hour. This makes dinner easier to fit in between kids’ sports practices and homework.
- If you’re having a problem making it to activities on time…create a “drop zone” for needed equipment, supplies, etc. Soccer practice, violin lessons, group activities, etc. require a variety of items that can easily get misplaced in the daily shuffle of life at home. Nothing makes an evening stressful like realizing you can’t find your child’s soccer cleats 3 minutes before you’re supposed to walk out the door, or discovering that you’ve lost the handbook your scout needs right as you pull into the parking lot for the troop meeting. Stash a box, laundry basket, or other easily accessible container in your vehicle’s cargo area where sports equipment and regularly reached-for items (that aren’t used at home each day) can be stashed after said activity has ended. Don’t have room in your car? Keep it by the door instead, or in the garage! Basically, it’s all about having a common space where items always belong instead of them being dropped at will throughout your home.
- If you can’t get the house pulled together over the weekend…get organized and get help. Instead of letting yourself become overwhelmed with entirety of your housework at one time, make a master list of all the tasks you need to complete daily, weekly, or monthly. Obviously, daily tasks include things like washing dishes, laundry, sweeping/vacuuming main areas, etc. These jobs makes great chores for capable children, and utilizing their help can not only help develop responsibility and a good work ethic, but will also relieve some load off of you to alleviate stress each evening. For weekly and monthly tasks, try to pull at least one or two from the list each day, from sorting mail and tossing unneeded papers, to mowing the yard and trimming shrubs. Knocking out tasks routinely will leave your weekends more open and less overwhelming. If it’s in the budget, you could also consider hiring housework help one or two days a month to help with jobs you just can’t get to, like window-washing, cleaning cabinets. etc.
PHR Staffing Solutions doesn’t just want to make your life easier while your looking for a job. We also want to make sure you feel supported after the hire. Applicants can always feel free to call us with questions or concerns, and those who are currently in the middle of the hiring process know they can count on us to offer all the needed resources and information to make them successful in their new endeavor. Give us a call when you’re ready to get hired.