Mums Returning to Work Tips
This is going to be the first in a series of blogs for working mums and mums returning to work.
Whether you are returning to work after maternity leave, or stepping back into the workplace after a career break returning to work when you have a family needs a fair amount of planning and preparation and a few practice runs.
Return to Work Tips – Your Wardrobe
Plan what you are will need to wear to work. And create a “uniform” of work clothes. This does not mean to say that these are just to be worn to work, (although that maybe the case of course.) The idea behind creating your working wardrobe or uniform is that you will know what you will be wearing Monday to Friday.
Stock up on underwear, tights and tops. Hopefully you will be able to keep on top of the washing – but just in case you have a “bad” week or an unexpected time slot disappears – the lack of clean clothes will not suddenly become a monumental catastrophe.
Kids Wardrobe
The same goes for your children’s wardrobe. Stock up on extra uniform – so again if you suddenly find your son’s muddy trousers at 7am in the morning you won’t have a panic attack or massive attack of gwms (guilty working mother syndrome).
Return to Work Tips – Housework
Generally speaking if you are not in the house so much it won’t get so dirty. So that means you don’t need to do quite so much housework. Decide what chores you need to do and how much time you are going to allow for them and stick to it.
Develop some simple systems when you get up in the morning or while you are putting the kids to bed in the evening so that you are tidying up as you go along.
Delegate – delegate – delegate – and don’t be a perfectionist.
Return to Work Tips – Food and Cooking
If you are leaving work late afternoon or evening, make sure you eat and drink something before you leave. It just needs to be a small snack. This may seem a little crazy, but if lots of demands are going to be made on your time after you leave work, Having a small snack and making sure you are not dehydrated is going to help lift your mood and give you the energy and patience to deal with tired children.
Plan a simple menu plan for each night’s supper. Try to stick to dishes that use just one pot, or can left in the oven to cook.
Don’t feel guilty if you have the same weekly menu plan.
If you aren’t already set yourself up to do your food shop online.
Return to Work Tips – Give Yourself Time off
Set an evening curfew, this is the time when you can sit down and relax and recharge your batteries for the next day.
Don’t try to do everything you used to do when (and if) you were at home all day. You will get burnt out
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