Balancing Work, Life, and Back-to-School: Finding Joy in Every Role
— by
Julie Massie
As the back-to-school season approaches, many of us working moms find our plates fuller than ever. Between managing work responsibilities, home management, and preparing the kids for school, it can feel like we’re juggling multiple roles without a moment to breathe. But what if we could find joy in each of these roles, embracing the unique blessings they bring?
Life can get messy, especially during the back-to-school rush. Instead of focusing on the chaos of all the things, let’s narrow our focus in on what’s most important in our lives.
Starting with gratitude, take a few minutes to list all the things you’re grateful for – a fulfilling job, a loving family, and the privilege of raising your children are good starting points.
Next, write a list of the most important things in your life that are non-negotiable. Mine are Faith, Family, Career (both of them), and Relationships. Sometimes in seasons of chaos and exploding calendars, we lose sight of what is most important in our lives. Keep these in mind as you move on to the next step.
These most important areas usually correlate to the roles we have in our lives. For me, I am a daughter of Christ (Faith) and I have a responsibility to love God and love people. This means that I need to prioritize time with God deepening my understanding of Him and our relationship so that I can share this greater understanding with others to lead them to Him (make disciples).
“Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”” -Matthew 28:18-20 NLT
The next important area for me is Family. My roles as wife, mother, sister, daughter, granddaughter, etc., all correlate with this important area, as well as the Relationships area of importance. With Relationships, I add in my roles as friend and PTO volunteer. Prioritizing this area looks like scheduling family time before extra work responsibilities that go above and beyond my normal 8 to 5 responsibilities. It also means that if one of my kids is sick and I am able to stay home or work remote with them, I will make that decision without guilt or worry. Like the Proverbs 31 woman, part of my role with my family is to watch over the affairs of my household. Doing things like cooking, cleaning, shopping, scheduling appointments, and maintaining order within our home is important to me. And let me side note here – just because they are important to me, doesn’t mean they happen well all the time. Part of work-life balance, is knowing which balls to safely drop during times when your focus needs to be enhanced in another important area.
“She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness. She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness. Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her: “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!”” -Proverbs 31:25-29
The other important roles in my life are those that directly relate to my careers – my full-time day job, and my online business. With inflation as out of control as it is, living as a family of five is expensive, even with two full-time salaries between my husband and me. Working my online business is a way for me to make extra income for my family, while also fulfilling a passion and God-given dream of mine to write and encourage women with biblical truths and strategic coaching to thrive in everyday life.
Now that you know what you’re grateful for and what is most important in your life and how those important areas correlate with specific roles in your life, I recommend making a brain dump list of all the things in your brain that you need to do or schedule in the foreseeable future. To take it a step further, you could even break this list down by your most important roles/areas. This shift in mindset about how these tasks equate to what you find important in your life can turn mundane tasks into meaningful moments, helping you see the joy in your daily routine.
Once you have your list of tasks prioritized by role or area of importance, one practical way to manage the busyness is by creating a family calendar (and if you’re like me, color coding by area of responsibility or person makes it even better). Since my kids are still so little and unaware of certain things happening on certain dates, one way I create this calendar is by using a digital calendar like Outlook or my Google Calendar where I can send invites to my husband and sometimes the grandparents and extended families, as well. But nothing really beats a good paper calendar! Print out a blank weekly or monthly calendar with lots of room to write things, and start filling it in with appointments, back-to-school days and meetings (there are so many!), and tasks that need to be accomplished within certain time frames. Make sure to include work deadlines, extracurricular activities, church events, and family time. You could even use a large wall calendar hung where everyone can see and update it. Having a visual representation of everything that has to be completed or attended over the next several weeks helps to prevent over-committing and ensures that your most important areas like faith and family time are prioritized. Plus, you can even make it a fun, family activity to decorate the calendar together!
Finding joy in this season of our lives where our homes are sticky and our schedules are over-filled can be tricky, but if we become strategic about the things that truly matter to us and our families, joy is attainable. This becomes easier when we know what is most important to us in every role we encompass, when we know everything that needs to get done, and when we prioritize those things on our calendar.
Other ways to find joy in our roles during this season include:
Prioritize Self-Care – As moms, we often put ourselves last on the list. However, taking care of ourselves is crucial for us to be able to care for others. When creating your schedule, make sure to schedule in some quality time for yourself so you’re better equipped to handle the demands of work and home with joy and patience.
Involve Your Kids – Part of my “Cultivating Work-Life Balance” course (available soon – join my email list to be the first to know when it launches) includes information about delegation of duties. By involving your children in your daily rhythms, you’re not only teaching them responsibility and teamwork, but you’re also taking some of the burden of home management off your shoulders. Consider age-appropriate tasks like setting the table, packing lunches, picking out clothes for the next day, or even starting the laundry or putting away their own laundry. You can make it fun by turning chores into games or competitions. This not only helps you manage the household, but also creates special bonding moments with your children.
Maintain Work-Life Boundaries – Working full-time inside or outside the home has its challenges, especially in this digitally run world where everyone seems to be “on” all the time because they have their phones and laptops with them constantly. The lines can blue between our professional and personal lives if we’re not mindful to set healthy boundaries between the two. In order to be fully present in both roles, we must maintain specific parameters in which we abide by while at work and at home. For instance, when you leave work at the end of the workday (and not later), you shut down your computer entirely so you can shift your focus on home. When we’re at work, we’re not back-to-school shopping or completing personal tasks.
Seek God’s Guidance – When life gets hard and balancing multiple roles is anything but joyful, remember that we are not alone. By seeking God’s guidance through prayer, scripture, or journaling, we can trust that the steps we are taking are the God-honoring ones that that will bring us peace and direction amidst the busyness of every season we walk through.
Cherish the Moments – As we near those long days when our kids are back in school and our work doesn’t seem to end, let’s be intentional about cherishing the small things that bring us great joy in motherhood – the giggles at the breakfast table, the after-school chaos, and the bedtime stories. These moments are fleeting. Let’s take time to be fully present, appreciating the beauty of each season, even the hectic ones.
Balancing work, home, and back-to-school can be challenging, but it’s also an opportunity to find joy in every role we encompass. With a little pre-planning and prioritizing, while seeking God’s guidance and maintaining boundaries, we can navigate this busy season with grace and joy. Remember, you are not along – God is with you every step of the way and you have a support system around you, including me, to help you where you need it. Together, we can find joy, and maybe a little bit of balance, too, in all we do. Blessings to you wonderful mamas as you embark on another school year. May you find joy in every role you play.
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