These days, more moms are heading back to the work force after giving birth to their baby. Being a full-time working parent has its advantages and disadvantages – you may have more funds for a comfortable life, but you may be fighting for time on a daily basis too. Moms often feel a sense of guilt, not being able to spend more time with their child during their childhood.

Are you facing difficulties balancing between responsibilities at work and family time? Here are five tips to help you achieve work-life balance!

1. Flexi-work arrangement

Is your workload piling up and you find yourself working late at night? Are you sacrificing your family time because of your work?

Many moms may find it difficult to draw a clear line between work-time and family-time especially if they have young children. Communicate to your employers about your situation and if there is a need, share your responsibilities with your colleagues or discuss the possibility of having a Flexi-work arrangement such as working part-time, working from home on some days or even some adjustment to your working hours.

2. Find a quality Childcare Centre

It will be perfect if you have doting grandparents who is willing to look after their grandchildren while you head back to work. If not, you can look for a well-established childcare centre that has a good reputation or one that meets your expectations. Sending your child to school gives him opportunities to learn new things and interact with children of his age. The key things to look out for when choosing a suitable school:

a. Convenience or near your residential place
b. Suitable curriculum and fun teaching approach
c. The cost of school fee is within budget
d. Low teacher-to-child ratio

3. Share your responsibilities

After getting home from work, some moms have to struggle with household chores that leave them with little or no time to spend with their child. More working moms often suffer from burnout, especially having to juggle multiple roles at home and at work. We are glad that these days, dads are more involved in caring for the child and the family. Talk to your spouse about your difficulties and divide your responsibilities. If you have to cook or do housework, Dad can help to take care of the child and vice versa, Dad can handle the household chores while Mom spends some quality time with the child. If this arrangement does not work, you can consider to get additional help from your parents or a domestic helper.

4. Get organized

Many parents believe that it is difficult to have a quality and balanced life after having children. In fact, parents can strike a balance between work, family and personal life if they have a better time management. A great way to do so, is to come up with a To-do-list for work, home and personal issues. No doubt, a list is a great way to organize your time and focus on the things you need to complete. While listing your tasks out, it also helps you to stay sane while you prioritize your tasks depending on its urgency. However, do make sure your to-do list is reasonable and do-able.

5. Enjoy quality time together

Though it’s only in the weekday evenings or the weekends that you get to spend time with your child, make the time count! Switch off the television and put away your phone or electronic gadgets so that you can give your undivided attention to your child. Dedicate your weekends to family time and make full use of the time you have together.

It is possible to strike a balance between work and family, just take it slowly and discover what works for you. Apart from spending more time with your child, remember to set aside some time for yourself to rejuvenate and also, make the effort to reconnect with your spouse as well.

By Crystal Tan

This article was first published on RenoNation Magazine 2015.