Balancing Acts: 14 Tips For Men Can Juggling Work, Fitness, and Family
Some of the best tips for men who are juggling work, fitness, and family require a lot of sacrifice, action, and discipline for them to be optimized in real life. It’s hard to be a man with a family, a demanding job, and difficulties balancing everything. Here are 14 tips to help you balance your job, family life, and exercise routine better.
1. Make a Workout Schedule and Stick to It
Some great tips for men trying to create the perfect work-life balance is to strategically create a workout schedule that suits their needs and stick to it. Strategically comb through your professional and personal schedules and find periods in the day to work out. Make time in the morning, evening, or late night when you can work out on your own terms without being interrupted. You need to be physically fit to work and care for a family, so prioritize exercise when you can.
2. Set Priorities
You must prioritize what you can and can’t do when it comes to work and family. Many experts give tips to men expressing they can do everything, but you’re only human. Prioritize your work activities and let others know when you can be interrupted by notifications or emergencies. Consult with your spouse or partner about who should perform which roles in the household. Make plans and don’t leave too many things to chance if you have a busy family and work life and need to set priorities.
3. Plan Activities Well in Advance
Make a professional and personal calendar of events to help keep track of things. Set alarms and timers on your smart devices and computers for work projects or family events. One of the greatest tips for men is to remember that you’re only human. If you have a busy professional and family life, it is very easy to forget things.
4. Make Time For Yourself
One of the most important tips for men is to always remember to make time for yourself. Being a parent and gainfully employed requires a lot of sacrifice in life. Some men with families and stressful jobs may feel selfish for making time for themselves, but it is a very important thing to do. You deserve time to decompress and enjoy time without the stress of life on your shoulders. Regularly make time to experience these feelings. Schedule date nights, outings with friends, or solo activities whenever your schedule allows.
5. Be Open With Your Spouse
About 50% of marriages end in divorce. Many marriages end in divorce over financial issues, but many people who get married are strangers who stay strangers to each other. You and your spouse or partner should never make assumptions about how the other is feeling or their perceptions about the marriage. Always make time to talk with you significant other about the professional and personal stresses in your life to help mitigate problems before they arise.
6. Talk to Your Kids
Children are emotional, over-dramatic, have attitude problems, and no life experiences to help mitigate such characteristics. It’s really not their fault either, since they never asked to be born. Make time to talk to your kids about your busy work and home schedules. Make time to listen to them and be in their lives whenever possible.
7. Learn New Skills
One of the best tips for men juggling family and work lives is to try to find time to learn new skills. While your time might be limited, you should consider making time to learn new skills when possible. Consider learning an instrument or a new language. Or consider learning new work-based skills or certifications to help with work. Life can get pretty monotonous when all you do is exercise, work, go home, wash, rinse, and repeat. Make time to learn new things whenever you can.
8. Make Time for Important Moments
Some of the greatest tips for men with busy lives is to always make time for important moments. You can’t be in multiple places at once, but you should prioritize what moments in your professional and personal life demand more attention than others. You may be able to attend every soccer game for your kid, but make time to attend the most important game, for example.
9. Identify Nonessential Activities
As previously mentioned, there are some life moments you must make time to attend. Make time to attend the big soccer game for your kid or date night with your spouse. However, you should also identify which activities you can sacrifice your time to accommodate. It would be awesome if you could coach soccer games or volunteer for your local church’s committee, but there are only 24 hours in a day. One of the best tips for men is to remember that you can’t do everything and some activities are more important than others.
10. Share Family Activities With Trusted Neighbors
Some neighbors are so familiar with each other that they babysit each other kids and share food. Still, not every neighborhood has neighbors like this. It takes time to establish trust with friends and neighbors. If you have neighbors that you know you can trust then you could have meetings and discuss how to work out arrangements where family chores and activities can be shared.
11. Learn When to Say “No” and Mean It
You can’t be everywhere and you can’t do everything. Re-evaluate your work and home schedule and think about what things you may not be able to do anymore. If your boss offers you a new work assignment or if your family wants you to be part of an activity that may be fun but is nonessential, then don’t be afraid to say no.
12. Accept Regret and Move On
The world expects men to be perfect and to be able to do anything, but you are only human. The best tips for men balancing a heavy work life and home balance is to accept that you are human and will make mistakes. Accept regret and move on, don’t dwell on it, and learn from your mistakes.
13. Learn to Meditate
Juggling work, home life, and the need to exercise regularly can be stress-inducing. Learn meditation techniques online or consult a professional. Learning how to meditate can help you decompress, reduce stress, and learn how to recognize and appreciate the good things in life more.
14. Start Eating Better
The typical American male will be lucky to live to the age of 76. You could end up living longer than 76, but you have to help the situation by eating better. If you make the time to exercise then you should make the time to make better choices when it comes to food. Eat a balanced diet and you’ll be healthier and live longer.
Tips For Men to Achieve Balance
Life is about how well you communicate your needs with others. How you balance your life is your business. Still, your boss, spouse or partner, children, friends, and neighbors are part of your life too. If there is any way to better balance your life activities that involve any of the people previously mentioned then be sure to communicate your needs or intentions where appropriate. As a working man with a family, there is a lot of responsibility on your shoulders, but even you can’t do it alone.
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Allen Francis was an academic advisor, librarian, and college adjunct for many years with no money, no financial literacy, and no responsibility when he had money. To him, the phrase “personal finance,” contains the power that anyone has to grow their own wealth. Allen is an advocate of best personal financial practices including focusing on your needs instead of your wants, asking for help when you need it, saving and investing in your own small business.