Balancing work, family, hobbies and personal health is a constant conundrum in life. What should be your first priority? Your job is obviously quite important so that you can provide for your family, but your partner and children require a certain amount of love and attention too.Here are a few tips on how to stay on top of things as a game developer trying to raise a healthy family.
Learn to Say No
This can actually help you in all aspects of your life. If you are working on a tight schedule and partner asks you to pick up the kids from school every day, you need to kindly remind her that you have a serious amount of work to get done and need to concentrate for several hours on end. Just say no, I can’t do that right now.
If you are the only person that can pick the kids up, consider creating a schedule for both you and your partner to adhere to. Perhaps you watch them for a few hours after school and start dinner, but after that are allowed a few hours of alone time to finish your work.
If you aren’t working from home, learn to say no to a boss that asks you to stay late multiple times a week. Suggest working from home if you have the time, will get paid overtime, and really have excessive amounts of work that need to be completed.
Reading books is a great way to entertain your family once all tech devices have been powered down / Photo courtesy of www.mom2bbreviews.com
Turn Technology Off
Although it may be tempting to keep games on for your children to play at all hours of the night (especially if they won’t be distracting you), you should set strict rules as to watch time all technology should be turned off in your house. This will not only help your kids mellow out sooner, but it will help you get to bed faster since they will already be relaxed.
Be a good example to your kids by stopping your emails at a reasonable hour and turning off your own personal cell phone or even the television by 10 pm. If you are following the rules, the kids are more likely to follow suit.
Find a Hobby
A hobby can mean anything from exercising a few times a week, to going out and playing your guitar with friends. Either way, find something that takes your mind off both work and family. It is important to distract yourself sometimes and de-stress by yourself. This ensures you will be the best family-oriented person you can be upon returning to your family.
If you don’t think you need time away from your family, incorporate them into your hobby. Maybe you’d like to make Friday game nights and use that as a sneaky excuse to have your family members test out the newest game you’ve developed.
Work From Home
Find out if you can work completely remotely or if your boss will consider allowing you to work from home 2-3 times a week. Many companies allow their computer engineers and techs to work from home simply because they can.
Working from home can save you several hours a week commuting and may even allow you to get more work done than you otherwise would if you had to drive to the office and sit in traffic.
With the advice above you will be better equipped to balance your work and family life. Do what you can and make the changes you need based on what your family is asking of you. Try to prioritize things and de-stress in your own way when you need to.
Main Photo courtesy of idiva.com
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