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Step 1
Define yourself and your role as a successful single parent. Decide what your priorities are as a parent. You probably can't be super parent and super executive. Realize you will have to make choices. The day will come when the boss wants you to work overtime, and your kids want you at their games. You can't do both, so make the decision ahead of time how you will define your role.
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Step 2
Start with the end in mind. Decide what you want the future to look like, and put those goals in writing. Be very specific. Don't say, "I'll stay healthy so I can be here for my children." Instead, say, "I will exercise three times a week for 30 minutes each time. My children need a healthy mother." Develop a workable plan, and then work the plan.
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Step 3
Network with other single parents who are successful. Don't try to do everything by yourself. Surround yourself with positive and encouraging family and friends. Ask for help when you need it.
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Step 4
Find a role model. Pinpoint single parents who are successful as mothers and fathers. Differentiate what sets them apart from the ones who can't keep their acts together. If you want to be a great sprinter, you watch sprinters who are already great. If you want to be a successful single parent, you watch other single parents who are already successful.
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Step 5
Realize that if you are divorced your ex is the parent of your children also. Resolve to have as little conflict as possible, and you will be giving your children a wonderful gift. Witnessing ongoing conflict between parents is not healthy for children.
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Step 6
Check your progress every few months. Do an honest review of how you're doing as a single parent. Just having a plan is insufficient; it's how you implement the plan that counts.
