Balancing Work and Family

Balancing work and family can be very arduous, especially when it comes to the good sake of our most loved people. Finding balance means to equally divide our efforts and time between two or more things that are very important to us. Nowadays, the generation of working mothers builds strong fundamentals of the idea of finding the balance between work and family. They all prove that it is worth it to try and eventually succeed in being a working mother.

It might seem impossible and sometimes very frustrating to find the balance. There is no recipe or magic formula to follow, but there are some things that you can do to help yourself feel successful as a mother and as an employee. Here you can find helpful tips and ideas for the times that you need to juggle between your professional and personal lives.

Start by balancing your thoughts so you can get ready to balance everything else in your life. The key to success is to focus on your mindset. Every mother, that wants to re-enter the workforce again, needs to make the definitive decision and to answer to herself the questions: Am I ready to do that? Is this what I really want? Decide that you can, believe that you can, act like you can! Face the truth that it will be difficult. There will be ups and downs, good and bad days, happiness and disappointment. Once you accept that and be realistic, you will be ready to face any obstacles and overcome them.

“Balance is the perfect state of still water. Let that be our model. It remains quiet within and is not disturbed on the surface.” Confucius

Create yourself an action plan. Make a list with activities that you can do with your family and include that list in your schedule. It might seem strange to include in your schedule certain family activity, but once you start doing it, you will realize that it actually works. Being busy at work often is the reason not to spend a lot of time with your family, unless you have planned it. Your schedule will help you not only to remember your work meetings, but never to forget about the sport event or school play of your children.

Spend at least an hour per day to communicate with your children. Good idea is having a meal together with the whole family – doesn’t matter if it is the breakfast or dinner. This will keep the family spirit and connection healthy. Communication is very important to the children and you must let them know that even though you are busy they can always count on you and share with you. Stay connected with your children during the day. Find some time during your lunch break to call them and to ask how their day is going.

Be prepared. Create a list with options to get to if an unpleasant situation appears. You must spend extra long hours in the office? There is no problem if you have negotiated with your nanny the possibility of this happening.
Talk to your employer. He must know that you have children and sometimes unpredictable situations can occur. Be honest with your employer and expect understanding. Assure them that your performance at work will not be affected by the fact that you have children, but sometimes there will be situations that need to be handled and in which the family comes first.

Avoid multitasking. Rely on quality, not quantity. When you spend time with your children, spend time with them. When you work, concentrate on the job. Limit all possible distractions as much as you can. Work stays at work and when it is time for family activities, it is time for family activities.

Connect with people that are having the same problems and concerns as you do. Communicating with other working mothers, sharing ideas, tips and tricks, even participating in the same activities will help you to feel part of community that you can find support in.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help from family members and friends. If necessarily, even find some help with your household work. Don’t feel like you have to be the super mom that can handle everything herself. Give yourself a break.

Create some time for yourself. Often working mothers think that this is selfish, but actually it is highly recommended. Your inner peace and comfort will help you better to balance your relationship with your children and to concentrate on your work.

Never compromise with your sleep. Your energy level must be high so you can cope with the stress of the work and every other activity that keeps you busy. Find time for meditation, relaxing massage and don’t forget to work out.

Avoid negative thoughts and people that can lower your energy level. People that are always criticizing you or complaining about your choices can only make the things worse. Avoid communicating with anyone that always has some harsh opinions about your choices and life style.

Search for some time saving options. See if there are some online services that you can benefit from. Online shopping can help you save time. Choose your groceries and have them delivered right to your doorstep only for some extra dollars. Find some time-saving apps and online organizers. Even you are able to prepare your weekly meals in advance. There are many ways to get ideas how to prepare healthy meals for a week and store the most important ingredients in the freezer.

Have your own standards and stick to them. Looking for perfection can be very stressful. Just because there are some things that you cannot accomplish doesn’t mean that you are not good mother or good employee. Don’t be very harsh to yourself. Know that you did your best and be happy about this.

Attaining balance is not stable process and you don’t have to panic or get frustrated when unexpected situations happen. Balance is an ongoing process and sometimes it needs to be revised. Revise your priorities often and never compromise with the most important thing in your life – your happiness. This can be achieved by balancing work and family.