Work-life balance. How to achieve it?
Achieving work-life balance can prove quite difficult, especially for mothers. Either a mother is an entrepreneur or an executive. Being a mother is already a full-time job, but maintaining your professional career at the same time is definitely no easy feat.
Some mothers feel guilty that they are at work from 9 to 6. Therefore, the rest of the day, they devote themselves to their children. One must know that juggling duties and responsibilities (as a mom and as a professional) 24/7 is almost impossible. Having some time for yourself is important to ensure you don’t burn out. Here are some tips on how to achieve that work-life balance as much as possible and maximize your time without jeopardizing your career or your children:
1. Prepare everything you need the night before
Making sure you wake up on time and have everything you and your kids need can be difficult. So preparing things the night before can help you save time and worry less!
Coming home from work, the only thing you really want to do is relax on the sofa. Instead of going straight for the quilt, do some preparation, like thinking about what you’re going to eat for breakfast, what you’re going to wear tomorrow. So when the morning comes, these tasks will already be prepared and you will have a routine that you don’t have to struggle with for a long time!
2. Invest in a diary
As much as you think WhatsApp family chat keeps everyone updated on the numerous appointments, schedules, bills and birthdays coming up, it is better to invest in an agenda or diary that can help you keep track of the daily activities of each member of your family.
This way, you can prepare things in advance, such as, if your child has a dentist appointment on a weekday, you can request a leave of absence in advance. Going digital is also a good idea, using Google Calendar you can check them through your smartphone. If, however, you’re thinking of going the traditional pen and paper way, you can even make it a great family bonding activity where you decorate the months yourself!
3. Remove the guilt
There will come a point in your life where your child is older and independent enough to not be controlled 24/7. Feeling guilty about leaving your child for a day without directly engaging with them is definitely not productive. If you find yourself wracked with guilt about not being home with your child, think about the positives of working for you and for him since he will be able to deal with a variety of situations in the long run.
If you are not a single mother but your partner also works long hours, you should only think about the positives. In addition to having two sources of financial income to pay the bills and other household expenses, you have a support for raising your children. Overall, this improves your family’s lifestyle. Finally, if you feel guilty about not being able to spend more time with your children, just remember that whatever you sacrifice, you sacrifice for them as you sacrifice hours of your own balance to provide your children with a better future.
4. Ask your employer for more flexible hours
Beyond maternity leave, asking your employer for a more flexible schedule can help you with raising your child. Many working mothers are reluctant to talk about this topic as they feel it makes them look ineffective as workers. However, it doesn’t make you unprofessional or weak to claim a flexible work schedule and way of working. On the contrary, it will make you more productive at work and at the same time you won’t feel like you are “neglecting” your children.
Coming up with a flexible schedule can benefit your employer as much as you. Thanks to technology, it is possible to do a lot of work from home these days. This means that employers are much more open to letting their employees take a few days a week away from the office. You can also ask to adjust the hours you work, either by extending your hours on certain days or agreeing to come in earlier or stay later – whatever suits your schedule. If your employer can’t offer much flexibility, you can always strategically choose your vacation days, allowing you to spend a few days at the end of each month at home with family.
5. Schedule fun family time whenever you can
When you spend a lot of time working, it becomes even more important to ensure you schedule valuable family time. This can be done both on weekends and during the week. If time is limited during the week you can do something as simple as a family movie night. On weekends, go out or have a family picnic. Remember that family time is precious, so try to come up with regular fun activities that you can do together when you’re not at work, even if it’s a movie on TV or helping with your child’s homework.
6. Consider changing job
Obviously, this advice is not going to apply to everyone, especially knowing that we live in a country with limited opportunities to find work. However, if you’ve tried everything and your job just doesn’t allow you to develop a healthy and happy work/life balance, it may be time to look for another job.
Don’t stay in a job just because you get paid more. If it makes you constantly stressed and affects your family dynamic, it will eventually lead to burnout. It can also cause resentment and arguments between you and your partner. It’s not easy to leave a job, especially if you’ve spent years trying to make something of yourself at the same company. However, being a mother often means selfless sacrifice. On the other hand, finding a new job can help you achieve the work-life balance we all desire.
An alternative would be to look for jobs at startups. These companies typically offer better flexibility, enabling women to develop a healthy work-life balance.
For this purpose, Rise Club, recognizing the challenges that mothers face, supports the development of each unemployed mother, helping them not only to develop their skills, but also to connect with companies that support the Organization’s goals to achieve necessary work-life balance.
7. Stay “connected” throughout the day
Stay connected with your kids even when you’re not together. For moms with younger children, consider recording yourself talking or singing in a video, or recording your voice reading a children’s book. If you’re going to miss or be late to an older child’s school event, give them something special in the morning, like a good luck charm or a personal note.
Look for options to film the event so you can watch it later and never miss a moment. During breaks at work, call your child. Don’t forget that technology is on your side when it comes to balancing work and parenting. Just as communicating via phone or social media with your children will help you get through a difficult day and you will better develop a closer relationship with your children when they know you are “near” them from wherever you are.
Dimitra Tzia Columnist Rise Club
