Five tips to integrate work and life effectively
I was speaking at a women’s event in an organization recently and the one question that kept coming up was about striking a work-life balance. Women returning to work, women with young kids, senior women leaders, everyone seemed to have this question on their mind.
I have been in consulting roles for majority of my corporate career. Consulting meant extensive travel, working across time zones, tight deadlines and client commitments. Despite all that, I think I managed to integrate work and life effectively. There certainly were periods of stress, but overall, it was manageable. Here is how I did it and when I shared these aspects with several groups of women, they seemed to agree that this would work.
Here are a few tips to achieve the elusive balance between work and life:
*It is a matter of precedence
There will be times when one may take precedence over the other, and that is okay. When work takes precedence, ensure your spouse and family supports you. And when personal life needs attention, make sure you have colleagues who can fill in and have your back. In order to make this work, you need to invest in building strong relationships, both at home and at work.
*Don’t try to be a superwoman
It is a well-known fact that women handle majority of the housework. As per the latest OECD report on ‘The global gender gap in unpaid work’, all 33 countries showed that women handle significantly more household work than men. Considering this workload, it can sometimes get difficult to strike a balance. In such cases, don’t hesitate to ask for support. Seek help from family, hire house help or outsource certain tasks. There is no merit in trying to be a superwoman at the cost of your own health and well-being.
*Don’t go on a guilt-trip
A cluttered house, your child’s tears as you leave for work, ordering food when you don’t have time to cook — all these are breeding grounds for guilt. At such times, remember that you’re doing the best that you can, not only for you, but also for your family. None of us are perfect and we only have so many hours in a day. So, don’t try to be a perfectionist. Don’t let guilt drive you into the ground. Enjoy quality time with family and friends and remember to live in the moment.
*Find work that you love doing
‘Choose a job that you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life’, said Confucius. I can testify to the accuracy of this quote. When you find work that you love doing, you begin to enjoy it. It doesn’t seem like a chore anymore. More importantly, when you love your work, you end up doing a great job at it. That brings satisfaction, growth and rewards. Your work doesn’t leave you tired. It recharges you, improves your mood and you come back home happy and excited.
*’Me-time’ is critical
As we strive to strike a balance between work and life, we sometimes lose track of our own needs. We forget that we need to recharge ourselves too — physically, mentally and emotionally. Making time for yourself is extremely critical to your well-being. So, carve out ‘me-time’ even on the busiest of days. Find time to exercise, pursue a hobby, enjoy nature or meditate. Whatever does the trick for you. Read my blog on ‘Me-time’ at https://medium.com/@umarani.k/why-me-time-is-essential-44bec73ab032 for more ideas. Take care of yourself. Only when you are happy and healthy, can you take care of work and family effectively.
Give these ideas a shot and get closer to achieving the elusive work-life balance.
