There might be a gajillion articles and social media posts about “work/family balance.”
Summarizing the best advice I’ve received and found useful:
When you’re at work, go 100%. When you’re at home, be 100% with your family. No one really cares if you’re tired. For most professional roles, it’s about the quality of the contribution, not the total number of hours “in the office.”
Of course it’s hard. Grow up, stop whining, and remembered that the only thing you’re entitled to is your opinion. Decide what you’re going to do, then do it.
Apply learning in both spheres. Insights and experiences from family relationships can help you manage people in a work environment. Many project management and leadership skills honed at work will carry over to helping your family.
Make promises carefully, then keep them. Decide which events and relationships you will regret the most if they’re missed or broken.
Smart working professionals put family events and recovery times (weekend, vacations) on their calendars early, and keep those appointments. Give your family as much lead time as possible about adjustments to work schedules. Schedule self-care, like sleep and exercise. If you absolutely must work outside of regular hours, agree on a time limit and stick to it. If party suffers loss it’s usually on the family side – it’s on you to break that paradigm.
Explain to your family, especially your children, that you are working to support them. Act like the model spouse/parent you want them to see. Work is honorable. Focused effort is powerful. Keeping promises is necessary.
Make sure your 100% effort at work is truly going to the right things. Some rewards are not worth the cost.
Finally, don’t ever use the juggling story and say things like “Right now, this work ball is the most important thing and I’m going to drop all the other balls.”
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