Between running a business and being
a full-time mom, I’m constantly searching for ways to work smarter, not harder.
My husband, who also works long-hours, and I try to create that delicate
balance between family (we have a toddler) and work life. We have found that in
order to have a good balance between the two, we use as many resources at our
disposal as possible. Here are a few things that work for us:
-While traveling for business, use
technology, such as Face Time, to stay connected with your family. Our firm
has clients throughout North America which requires my traveling to conduct or
participate in meetings or events. With today’s
technology, I can Face Time or Skype from my smartphone or laptop,
which makes home never feel too far away. Having these Face Time moments with my family during my travel has helped me not
miss out on important events, talk about each other’s day as if I were at the
dining room table, and has been reassuring for my daughter to see me “on the TV”
while I’m on the road. On occasion, I’ll bring back a little memento for her as
a reminder that I am always thinking about her while I’m away. This also creates
a learning opportunity as I can use the souvenir as a tool to teach her about
the place I just visited.
-Adding the family to a business trip. I’ve seen many families at the airport this
summer with at least one briefcase toting parent clearly ready to hit their
meeting upon deplaning. My husband and I
recently did something similar during a trip to Canada. A client invited my husband to join in the
social activities between meetings, and with the client’s help, we were able to
arrange a baby sitter for our daughter while attending work-related events. We
had a set itinerary regarding which portion of the trip would be work and which
would be vacation. Once I completed the business portion of our trip, it was
time to focus on family time. These trips can be cost effective, worthwhile,
and fun for everyone involved, if managed correctly.
-Identify flexible times in your daily schedule
for family. Family schedules can be particularly challenging during the
summer months when the kids are out of school attending various summer camps or
day camps, or wanting to have a play date with a friend. It takes some
planning, but there are ways to assure that work does not suffer while shuttling
the kids to that next important summer event. It is critical that your work obligations do
not suffer, so if you are out of the office some during the day, be prepared to
check emails after hours to stay on top of things. Being a part of their summer
fun can be amazingly rewarding. I had the honor of taking our daughter to her
second summer of music classes at TCU. She loved it and I relished the time we shared together during that time
each week.
Everyone’s
family dynamic and profession is different, so finding equilibrium between work
and family life may be different from ours, but by reevaluating and making some
minor adjustments to your schedule, you can get one step closer to life balance
happiness. And that, my friend, is worth working toward.
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