How to Balance Children, Work and Home in 7 Easy Steps: #MomsSpeakUp

When my son arrived 3 years ago, I took a prolonged break from a high-pressure legal job. The first year went by in diapers, feeding schedules and baby cuddles; but when he turned 18 months old, I felt the need for gainful employment. I’d been helping a friend out with social media related work, and I’ve always loved to write, so a blog seemed the best way forward. I took a quick Creative Writing course at The British Council, and launched my website in October 2017. The question I get most often is, how I balance all the different roles I play- mother, blogger, family member and friend. International Women’s Week is the perfect occasion to pen my thoughts on this topic. I’ll also highlight, why being a woman is an advantage in this balancing act.

1. MAKE YOUR PASSION YOUR VOCATION

I thoroughly enjoy writing, therefore, I’m more likely to make a success of it. A job that doesn’t satisfy leads to burn outs. I’m aware that familial situations and financial circumstances play a big role, but pursuing my dream strengthens my resolve to overcome obstacles and work harder to succeed.

BEING A WOMAN IS AN ADVANTAGE BECAUSE: In many cases, women are not the primary bread-winners, which means we have the time and patience to follow our passion. If I manage to scale grand heights, I may become the primary breadwinner so my husband can retire early!

2. SCHEDULE, SCHEDULE, SCHEDULE

As a mother, I’m constantly juggling professional commitments with my son’s school life and kiddie activities. The calendar app on my phone is a life saver. Scheduling my life allows me to be more productive, efficient and well-prepared.

BEING A WOMAN IS AN ADVANTAGE BECAUSE: Women are adept at multi-tasking. I’ve always planned ahead and kept order in my life. This talent holds me in good stead now.

3. ESTABLISH A SYSTEM THAT WORKS FOR YOU

If you don’t have the luxury of full-time help at home, and/ or the convenience of family living close by; you should establish a system that works best for you. Perhaps a day-care or crèche facility near your workplace? A neighbour’s daughter willing to babysit for a few hours in the evening while you work or run errands? Or simply working around your child’s napping schedule. I work mostly when my son is in play school, napping in the afternoon or when he sleeps at night.

BEING A WOMAN IS AN ADVANTAGE BECAUSE: Women have run entire households, brought up multiple children and worked if needed, for centuries. Establishing systems comes easy to us.

4. ASK FOR HELP

My husband is very hands-on, and we divide our parenting duties 50-50. If your husband doesn’t have the time to do this, due to work constraints, ask him to pitch in over the weekends, or take on certain roles that he’ll enjoy. This could be reading books, building lego, or just taking your child grocery shopping and giving you some time off. In-laws and parents are also happy to engage with their grandchildren. All you have to do is ask!

BEING A WOMAN IS AN ADVANTAGE BECAUSE: Women are inherently empathetic and form connections easily. Keeping the family members happy, looking after the help, and keeping good relations with the community; comes easier to women.

5. PRIORITISE YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

A screaming child, a phone that doesn’t stop buzzing, a deadline on your head, and an uncooked dinner; makes for a scary scenario. Instead of losing my cool, I’m clear on what my priorities are. My child’s wellbeing comes above all else. I only take on work projects that I can fulfil. I keep the data/ wifi on my phone off when I sit down to work, which ensures I’m doubly productive.

BEING A WOMAN IS AN ADVANTAGE BECAUSE: Women’s intuition is your advantage here. You know how to deal with most situations, all you need to do is reflect.

6. GIVE YOURSELF ME-TIME

All work and no play makes Jane a dull girl! My juggling act is successful, only because I schedule some ‘me-time’. This includes a trip to the local salon, a mid-day movie, curling up with coffee and a book, or meeting my friends.

BEING A WOMAN IS AN ADVANTAGE BECAUSE: It doesn’t take much to make a woman happy! Sometimes, just painting the nails a vibrant colour, or reorganising the closet, can do the trick.

7. DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF

We all have bad days, when nothing seems to go our way, but I always keep the larger picture in mind. I tell myself that tomorrow will be a better day, and things will go back to normal. As long as my family is healthy and no big calamity has happened, everything is fine.

BEING A WOMAN IS AN ADVANTAGE BECAUSE: Women are often more resilient than men. Nature made them strong enough to survive carrying and giving birth to children – what’s a bad day in comparison?!

I hope this post proved helpful to you in some way. If it did, please do share it ahead. You can also subscribe to my blog for more parenting updates.

This post is a part of the #MomsSpeakUp Blog Train hosted by Prisha and Nayantara. I would like to thank Snehal for introducing me. She gives sound fitness advice, along with useful parenting tips. In her post, she has penned 5 planning tips for mothers who work from home- you can read it here. I would like to introduce Ekta. I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading her unapologetic stance on deriding mom’s guilt. Visit her blog here. I have chosen to write on the prompt “reasons I’m happy being a working mother”, but I’ve tweaked it a bit!

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