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Have You Got The Balance Right?
Published: 21/01/2011 by Marie Telfor
As parents and wife’s we have an obligation to our family, and as a career person (especially if you have a demanding career) we have the duty to carry out our work to the best of our ability and that can sometimes mean working late.
So how do we balance? Do we put our career first then family, or family first then career, or can we do both.
I have a demanding career as an Editor-in-Chief of an online magazine but I am also a mother and a wife. If you don’t have a maid to do the cooking, cleaning, and look after your family for you, you would have to do it yourself.
So these are the main things I do to balance my career and my family, this may help you also:-
- I have a cut off time for work. If I say to my husband I’m finishing work at 5:00pm then I am finishing at 5:00pm and no later. Then the rest of my time will be with my family. It’s important to give yourself a cut off time for work otherwise you will be overworked and have little time for your family. Remember they need you too.
- I tend not to work weekends, this is the time when I can catch up with all my house chores as well as unwinding and spending time with my family. I admit I do look at my work emails on a Sunday evening so I prepare myself for what articles I need to review etc for Monday but this would only be for an hour. I would also normally tell my husband this so he doesn’t think I don’t want us to have our quality time together. After checking the rest of the time is ours.
- As well as having a cut off time for work I tend to start my work time early at around 8:00am so my work doesn’t pile up. It does mean I have to get the children up earlier for school but at least I can spend quality time up them later. If you start work at 9:00am try and get to the office for 8:00am so you can finish earlier to be with your loved ones.
- This may be a strange one but I sometimes get my family involved in my work. If I have a photograph that I need to review for an article I would ask their opinion on which one I should chose. It makes them feel a part of my work and we are making a decision together. Now not everyone can get their family involved in their work depending on what you do, but it would be nice to talk them through your job so they have an understanding of what you do. It will make them feel a part of your career.
To conclude you know what works best for you, remember it is important to get the balance right so you can keep everyone and yourself happy.
Marie Telfor has been in Journalism for ten years she is now the Editor in Chief of Keeping It Real Magazine.
