It Is All a Balancing Act

We dream about it: having a career we love, while also having a family to come home to after work. Then, reality arrives at our door. We find ourselves (while having both) only having time for one or the other. If we spend too much time at work, our family life is lacking. When we are focusing on family, we are slacking at work. How do we balance it so we are giving to both and nothing suffers? Easy!

Give a Little Here, Give a Little There

The first thing you can do is immediately say GOODBYE to any guilty feelings. First off, there is nothing to feel guilty about. It’s okay to have a career. It’s okay to have a family. So don’t feel any guilt about having both. Get rid of that feeling now.

Second, plan your day together! In the mornings, get everyone up 20 minutes earlier. This way, you can grab breakfast together as a family. Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. You might as well start it off right with a healthy breakfast and a healthy conversation with each other.

Third, get as many calendars as you need to keep it all straight—meetings, after-school sports, play dates, etc. Things can get crazy when trying to organize everyone’s schedule, and you want to make sure not to miss any important moments. Use your calendar on your phone. Print out a calendar for work. Use your computer. Utilize post-it notes. Use whatever you need to in order to make sure you are at work on time, while also making sure you always have a seat at your daughter’s school play.

The important thing is that you make time for both—but also that you make time for yourself. You can have it all. You just have to plan it out.