Don’t Sleep Walk Through Life – Live It!

In today’s current economic climate, it is almost always necessary for families to have two incomes. Over the past two years, there has been a steady increase in the number of working women. This has forced more and more women to face a very real problem – there are only 24 hours in a day and none of us have a clone. As women’s issues go, dealing with the stress and workload of being a working mom doesn’t often get press, but it should. Today’s working moms are putting in more hours than ever before as they attempt to balance their home life, their work life, their children, and their spouses.

As mom’s, to some extent, we must do it all. Going back to work after we have children does little to change this attitude. If anything, it only makes it worse. We still want to prepare meals, go to soccer practice, and spend quality time with our spouses, but as our days get stretched thinner and thinner, we often are left wondering just how much sleep we actually must have.

Before you get to the point where you want to tear your husband’s leg hair out, you should take a few minutes to step back and reconsider. What things are you doing that could delegate? How often do you find yourself going behind your spouse when he has tried to help with the chores? Are there things that you can give up doing? You may find that be readjusting your priorities you can place yourself to live life instead of sleepwalk through it.

Maintaining Balance

Is it possible to balance homelife and work?  There are many families with two incomes, families where both parents work outside the home.  Balancing the burden of both, though, sometimes requires some creative juggling.

How can one be both satisfied at home, but maintain an advancing career?

First, remember that a job should not be so drastically overwhelming that it leaves no time for family maintenance.  Establish rules, for example, that you will not bring home work with you on weekends, and devote that time to enjoying your family.  Boundaries are important to have, not only for your children, but for yourself as well.   You must have time to focus on things other than your career, and establishing boundaries is a good way to go about doing so.  Make a note to turn off the computer Sunday mornings, and try to make it routine to eat dinner together.  Eating around the family table is vitally important to the well-being of a family, and gives you the opportunity to reconnect, to discuss events of the day, to refocus on areas the family needs to strengthen itself.

Also, consider establishing a family game night, to have one evening a week where you can concentrate on relaxing and enjoying quality time together, without the distraction of the television.  Play games that require using creative-thinking and team-building skills, as these skills will transition over into the corporate environment.

Take your time, as well, from your busy workday to contact your family, even if it is just briefly.  Text message a love note to your spouse, or leave a brief note of praise on your son’s Facebook wall.  Small gestures though they are, it is this kind of love token that reassures your family that you love them, that you are thinking of them, and that you wish you could be with them.

These sorts of things will help you maintain connection with your family, while helping you find focus and inspiration at work.