…’Twas the first week of February,
and through all the country’s houses
a huge sigh of relief could be heard from the mums and their spouses!…..
Ahhh, it is the first week of February and down here in the Southern Hemisphere the kids are finally on their way back to school after 6-8 weeks of summer holidays. Phew! Balancing a career and a family during term time is hard enough, but the summer holidays really are a reality check!
But even with the kids now back at school many parents wake up in a frenzy – rush the morning preparations, get the kids to school, race into the office, power through the day without lunch breaks, and then feel guilty when at the end of the day they have to decide between staying on at work and missing out on precious family time, or leaving work early and getting “dagger eyes” from colleagues who stay on late.
The search for balance between work and family is the cry of our times. It is no wonder that people are increasingly questioning the frenetic pace that seems to have consumed every aspect of their lives. And now is a great time for a reality check – a little planning and thought can mean that you get the best of both worlds this year.
Can I encourage you to sit down and focus on your values and priorities. Once they’re clear you can reorganise your time and ensure that you are performing in the office and spending more time with your family.
To get you started I have listed a number of time-saving tips that will immediately add an element of calm and control to your diary:
- Make sure you have regular weekends off, say every 6 weeks, where you can be as free as you wish. NO work! Just you and your family.
- Block out family time and holiday time at the beginning of the year.
- Diary the children’s school or extra-curricular events as soon as dates are known so that you won’t book conflicting work appointments.
- Hire a cleaner.
- Make large batches of curries, stews and soups and freeze half for an easy healthy dinner on those days you don’t have time to cook.
- Get a slow cooker so that dinner can be cooking while you are at work for the day.
- Engage the entire family in the chores and household responsibilities. You will all benefit from the team-work and you won’t feel the enormous burden of being responsible for everything.
- Let your boss, employees and colleagues know that you will be available in an emergency, but that getting home to your family at a reasonable hour is a priority. Invite them to discuss any work-related matters with you up to half an hour before you depart each evening. They will appreciate knowing they can come to you until a particular time, and you know you will have the final 30 mins of your day to get things in order and plan ahead for the next morning. That way you go home without work on your mind and you can hit the ground running when you arrive at the office the following day.
Many of us work hard precisely so we can provide for our families. But let’s not confuse working hard to provide with working so hard we are absent. We only get the one chance – so enjoy the journey, because without it your goals just won’t seem as valuable when you achieve them.
