Tips for Working Mothers to Balance Work and Family

Balancing work and family life is a daunting task for working mothers. Here are some tips which working mothers can follow for the effective management of work and family life.For working women balancing work and family life has always been a challenge. The problem aggravates when a working woman has kids as she is then constantly forced to juggle her kids, career and marriage leading to feelings of guilt, frustration and stress. However, with a little intelligence and logic, it is not difficult for working mothers to achieve work life balance. In this articleLook For a Support NetworkShed Away GuiltPlan Your DayLearn to Say NoSet Your Own StandardsMeditateLook For a Support NetworkIn this fiercely competitive world, life can sometimes take on the flavour of a war. Working mothers need to gather all their resources to meet up to their challenges and sometimes they cannot do it alone. It is appreciable to seek the help of neighbours (to fill in when a home emergency arises), parents and in-laws (to look after kids when you are away), friends (to provide support), relatives (look after children for some time). The tighter and more supportive your family network, the easier it is for you to balance your family and work responsibilities.Shed Away GuiltAs a working mother you already have hands full of responsibilities. There is no way you can be perfect and please everyone around you. Slipping up once in a while is okay and you should love yourself enough to let go of the feelings of guilt that assuage you every time you make a small mistake. Guilt is anyway a colossal waste of time so the more you spend time dwelling on past follies, the lesser time you have for your present.Plan Your DayPlanning has huge advantages and when you are a working mother; planning becomes absolutely necessary. Plan your day in advance before you g to sleep or when you drink your morning coffee. Think of contingency plans that you can apply when something goes wrong. For a working mom there are lots of things that could go wrong in the course of a day so it is always advisable to have a backup plan.Learn to Say NoAs a working mother it is important for you to set limits and boundaries for yourself in order to protect your own sanity. You have to say “no” at times to people; be it your boss or your husband or your relatives. Be polite and firmly say “I am sorry this will not be possible for me to achieve. I will try managing this the next time”. Saying Yes to everything and then not being able to manage is not a good idea. A polite yet firm no can make life for you so much easier.Set Your Own StandardsAs a working mother you might be tempted at times to compare yourself with other working moms who seemingly do a better job of managing their lives. However, you need to study their whole context, personalities and their individual capacities before you reach a conclusion as to whether they are really better than you. Do not live by someone else’s standards and learn to set your own. What may be achievable by others may not be achievable for you so do not torture yourself thinking of what you should have done on the basis of examples set by other women.MeditateMeditating will heal your soul, rid your mind from worries and guilt and give you a fresher perspective. It will also give you the critical patience and fortitude that a working mother often needs. Set apart at least 20 minutes in a day for self introspection or meditation. Done consistently over a period of time this habit will reap rich rewards and will help you manage your life better.For a working mother, it is necessary to strike right balance between work and family life. By maintaining the right balance, you can not only build a successful career but also keep your family and children happy. So, while balancing you work and family life make sure that you do not stress yourself too much and take care of your health and wellbeing as well.How can working mothers build support system? In what ways can working mothers save time? What kind of smart and new appliances can be helpful for working mother? Discuss here.