Fitting it into your life...Work-Life Balance Contest - July 2010

I am mom of 3 year old daughter. while all the others have listed down a lot of advices, steps, tips, etc. I would like to simply state that it is NOTHING without my husband! I am too proud to quote that if you get a good and understanding husband, there is no trouble at all. He helps me to get ready for work, shares a lot of house hold activities, showers love on both me and my daughter, takes me out on vacations, passes sweet surprises every now and then. Also at work, whenever I am struggling, one fone call to him and he will give LOADSA tips to solve the problem. If I fall sick or running on stress, he helps me to calm down. I am just trying to do all this to him so that his work-life is also good. Thank God for giving me such a sweet husband and understanding kid.

 

:waveHi to everybody,

Fitting it into your life.... Work-Life Balance Contest-July 2010

"A HEALTHY woman is a WEALTHY and a HAPPY FAMILY"

Firstly, always be healthy and energetic. Automatically the responsibility towards your family will lead to a great collection of treasure of happiness.

Getting up early sweeping, washing vessels, cooking, arranging and instructing school going kids, your husband and lastly you yourself.

Of course, in some families, all may not be co-operative in giving/helping a hand to you. The energy,courage and the responsibility will always support you to manage your family.

On the days of quarrel or misunderstanding with your hubby, listen to what he tells scold quietly (the mistake may be not be yours)

If the mistake is on your part, keep calm or admit or commit yourself. Cook something new and favourite dish of your husband for atleast 2 days. Hubby's anger will automatically cool down and will advice you in a cool ice manner. You feel very happy and your face will smile without your knowledge.

Kids are lovely. When we come back from office we mostly feel frustrated and tired. The kids may or may not understand our problems. Try to be calm and do not shout at them. Instead just talk as you are deaf and dumb. Tell them in soft voice that do not disturb me and switch on the TV for them. when your anger comes down you yourself will go and talk with your children and hug them with a kiss. The kids feel and happy and will understand and the same will be followed.

This is my personal experience.
No matter how strong the family problems are be healthy and energetic you will lead a successful and happy married life. The balance of managing the office and family will fit into life and will be well-balanced.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to participate and give my views.
Thanks
Lekha

 

Hi to all,

My quotient for Fitting it into your life.. Work-life balance contest is as follows : what i call is TQM ie. Total Quality Management.

"A hundred men may make an encampment,but it takes a woman to make a home- chinese proverb"

"Nature has made occupation a necessity to us;society makes it a duty;habit may make it a pleasure- Capelle"

As we are aware of all the people within our house ,one should be able to perceive what to expect from others. Hence plan according to their whims.

Since time is constraint one has to keep tab of all the happenings.

Organise all that is required for the next day and keep it in one corner-preferably near the dining table as nobody will miss this spot.

Ensure that you inculcate your little ones and DH to follow a procedure of taking care of themselves so that you do not land up searching for the toothbrush to socks.

Please plan what the cooking will be for the next day[this is very important]

Ensure that the rush hour is taken care with a broad smile as nobody will be in a position to help you-including the maid.This is like being in a war zone and nothing should get dismantled.Tempers will run high and you should be able to do the balancing act.

If you are to follow on your work ensure that you make a call to your office and start your shooting orders - so that you will be able to keep track of what is happening in your office.

Ensure at no given time you shall mix office hours with home ours. This is very important.otherwise you might loose on something which was dear to you.

Hence it is very true that balancing one's life between house and work is a pleasurable moment provided all ingredients are mixed well and we have a lovely pudding [family] with us that cannot be replaced.

Thanks for giving me this opportunity

nitya

 

Hi lekha

your reply is sweet and simple. You think the way as i feel.

cheers
priya

 

Hi All,

I am a working mother of a 11 months old kid. A full time work schedule with responsibilities towards home and family are surely a lot of expectations from us..however the key behind the message is that "one expects only when one knows that it is possible"

I wouldn't hessitate in admitting that I did have alot of crashing days resulting in a feeling of despair due to failure in meeting expectations but I decided to look at it differently for a "bon voyage" towards work-life. Today, I am content to meet my own set up expectations with a few easy steps, which worked for me-

Be happy
Stay focussed
concentrate to one thing@ a time
priortise
accept the fact that you can't make everyone happy
be calm and composed
listen to your inner self
and lastly, go for it with a bang

I hope this works for you as it did for me ...Have balancing!!!

 

sorry guys since i m new here, so posted accidently twice ;-)

 

:yes::yes::yes::yes::yes: S = S M I L E


> Everything begins with the word S - START
> Everything will be focused on the word S - SUCCESS
> Everything will be nice when we say S - SHARE
> Everything will be nice when we try to say S - SERVE
> I always believe in saying this magic word S -Y E S
> Everything leads to VICTORY when we put all spikes (5 VS) together - STARS

Life is very easy to balance when we focus on all the Ss showcased above.

ALL THE BEST FOR EVERYONE WHO FOLLOWS THIS!!!!!!!!!!

 

I am a full-time working mother of a happy and cheerful three and a half year old. Becoming a mother has been the most wonderful thing that has happened in my life. After the initial leave period, when I joined work is when I realized the hardships of working mothers. I realized that neither work nor my child could be put on the back burner.

At work I was competing with other colleagues ( both Male and Female colleagues with no obligations yet ) and I hated to ask for leniency at work, after all don't we also ask for equal opportunities for men & women ?

At home, though I had a strong support system, I felt it was a criminal act to leave my baby at home and go for work ( even if it was for 8-9 hrs a day ). That's when I started to think about ways to come out of the guilt of not being able to spend enough time.

In the last three years I have learnt that .....

Work Life Balance is not spending equal number of hours at work and home. It is all about spending quality time on whatever I do. Plan my tasks in office so that I finish most of the work at office. Although I have a work from home option often, I try not to take work back home, this way I maximize my time at home. I involve my daughter in whatever I do, cooking, folding clothes, tidying the house etc. My daughter loves to help me cut vegetables, making small puri's ( of various shapes, so we learn shapes as well ! ), sort and stack toys ( while counting and identifying colors ! ). This way I am also doing work at home and spending quality time with her.


Let go, don't try to do everything myself, use help where I can. My husband always insisted on having a cook, as that would steeply reduce my load on weekdays. But I had these preconceptions that I only I can cook healthy and nutritious meals for my family. Eventually he had to force a cook into my kitchen for me to realize that I could make one to cook upto my standards with limited training and it does save a lot of time for me !.


Save myself from getting burned down, do what I enjoy. In the act of balancing work and home I was finding no time for myself and was continuosly feeling tired and worn out. I had to make changes to my working style so that I had time to do pursue small hobbies... I have painted 2 sarees on my own ! I have bought a sewing machine and try to stictch small dresses for my daughter when time permits and also paint some nice pictures on them. Even if small, I do tasks which satisfy myself. For example I enjoy packing my daughter's tiffin box with creative ideas, I feel a lot of satisfaction when my daughter comes back home and tells me how thrilled she was !

I strive to derive the joy of life both at work and at home, each and everyday !

 

Hello everyone!
I'm a fulltime working woman and mother of a boisterous five year old boy.With zero family support, I have been mamanging with a maid who stays from 8.00am-6.30pm.
The key to maintain a healthy work life balance is planning.Think ahead always.
Another iimportant point i must empahsise is to 'let go' at times.What i mean by this is that one should not be too particular about household chores being done at a specified time in a specific manner.At times we should just let go.If my son wants to play with me while im cleaning the kitchen,then i leave everything aside and play with him.The kitchen cleaning can be taken care of later.
Try to finish cooking and other jobs while the kid is watching TV or playing with other kids so that you can give him exclusive attention when he wants.
Maintain a healthy lifestyle and take good care of yourself so that you can take good care of your family.
every woman is endowed with lots of stamina and tenacity ..so dont crib and do not get bogged down by the daily struggle..Enjoy your motherhood!

 

Being a software engineer for the past 8 years and a mother of 2 kids, I would like to share a few things that helped me to achieve work life balance.

Be passionate
Be passionate on any work that you do either at office or at home. If you are passionate about something you are less likely to procrastinate.

Take away the guilt
Most working women often feel the guilt that they are not able to take care of their kids and witness the milestones for the first time
First of all acknowledge and accept this loss and start seeing the positive sides of it.

I leave my 18 month old kid in play school for 2 hours before I leave for work.
Now she has more friends to play with and a great opportunity for early learning

Manage time efficiently
1) Plan everything well. Right from your next day meals to your next year goals in career
2) Multi tasking - This is somewhat tricky. People often misunderstand as doing two different tasks at a time where you may not able to concentrate well on both. The key here is always combining mechanical tasks with focus oriented tasks. (e.g. Making dough while you are watching your favorite serial on TV)
3) Don’t waste time on gossip, quarrels etc

Be healthy
The entire family’s health lies in your kitchen and of course on your hands.
Have some healthy easy dishes like sprouted salad etc. Cook healthy dishes and take good care of yourself. Be proud to feel that you are the heart of the family and if you fail the whole family fails

Lead a disciplined Life

Lead a disciplined life. Always try to get up one hour before you usually do. This way your morning hours will never be rushed. You would have enough time for your exercises or to read a book when there are fewer disturbances

Delegate
Delegate the tasks that do not really need your personal touch/attention. I usually do not hire a cook. However I have a maid for cleaning the utensils and washing clothes.

Keep it Simple
Finally keep your life simple. Do not complicate it by having over expectation on your relationships at family or unrealistic goals in your career