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Part 1: Pillars
Women as individuals inspire people of all age groups. From being a daughter to becoming a wife and then a mother, roles change, but their lives often revolve around the people they love. I myself am trying to find a balance between work life and raising a family. I am a mother to a 17-month-old son and at the same time I’m a social media account executive.
Working full-time and being a mom is no walk in the park. With only 24 hours in the day, how do I do it all? Here are my pillars for ensuring it all makes sense.
A) Take time to accept the fact that you have a new life to take care of. Ensure there is some flexibility with work schedules, days off, and morning times. Lower your expectations – perfecting every little detail will prevent you from being present.
B) Work because you love it and utilise your abilities. Kudos to every working mom out there who has been nailing it and making it look effortless. None of us are doing it exactly right, but every mom I know is doing her best.
C) If you have a genuine passion for solving the types of problems that come at the workplace you are definitely in the right place. Even if there were no financial necessities, I would feel the need to work, especially where I do.
D) Compartmentalizing your work. Don’t overburden yourself with work responsibilities, or family ones. Keep it balanced. Be at a single place at a time. For instance, when I am with my son, I put my cell phone in the other room and step away from the computer.
E) Stop glorifying being a martyr for the family. Take care of yourself in order to do the very best for the family. You can juggle being a mother and employee, and still have a happy life.
I’m very privileged to be able to choose whether or not I work. Some women work because they have to and others can’t. When you have a supportive husband and family around, it can work and really well.
In Part Two, I’ll have some more tips.
Rashmi Shah is Senior Account Executive at Cicero & Bernay Communication Consultancy, an independent PR agency headquartered in Dubai offering new-age public relations consultancy to the UAE and across the MENA region. | www.cbpr.me