Many women have a wide range of personal and professional responsibilities, often carrying more of the weight when it comes to supporting their families but still having to meet the needs of their employers. In some cases, finding balance can be particularly challenging. Additionally, many decide that sacrificing their individual needs is a necessity, giving them more room to care for others.

While it isn’t always easy, it is possible to find greater balance. Here are some tips that can help.

Make Time for Self-Care

While self-care can feel selfish on the surface, it’s a crucial part of the broader equation. When energy levels fall, or health issues impede your ability to be at your best, the impact is felt far beyond the individual.

By taking time to care for yourself, you’re more capable overall. This benefits you personally and professionally, ensuring you have the energy and vibrance necessary to handle your responsibilities.

Precisely how you engage in self-care may depend on your needs and preferences. Ideally, proper nutrition and exercise should play a role, allowing you to maintain your physical body. When it comes to mental and emotional self-care, what’s best may vary. Some may find options like meditation or journaling helpful. Others may prefer creative or active pursuits. Consider what activities rejuvenate you. Then, use that as a guide as you create a personalized self-care plan.

Outline Your Priorities

Knowing what activities or responsibilities are genuine priorities makes a difference. It allows you to see where you need to focus your energy, making it easier to identify opportunities where scaling back is legitimately an option.

When you know your priorities, making choices is less stressful. You simply select the option that offers the highest degree of alignment. By doing so, it’ll fit into your broader plan with greater ease.

As you outline priorities, make them as specific as possible. For instance, saying that “family” is a priority is too vague. Instead, drill down, determining what precisely is the priority. Maybe you want enough room in your schedule for quality time at least three days per week, allowing everyone to maintain strong connections. Perhaps you want to be able to assist children with homework after school.

By being specific, you’re making the picture as clear as possible. That makes decision-making easier, as you can quickly determine if something aligns with those priorities.

Set Boundaries

Boundaries are critical if you’re going to achieve a sense of balance. On the personal side, this often includes saying “no” when asked to take on a non-critical responsibility that doesn’t fit into your schedule. Professionally, it can mean declining extra work when it’s optional, limiting after-hours expectations, and similar steps.

Ultimately, boundaries give you a degree of control over your life and time. For personal boundaries, whether you need to offer explanations may depend on the request and the person involved. For professional ones, it’s best to have a formal conversation with your manager, letting them know you’re trying to ensure you’re not overloaded or that you have sufficient downtime to recharge.

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR WORK-LIFE BALANCE?

If you’d like to learn more about how to find balance between work and family, the team at VB wants to hear from you. Contact us today.