If you want to balance work and home you have to avoid excess. You have to pay attention at work. You have to pay attention at home. But in order to be happy, you have to find a way to balance them both.
It is fantastic to balance obligations at home and work by avoiding concentrating on either area to excess. Excess is commonly defined as an amount that is more than necessary, permitted, or desirable. It is not ideal to live in excess. Honoring our obligations to home and to work is a balancing act.
When I think of it I always think of a seesaw. The things I need to do for home are on one side and the things I need to do for work are on the other. The reality is that many women work at home and outside the home. increasingly women are working for others, but working from home. In either case, it is hard to find the time to manage to get both done and lead a balanced life.
I am a woman who works at home. I know it is very easy to slip into working during all my waking hours. I like to work and enjoy the mental challenges of the work I do. At the same time, I have a wonderful husband and four terrific children, all of whom want my time and attention. This means that in order to keep my family happy and in order to continue getting paychecks, I must find a way to balance it all.
To read more about work/life balance, check out the following:
Work Life Balance – Learn New Tricks – It is fantastic to know there is always something new to learn in the work-life balance battle. Click here to read more.
or
Avoid Excess and Learn to Balance Work and Home – I am a woman who works at home and know it is very easy to slip into working during all my waking hours. Click here to read more.
Also, check out our Confidence Tip of the Day YouTube channel for hundreds of videos on creating the confidence you need to succeed.
In order to make it all work my favorite organizational and behavioral tool has become my calendar. I have scheduled my personal and professional obligations on a calendar. I am able to access it via my computer, the internet, my telephone, and my tablet.
There are a few balls I am keeping in the air. For this reason, I schedule everything according to how it fits into my schedule. I schedule everything from laundry, to school work, to time on social media. I have created a separate calendar for each area of life. I have color-coded each calendar. This means when I look at my calendar I immediately see not only everything that is due, but in which area of life things are due.
By scheduling my life and adhering to the schedule, I am less likely to work in one area in excess. I use an electronic calendar. I like it because it syncs easily with all my electronic products with ease. I use PCs and Android technology and am very happy with all the options and flexibility available to me.
You should keep in mind that there are many calendar products that work in a similar manner. Find one that works for you in your life. I am not advocating a particular product. I am suggesting that you start living according to a calendar. Live in balance instead of excessive attention in one area at the expense of another area.
It really is fantastic to balance obligations at home and at work. So, the question for you on this fantastic day is what is your trick for balancing obligations at home and at work?
I love how you mentioned to “be present at home and at work” sometimes it feels like home is the only place where we can switch our brains off and hide in ourself.
It’s ok to do that sometimes but you have to balance it and make sure we aren’t economizing at home.
Yes, I am one of those “one last thing people.” The calendar helps me realize the one more thing has to wait for another time.
I love using google calendar to keep track of everything. I’m finding now that I’m getting more opportunities for advancement, I need to make sure i keep that balance and not neglect my home duties in order to get that ‘one last thing” done. It’s great to be able to look at my calendar on my phone to see what time i’m “off duty.”
My husband dosn’t even pretend he will remember!
Your husband sounds just like mine — “I don’t need a calendar, I can remember it all!” except I’m the one who has to remind him of stuff. 🙂
I’m not as good with calendars as I should be. I keep a family calendar on the fridge so my husband can get idea of where we’re going and when.
In terms of my day-to-day tasks and blog posts I roll by the seat of my pants!
#gottadobetter
Glad to help!
THANK YOU – I so need this.
Sarah, yes put your time in the schedule. My calendar has my Starbucks get aways listed!
I too have a calendar that is able to be seen on all platforms. Each person has their own color so we can see at a glance who is suppose to be where. Now to schedule in time just for me.
Thanks Cynthia. My Google calendar also syncs to Cozi family organizer. I have that setup to send my husband an email every Sunday afternoon so that he can see our family events for the week. He won’t keep a calendar!
Calendars rule!! I have been an engaged user of a calendar system going back to my high school days. I love now that everything can be electronic and syncs instantly. Just recently, I’ve actually integrated my husband’s calendar into mine and vice versa. With the color coding and the multiple hats I wear as well, it is very easy to quickly look and see what’s on the plate for the day and strive for balance. Great post Janeane, good food for thought.