Balancing motherhood with a career is not easy, particularly when you have a job you do not want to give up. Yes, it can be stressful, but with the right measures, you can easily navigate it.
You can do well at your job and still excel in your family life. All it takes is planning and understanding.
These tips would help you set things in motion while balancing motherhood with a career.
1. Know your priorities
Let’s be honest here: Something’s got to go. Being a hardworking career woman and a great mother may mean that your home won’t pass a presidential inspection. Or that you can’t whip up a fabulous dinner every night or day.
If you can afford to pay for extra help, like a dry cleaner, nanny, or cook, it is all good, but if you do not, it is still no reason to beat yourself up.
2. Cut yourself some slack
Many moms feel guilty about choosing to work, even if the family finances mean that staying home is not an option. You worry about everything from shortchanging your child to shortchanging yourself.
Consciously remind yourself that in choosing to work, you are providing your child with a life that may be richer in options than if you stayed at home.
It’s also important to recognize that stay-at-home moms have their own set of challenges. Women who are home with young children often feel more isolated and not as good about themselves and wish they had a career.
Instead of punishing yourself and wishing for what you don’t have, embrace who you are and where you are.
3. Involve your spouse
You feel like you have only a limited amount of time with your baby, and you want to savor every minute of it. That’s great. But if you’re too possessive of that child or anything else, you’re likely to end up doing all the work yourself. In short, don’t forget to get your husband in on the game.
The biggest help you can give yourself is to get your baby’s father involved in the care and feeding from the very first day.
If your husband can shoulder some of the burden of those middle-of-the-night wake-up calls, you’ll be in better shape when you have to perform at work. Your husband and you can devise a plan where, every other night, one of you gets uninterrupted sleep while the other is on duty if the baby wakes up.
ALSO READ: 6 Ways To Improve Your Work-Life Balance As A Career Mom
4. Make time for yourself
How can you possibly manage to do your work, take care of your baby, and still have some personal time? It’s not easy, especially in the first months back on the job. But you need to recharge.
Have your husband watch the baby while you go work out or out for a cup of ice cream. Or better yet, meet a friend who is also a working mom and have a nice time together.
