My Balancing Act Featuring Motherhood, Work from Home, And Early 30’s
The Covid 19 and the pandemic situation that followed was a bolt from the blue and whole world seemed to have come to a grinding halt. The Government was clueless how to tackle the situation and the onslaught was very heavy. Very disturbing news in the social media and people were shell shocked. But, there is no doubt that this pandemic has taught great lessons. During the end of March 2020, most companies were forced to give their employees the “Work from Home (WFH)” option. Both employees and employers were at crossroads about handling the situation. At the end of the day, my husband said “Ah! Work from home” is really difficult. There are no proper comfortable seating chairs, no breaks, lots of meetings, and above all lots of disturbances and noises from home.
Pat came the reply,‘I have been a work from home mom for the last one year; realize how difficult it is to manage the situation’. The situation was even worse for professional women who had to “WFH”. They have to meet the professional deadlines, take care of the child, his/her school assignments [on online classes], and not to forget cookingand manage the entire house chores single-handedly, even in the presence of the husband.
Life as A WFH Mom
A woman working, Credits: pixabay
Every woman wishes to go for a 9 to 5 job, and I am no exception. After the arrival of a little one, the whole of my “circadian rhythm” changed and I was expected to adapt as fast as I could to the changing situation. Of course, my child became the world for me and I enjoyed my motherhood thoroughly. But I had doubts about whether I will be able to resume the job and manage to take care of the family. I realized that my child will suffer if I go for a “regular” job. So I ended up searching for a “WFH” job.
I couldn’t accept the offers that insisted on spending 8 hours a day. I had to search for something different, WFH with flexible timings. WFH was a blessing in disguise. Finally, I landed in a job. I had to search for the time to sit and do my work. Only when my child sleeps or only when she allows me to work (will she?) I can.
All working women may wait for the weekends to go out and enjoy it. But I waited so that my life partner can take care of my child and I could complete all the pending tasks of the week. I realized that Sunday is a holiday to the whole world, but not to me.I work more on that day. Certainly, this stressed me a lot but I never want to quit the job. I aimed to make the situation better and create strategies to make my professional and personal life bigger, better, and more peaceful. Necessity is the mother of invention and this mother realized this during Covid. Hard lesson, worth learning.
Strategies for a Better Work-Life Balance
None of the strategies are new, it’s been followed by almost all women who have kids. The point is I have tailor-made according to my needs.
Be an Early Bird
I started waking up in the early morning. I felt I had a long day and my productivity exponentially increased. This allowed me to relax a bit, balance my work and house chores. I could spend time with my child when she wakes up more enthusiastically than before.
Simplified My Jobs
I started simplifying my jobs. Instead of spending hours in the kitchen, I bought tools that made my job simpler. I started committing how much is possible for the day. Gala dinners and half a dozen items are unknown during these days. A tool to weight reduction!
“To Do” List
To-do list, Credits: pixabay
I am always fascinated by SwamyChinmaya’s saying ‘Plan out your work, and work out your plans’. Though this is an old method, sit and write. I mean to “write in a notepad “and not set reminders or alarms on the phone. When I jot down, I had more works coming from my mind, and I never left any single thing unfinished for the day.
Following a Schedule
Family time, Credits: pexels
Though following a strict schedule was not practically possible for me, at least I was able to segregate the time for each work. If nothing was working as the way I planned, I started going with the flow instead of brooding over the things that are undone. Making a separate “Family time” made me not only relax but also unwind from the work and stay renewed and rejuvenated.
Take a Break
I realized that I need not wait for a Sunday to relax or for a break. A break is just the period away from my routine which helps to come back with more vigour and vitality. Physical activities, yoga and meditation help me a lot to stay active and alert.
Getting Help
Explaining my day-to-day activities to my family members helped them realize my schedule and they started offering help in the way they could. Even a small helping hand is a big boon to me.
A Happy Person
A woman happily working, Credits: pexels
“Winning does not always mean being first, winning means you are doing better than you have done before”.
I started enjoying little things, my family, my multi-tasking abilities, and everything around. Staying work from home positive and happy is the only way to have a perfect work-life balance.
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