As you know, there’s an old saying: «Business and family don’t mix well». And if someone asks whether Deputy Director General who shares her time between Moscow, Astana and Almaty can find time for her family, I will definitely, say “Yes”. I have to. Let`s take my family model and my experience in mixing business and family to see what the secret is.
Being a mother means putting the good of the whole in front of your own personal benefit and of course, it has taught me to be a better manager, a better teammate and a better person in general. When I decided to come back to my work, I thought that I couldn`t be good at work and at motherhood at the same time. That’s why I clearly understood that I needed to create basis for my life. It helped me to find balance between my family and work.
In my opinion, there are three most important things for every woman that she should understand:
- You as a person,
- Your role as a mother and a wife,
- Your role as an employee.
How it works? I find out what matters for me and I do it. First of all, I am a person, and I need something that helps me to be strong, feel good and have a good mood. It is very crucial for my roles as a mother and a wife and of course as an employee. To begin with easy steps that work for me.
- I am a person and what I do for myself.
I choose things that help me to return good mood. For example, one hour a day I spend alone. It is time to relax and to put my thoughts in order and to plan my day.
- I am a mother and a wife.
I do something pleasant for my children and husband on daily basis: prepare delicious dish, have dinner together and other things.
- I am an employee.
I read books about time-management and efficiency at work for self-development and perfection of skills. I started learning English last year. I decided to learn English because my job is connected with international companies and partners.
It is basis of my life and it works for me and I hope these steps can work for everybody too.
The main question — how can we achieve balance between family and work? There are tips that based on my personal experience. They can help to manage time for working mothers:
- Be calm and keep patience toward your family
- Keep efficiency at work
- Find time to relax
- Create traditions for your family
Tip №1. Be calm and keep patience toward your family
As far as I know, it is not so easy to be calm and keep patience when you must do a lot of things in one moment: prepare dinner, answer children’s questions, and think about tomorrow plans. But always try to save your psychological balance and remember that you can offend your family members’ feelings for a long time with a wrong word.
Tip №2. Efficiency at work
It’s important to create a practical to-do list by determining the things that need to be done and that can wait until next day or the end of the week. So while you’d like to clear out the 1,500 emails in your inbox, prepare presentation, delegate letters, it’s better to make a list that you can really accomplish. That way, you’ll feel like an empowered and productive remote worker — and save time during your busy workday. You need to learn when and how to say “No”.
Tip №3. Find time to relax
Everyone needs time to relax. It is important to remember that your well-being must be your priority, because if you are ill, who can then do all the homework and spend time with your children? Instead of trying to do all tasks in one day, you must understand that time for good relax influences on your health. That`s why you must appreciate your health (feel healthy).
Tip №4. Create traditions for your family
Daily traditions are very small things you can do every day to reinforce your family identity and values.
Consider these suggestions to strengthen your family’s bonds:
- First: no TV, no cell phones, and no tablets.
- Family news: everyone takes turns sharing something positive and negative that has happened to them during a day.
- “Tell stories. Each person is expected to bring something interesting to the table that they’ve read or heard during a day.
We have our own traditions for celebrating birthdays like having cakes, presents and dinner. Usual things that make us feel united. But you can create some specific traditions for your family.
It is important to note that these tips are very momentous for me and maybe, don`t work for everybody. You should enjoy what you do and believe in yourself. There is always something that can work for you too.
Indira Sadvakassova, student (from her speech given at Di Beissen Center’s master classes)