how to balance work and family
Lessons on how to balance
work and family
Before getting too far into this recap, it’s work
noting: Family has many definitions, and they all apply to this article.
Work from home has a lot of benefits. While, in
theory, the flexibility and being surrounded by loved ones (including those of
the four-legged variety), it can be tricky to turn off that laptop, especially
when to-do lists seem to get longer rather than shorter.
For example: She may not be human, but my dog Bella
is a member of the family, as are the two dogs and two cats who love to take
over my childhood bedroom.
As you can see, Bella was a big fan of Work from
Home Week!
lose friends are also family; another fact which,
as an only child, is not up for discussion.
How to
balance work and family
1.
Decide your core values, then stick
to them
2.
Embrace the unexpected moments
3.
Move from work-life balance to
work-life integration
4.
Work from anywhere, whenever it works
5.
Communicate your calendar
6.
Have a Plan B (Or at least a good
data plan…)
7.
Accept that family distractions will
happen
8.
Practice gratitude
9. se these lessons to find balance with work and your
family, however you define them.
10.
1. Decide your core
personal values, then stick to them
11. At G2, our employee success team put together a
time management workshop. One of the first steps was determining your top four
or five core values.
12. As it turns out, this was trickier than I imagined.
There are so many values we all aspire to, there is plenty of self reflection
when choosing the four that mean the most to you.
13. The list of potential values is endless, but here
are a few to get you started:
Once you’ve narrowed down your personal values, use
them to guide your decision making process.
When you’re working at home, there are plenty of
decisions to make. They can be as simple as:
·
Do I want to work from the couch or
at my desk?
·
Should I work inside or outside?
·
Do I feel like having the TV on in
the background when I work?
·
Will I leave the house to go get
lunch?
·
How long should I walk my dog for?
·
Am I going to get dressed or work
from my pajamas?
·
However, not all decisions are as simple as whether or not to
turn on the TV. In my case, while it was Work from Home Week, I had a
work-related function to be back in Chicago for.
·
Knowing that family is one of my core values, I made the
decision to travel back and forth between Wisconsin and Illinois for the week,
and I couldn’t be happier that I did.
·
I mean, who wouldn’t want to spend time with this group? (Okay,
I admit, Bella looks a little like “What are these weirdos doing,” but as soon
as food or a ball came out she was thrilled!)
· 2. Embrace the unexpected moments
·
I had one night to spend with my cousin Sarah and her husband
Dean before they left town, with Odin remaining in Wisconsin to spend the next
ten days with my parents.
·
As that one evening arrived, I hadn’t finished all the work I
had hoped to do for the day. I was planning to duck away after dinner and
finish up tasks for the next day, when conversations around family history
began. Before I knew it, old photo albums were pulled out, and it was family
time that could not be missed.
3. Move from work-life balance
to work-life integration
This can mean working hours outside of nine-to-five.
When
those unexpected moments come up, by all means savor them. However, that
doesn’t mean that your work can slip.
If a
family emergency comes up, let your co-workers know you won’t be available.
Internal communications software is a great way to do this
Set your boundaries for when you’re going to work, but know that
work-life integration can mean making allowances in your schedule.
4. Go beyond work from home and work from anywhere
Software
and technology have played a vital role in executing work-life integration.
These tools are something we can all be thankful for when working remotely!
My Work
from Home week found me taking the train to and from Wisconsin four times: I
went from Chicago, to Sheboygan, back to Chicago, Sheboygan again, to finally
finish in Door County.
In fact, thanks to the lack of distractions (including those
little decisions while at home!), I often find the hour-and-a-half ride to be
my most productive period.
When
balancing work and family, look for the opportunity to work where you can
whenever it works. When mapping out my third day of the week, this meant
working from on the train 8 to 9:30 PM, making up for an hour of lost to
driving time earlier in the day.
Life is
flexible, and tech companies are designed to be agile. This means work hours
can be agile, too.
For
example, I have friends who bring their lap to every dance class or gymnastics
lessons, and finish their work from the waiting room. If you’re sitting there
anyway, why not work?
5. Communicate your calendar: set expectations for family and co-workers
I know a
lot of moms who love work remote jobs because they can be there for their
families. While I don’t yet have kids, I do understand the need to help get
family members to the right place at the right time.
With a
mom who is disabled due to chronic back pain, I found myself driving her and
Odin. (And sometimes the animals, too!)
When you’ve made the decision to put family first, and you
aren’t going to be available during regular business hours, be sure to let your
co-workers know.
Leading
up to my week of working remotely, I made sure my Google calendar was up
to-to-date with when I would be driving or on the train. While Amtrak is ideal
for me to work on my laptop, it’s not the best place to join a meeting via
video-conference!
6. Have a plan B (or at least a good data plan…)
It’s
always fun when your Wi-Fi gives up on you during Work from Home Week. Even
more so when it turns out that it’s not just the Wi-Fi that crashes, but your
entire router is dead. (Fun fact: My router is still dead as I type this a week
later…)
Thankfully,
I have a good data plan, enabling me to stay connected. I did, however, have to
go outside and work to get a strong enough signal. Bella didn’t seem to mind!
When you plan on a work-life integration that has you working
from the train, a cafe, child’s dance class, or anywhere else, don’t depend on
free Wi-Fi. Amtrak’s, for example, cannot be trusted. I don’t even try anymore,
and go straight to my phone’s data plan.
Talk
with your company’s HR team. Depending on how much you’re working remotely to
support your family, you might be able to expense part or all of your phone
bill. Expense management software makes this an easy process.
7. Don’t fight it: accept that family distractions will happen
Who can
forget Professor Robert Kelly’s children interrupting him during his live BBC
news interview?
It’s a
moment we love, and one that any family can relate to.
However, as any parent will tell you, kids will do what they
want, regardless of deadlines or if you are in a meeting. (And regardless of if
that meeting happens to be broadcast on national television and ends up with
over 31 million YouTube views!)
Do what
you can to minimize distractions for yourself and for those on the other end of
the call. In my case, that means having my meetings on mute, should a delivery
arrive from Amazon, causing Bella to jump into guard dog mode.
She
looks sleepy, but as soon as that doorbell rings, she makes herself known to
any and all in hearing range!
If you find yourself in the position of Professor Kelly, don’t
fight it: Acknowledge it and embrace it.
When
Bella goes nuts barking at the doorbell or another neighborhood dog, I laugh it
off, then do what I can to minimize the distraction for others.
8. Practice gratitude: appreciate the people and places around you
No
matter where you are working, at home or in the office, it’s easy to forget
what’s around you. We get caught up in to do lists, emails, meetings, and
questions from coworkers.
They are
all valid, but don’t let them distract from what really matters in your life:
Go back to your values, and what brings you joy. When I’ve worked remotely, I
need to remind myself: It’s okay to leave my computer and take a ten minute
walk with my Dad.
Whether
it’s being able to sift through family photo albums, make an afternoon
performance at your kids’ school, or drive a parent to a doctor's appointment,
appreciate the opportunity to have your loved ones around you. The fact that
you can be there for them is a gift.
A Labrador and a laptop: Gracie’s happy face, and
the pure joy she lives with a simple tennis ball, continually remind me of all
I can be thankful for when working remotely.
Even when it feels overwhelming, take a few deep
breaths, and say out loud who and what you are grateful.
Learning to juggle work and family
Let's face it, adulting isn't easy. And, it's even
more difficult when you're not just taking care of yourself, but
you've got family to be there for.
Just ask any working mom how long her to do list
is! Or, better yet, offer to watch her kids so she can take a nap.
While it has it's challenges, technology does enable us to be
there for family and take work with us on-the-go. However, remember not to let
work take over. When you carry email and work apps around in your pocket, set
limits and know when to turn off that smartphone.
For more
work from home insights, check out the other articles in the G2 Work from Home
Week series.
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