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Creative work life balance strategies for busy mamas

Creative Work Life Balance Strategies for Working Mothers

Creative work life balance strategies for busy mamasYou have permission to work on the weekend.

What? But isn’t that supposed to be family time?

Of course it is. And, it should remain so, for the most part. However, one of the biggest issues working mothers face is finding time for “it all” without without sacrificing quality of work or quality of family time. And that’s tough to do. That’s why sometimes trying different ways of balancing your world might just work better for you.

A recent Entrepreneur Magazine articleoffered some new ideas for “getting it all done.”

The piece featured time management expert, Laura Vanderkam, and her new book, “I Know How She Does It.” Vanderkam talked with more than 1,000 working women to determine some of the most effective ways for staying sane when caught in the crossfire of work and family commitments.

Here are four of the strategies she revealed:

Say Buh-Bye to 9-5
A new term that’s been cropping up recently is the “Split Shift,” which involves taking a break in the work day to pick up kids from school, engage in homework and after school activities, dinner and bedtime. Then, getting back to work after the kids are in bed. Of course, women have been doing this for ages but now there’s a descriptive term for it…and it’s a viable strategy.

Track Your Time
This seems pretty much a no-brainer but not enough women actually do this. It’s eye opening and liberating. Truly. Spend a week (or even a few days) tracking your time, both work and personal, to see where you’re really spending your precious hours. This will give you a great sense of where your time is going and either help you reassess your commitments to create more balance or, believe it or not, it may prove you’re actually balancing things better than you thought!

Reduce Your To Dos
Once you see where you are spending your time, you should have a better understanding of how to budget your time vs. activities. Reducing is a must and everyone should do this, whether you’re a working mother or not. We can’t stress enough (and neither can any time management expert) that eliminating non-essential tasks and commitments and either delegating them or getting rid of them completely will help keep you focused on your most important activities and save more time for coveted family time.

Work on the Weekend
This may seem contrary to creating good balance but knowing you have some specific, dedicated work time during the weekend can help alleviate stress. This is especially true for working mothers with do take time throughout the workday to spend time with family or take care of personal issues. Just make sure to keep this time focused on important activities and when it’s done, it’s done. And then….it’s time for family and fun!

Balance is an ongoing effort. Think of it as a fluid thing that needs to be fine tuned each day as the tides of life ebb and flow. What strategies have you found to help?

Woman of the Week: Shelly Stotzer

Here at Executive Elements, we like to feature fantastic women we think you should know. Some of these women are clients, some are friends, some are women we’ve only just met. But they all have this in common: they are dynamic, interesting gals who have agreed to share with us their insights and secrets to success.

Shelly Stotzer

My Current Job/Company:
Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer / Highlights for Children

My Birthdate:
04.03.1972

My Work:
I lead an amazing team of people who are focused on extending the Highlights mission of “helping children become their best selves.” My work includes aligning a diverse team of analytics, operations, brand communications, domestic and international sales & marketing, and strategic planning leaders to work within our values system to drive profitable business growth. I believe we can do the right things, in the right ways.

My Passion:
People. Giving people the benefit of the doubt, being open-minded and respectful.

My Family:
I have a supportive husband, Joe and two kind, smart, loving and funny daughters – Cambria, age 9 and Ava, age 7. Our family also includes our anxious rescue Goldendoodle, Max.

My Heroes:
My Grandmother. She was a strong, passionate, loving woman. She knew how to laugh and how to love.

My Escape:
The outdoors, especially the beach. I also love a great cup of coffee in the tranquility of our backyard.

My Pet Peeve:
When files are distributed without the right print settings (what a waste of time for all recipients) and when a question is answered with “Because that’s how we’ve always done it.” (Really, is that an acceptable explanation?)

My Indulgence:
Massage. I shoot for once every 6-8 weeks, but would like one every day.

My Roots:
Assiduous, frugal, family-focused, simple and grateful.

My Future:
Is what I make of it……it looks full, positive, productive and fun.

My Love:
Hugs from my daughters, the words “I love you, Mom,” and genuine and deep friendship.

My Movie:
“Mary Poppins.” The timeless message in the story and the combination of fantasy and reality makes it one of the only movies I’ve watched multiple times. Plus, who doesn’t want to sing “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” once in a while?

My Quote on Life:
“Anything is possible.”

My Accessory:
Optimism. Does that count? I try to wear it every day.

My Advice to Young Women:
Surround yourself with a variety of amazing women who lift you. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Take the high road, even when it’s easier to take the alternative. And, always lift others.

How I Balance it All:
Having clear priorities and resetting them as new information becomes available. There is ALWAYS a way to do what’s most important. At first, the solution just might not be obvious or comfortable. Keep searching. You CAN take that business meeting AND make it to your daughter’s recital.