Five Useful Points For Managing Work And Family Simultaneously
They say that the best laid plans of mice and men are doomed to fail. Not sure how complicated a life a mouse might lead when we’re not watching, but it appears well nigh impossible to plan our busy lives around work and family, without any of those additional “days off” devoted to teacher training, weather or illness!
It would be really nice if everything and everyone were flexible, including schedules and you could just drop everything without notice to care for your ill child.
1. Where you can – plan. Some of these troublesome days are truly unpredictable, while others may be scheduled in advance. The weather is always unpredictable of course, but snow days will only be expected during certain months of the year and inset days are almost always planned in advance, so with a bit of work, they can be placed in a schedule.
Sick days present the biggest problem of all, of course. Prepare and plan as best you can, as you know that these days will surely come! If planning really is a problem for you, consider professional coaching to help you get on that track.
2. Hoard your personal days. Both parents in your household might have to work due to regular commitments, in this case it is important to reserve some personal days for those sickness events. Many employers these days grant a certain amount of personal days and you should talk to your Human Resources department and your line manager as you try to anticipate these scenarios.
You may well not have any advance notice, so you will need to look at this from every angle to make sure that you are being fair to all concerned.
Whichever way you look at it, there’s no denying that it helps matters if you and your partner have a sympathetic employer. It is very important that you do not use personal or sick standby days for any reasons other than they’re intended for.
3. Set up some favours. If you have several children to take care of, you should come up with a backup plan as well. In an emergency, maybe you can rely on some care giving help from friends or good neighbours? Always repay these favours in any way you can. With a number of emergency backup plans in place, you’ll be able to cope when a sick child or three comes to you.
4. Stock up on vitamins. While on the subject of coping with sick children, remember that any amount of prevention is better than a cure. Teach your children good personal hygiene, that they should eat well, should rest well and be in good health at all times, as they will be less likely to fall victim to those annoying, smaller viruses.
5. Be a good forecaster. Keep an eye on the weather forecast during the winter months. These days they are generally much more reliable and if you can see the threat of a blizzard a couple of days ahead, start making contingency plans accordingly. When a school district is closed, you may well not be able to get to your work either, but if the office is open try and set-up a personal day or plan to work from home if allowed.
Isn’t it difficult wearing so many different hats that you don’t know which one to put on?
Nowadays, online life coaching can really help you work out which part of your wardrobe to turn to on each occasion! If you’re in need of guidance, coaching for women can help you to manage and not panic!
Amanda Alexander is the Director of Coaching Mums and a widely renowned ICF-accredited coach who delivers professional coaching programmes to working mums across the globe who long for more time, balance and fulfilment in their busy lives. Download our free eBook especially for working mums with 5 easy ways to achieve balance.
