Balancing it All

Balancing it All

Does SuperWoman exist? Should we stay-at-home or work at a 9 to 5? Is balancing it all possible? How do we #MakeItHappen? I discussed this with the wonderful Misi Molu on Pulse TV. Below are some of the #LagosMums tips on balancing it all –

Balancing it All When I am asked whether women can have it all, I say that yes we can have it all, just not all at the same time (men too by the way).

So what are some practical ways for balancing all the many hats that we wear and all the different things that we are supposed to excel at? as a mum, wife, employee or employer and more.

  • Prioritise – Everything cannot be top priority at the same time. You need to find the balance and to prioritize what is important at any given time. This will be a constant balancing act because there will be times when you are needed more in one area of your life than the other. In reality the time you need to spend nurturing a toddler is different than a tween, so this can make you decide to focus on raising kids for awhile and then focus on career later.
  • Schedule – Having schedules or timetables for everything helps. A schedule or timetable for when you do the shopping, cleaning and other things that are necessary goes a long way in establishing order. One of the major causes of stress is on your way home from work you are informed that there is no bread or no tomatoes! If there is a schedule and everyone in the house knows you do the shopping on Thursday for example, it is easier to plan.
  • Technology – Use technology to your advantage. For example use Google calendar to capture all important activities and sync it with your spouse and other people in the house. This way it is harder to forget school plays, dinners, vacation dates and more. There are several apps that help you to plan, you can install nanny cams to keep an eye on your home. (Examples on how to use Google Calendar to  Simplify and Organise).
  • Use Services that Help – There are many services that exist to help you save time. For example use online banking when you can to reduce the need to go into a banking hall. For groceries there are many services now that would enable you to order your groceries and get it delivered to your doorstep. I personally use EasyShopEasyCook to buy my groceries such as bulk tomatoes, rice, cow and i get it delivered straight to my door.
  • Support system – Everyone needs a support system which helps in the quest to have it all and balance it all. The support system includes domestic staff, family, friends and other mums who you can trust. For example you can decide to share school pickups with other mums in your area. For domestic staff take the time to hire the right person, do background checks and review their performance regularly (just as you would do in a 9 to 5).
  • No Guilt – There will be times when you will have to do something that might take your away from “mummy duty”. For example you have a big presentation at work and it clashes with your child’s school play. You cannot be in both places. This is one of those times that being an Executive is taking priority, so recruit dad, aunty and grandma to watch, record and cheer on for you.Empire
  • Spend quality time – Yes we are busy doing many things, planning laundry, making sure your husbands cap is ready for the owambe and looking for your son’s Peter Pan costume for school. In all this busyness we should remember to spend quality time with our children and as a family. For example do not get home from a long day at work and instead of bonding with your children you spend the time catching up on twitter. Also make it a point to schedule weekly dates with your spouse, it can be as simple as sending kids to bed and watching Empire together.

So mums we can make it happen, we can balance it all by using some of these tips and accepting that we need help to balance it all, to be the wife, mum and all the other things that we are called to be. Remember to take time to take care of yourself!

To contact EasyShopEasyCook visit their website 

photo sourse: Wewomen, when-will.net
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