Thanks to a younger generation of professionals who value flexibility as the number one benefit from their employers, our culture is slowly shifting to accepting work-life integration. As flexible job opportunities take hold, moms now have more opportunity than ever to maintain successful careers and still make it doctor’s appointments, school pick-up, and extra-curriculars.
Here are 6 simple ways to commit to
Work Life Integration
Change your mindset
Embrace your work as a valued aspect of your life by focusing on the benefits it’s providing you and your family. Don’t feel guilty for liking your work or believing you are a better mother when you have a job you feel passionate about. When your professional self stops being the competing side to your maternal self, you’ll see more clearly how they can interplay.
Don’t Settle
If you are not growing as you’d like professionally or if your employer is reticent to give you the flexibility you need chances are you are at the wrong place. Similarly, if you feel like you’ve lost yourself and are not growing personally, you need to find what’s missing. In both situations, burnout will be knocking at your back door soon without a change. We encourage you to find a volunteer opportunity or profession that you are passionate about doing. This makes getting up every day to a full schedule much more rewarding. Maybe you don’t know what you are passionate about anymore? Listen to podcasts that sound interesting, take personality quizzes, ask your family and friends where they see your skills best fitting. When you begin the Boulo talent onboarding process, we’ll help you identify where your skills and natural talents professionally intersect. Don’t settle. You have too much to offer.
Set Priorities
Work-life priorities look different for every mother and every family. Take a holistic approach to priorities and make a list of what you and your family needs. Understand that these priorities may change every month depending on the age and needs of your children. Is flexibility the most important need you have? Is a certain income level your greatest need? Ranking priorities will help you find the opportunity where you will be the most successful. You’ll be able to home in on roles that would make you and your future employer the best match. Boulo started because we knew there are companies who understand that family commitments are the number one priority for our members. We can walk you through opportunities that best fit your life during our onboarding process.
Block Schedule
Work-life integration does require logistical organization that would make UPS jealous. We are big fans of the block schedule. Block scheduling is mapping out key times in your day and assigning tasks to each block. Blocks can be 30 minutes or an hour and should include exercise and ‘you’ time. Many moms who block schedule find extra hours in their day by rearranging the order of their tasks or tweaking some logistics. A lot of time is wasted on the mental load of thinking about what needs to be done, rather than the actual doing of the task so blocking your schedule frees up the mental space that may be keeping you from productivity.
Practice creating a block schedule and get realistic about the number of hours you can contribute successfully to your professional self. Boulo provides opportunities from 10– 30 hours a week. Once you know what you can commit, you’ll know what professional opportunities are right for you.
Outsource What You Can
As people strive to make work-life integration work, new services pop up all the time to make your life simpler. There are lots of options for women trying to spend less time on tasks for the home. Try using a grocery delivery app, free grocery pick-up or restaurant delivery apps. The time you save shopping inside the store could give you back up to 1 hour of your day. If making homemade healthy dinners is a priority, find 3 recipes on your phone that can stretch throughout the week and add the ingredients to your Siri lists. What about a robot vacuum that can get rid of the dog hair while you’re away? Whatever your needs or budget, there is always something you can outsource that is bogging you down at home. Remember how smart, scrappy and creative you can be for your kids and use that to make make getting back into the workforce work for you.
Set Personal Boundaries
This might be the most important aspect of successful work-life integration. Integration will not work if you don’t set boundaries. Be open with your employer about when you are available and what you are not willing to compromise. For example, maybe you can work all day but must be available to pick-up from school or for 4pm practices. As long as projects and tasks are completed on time, chances are your employer will have no issue with your boundaries. More companies now know that meeting goals and objectives is more important than how long you are sitting in your office. In fact, they are likelier to be wowed by your productivity during the hours you are available. Boulo clients understand the flexible needs and the efficiencies of working mothers, which is why our services are so successful for talent and companies alike.
Every working mother has to find what works for her career and her family to achieve work-life integration. Having a fulfilling career while being a present mother doesn’t have to come with burnout.
Help to Make it Happen
Boulo can match you with companies that best fit your priorities and needs. We don’t just give good advice, we’re a tribe of women helping each other achieve professionally while maintaining work and life balance.
Best Companies For Working Mothers
Want to know what companies are right for you as a working mom? What are you waiting for? Get Started with Boulo’s Talent Sign Up today!