Balancing Work and Family Time Is Possible

It’s the age-old struggle: how do you balance your work and family in a way that makes you feel guilt-free and fulfilled.  Is it possible?

A typical day could be 8 hours at work and 2 hours on the road – commuting. And family leisure time hasn’t even begun! It looks like there just aren’t enough hours in the day to balance both family and work, but there really are ways to make your life more manageable. With a few simple adjustments to your schedule and a re-evaluation of your objectives in life, you can find fulfillment without feeling stretched thin either at work or at home.

Evaluate Your Career Path

The best way to start changing how you manage the limited hours daily is to evaluate your career path. Ask yourself: “Am I working in a career that I truly love and like?”, “ Is the trade-off between work and family worth the time I spend at the office?”,  “Am I happy spending long hours at work and spending less time for my family?”

Asking yourself these types of questions (at any point in your career) will help you keep your priorities in check. The bottom line question is “Am I able to attend to both my work and my family happily?”   If not, you need to find a balance for both.  It could mean a change of career to allow for more quality time, money, or less overall responsibilities and stress.

Evaluate Your Commute and Career-Related Traveling

Start thinking of all the time and expenses incurred relating to your job. It isn’t just the working hours that take you away from your spouse or children. Commuting daily could cost you long hours a day away from your family.  Business trips could take away countless hours of valuable time that could have been spent with your family.

Evaluating these aspects of your job will help you decide whether it’s worth it or not.  And if it not, what could you do to change that. You could either ask your employer if they would allow you more freedom with your work hours or ask if your boss would allow you to work from home.  Be ready with just what your boss has to say!

Evaluate Your Career Duties

By evaluating your task schedule, you may be able to re-allocate your time and possibly cut down on late nights or early mornings at the office. Another very effective workplace strategy is to delegate tasks to others. If you typically handle everything in your department, it’s time to get help by involving others. Delegating responsibilities to staff members will not only empower your staff to have a more active role, but you also allow yourself more time to be home with your family.

Evaluate Your Priorities

Determine what’s more important to you: money and self-fulfillment or time with your family?  Once you know the answer to this question, you’ll be able to better navigate your way to a happy and balanced life.

Another area to consider is calculating how much money your family needs to be happy?  Measure that against how much time you are willing to give to your career. If your present work will never give you that balance or flexibility you desire, it may mean that you need to consider other career paths. Does your current employer disallow more vacation time, flexible schedules, or remote work? Well, it may be time to consider a new job at a different company.

Few people duck out of the rat race long enough to evaluate the bigger picture, this is why it’s crucial to stop now and evaluate what is most important to you and your family.