Five Valuable Suggestions For Managing Work And Family Simultaneously
They say that the best laid plans of mice and men are doomed to fail. While a mouse might not really lead a complicated life, it nevertheless seems impossible for us to plan our busy lives around our family and work without some of those unexpected “days off” attributable to illness, weather or teacher training!
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. If you can – plan. It’s true that some of these days are unpredictable, but others may be scheduled ahead of time. Of course nobody knows what the weather is going to do, but snow days only arrive during certain months of the year, whilst inset days are generally planned in advance and with a little bit of work can be sewn into the schedule.
Sick days present the biggest problem of all, of course. You should do a little bit of planning and preparation work in full anticipation that this day will surely come! If you are struggling with your planning, consider some professional coaching to help you get back on 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. Talk to your human resources department at work and see if your employer will grant you a certain amount of personal days, allowing you to anticipate the scenarios as best you can.
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. Never use these personal/sick standby days for anything other than the reason they were intended.
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. The more emergency backup plans you have the more you are going to be able to cope with the issue of a sick child or three.
4. Stock up on vitamins. When you are coping with sick children, remember that you should pay attention to prevention as it is a lot easier than the 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 weather 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. If a school district is closed, it might be very difficult for you to get to your work location as well, but if the office is open, see if you can count on one of those personal days or plan to work from home.
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 Director of Coaching Mums and a highly acclaimed ICF-accredited coach who delivers professional coaching programmes to working mums who yearn for success, balance and fulfilment. Are you a juggling mom? Download our free eBook for working moms that will give you 5 simple and instant ways to balance your life right now!
