How to Rock Being a Working Mom

Being a working mom, albeit an amazing journey, certainly comes with its own set of challenges and road blocks. I think the biggest one for me has been the never-ending battle of finding the balance of time and attention to both parts of my life without feeling like I’m neglecting one or the other. I’ve often had severe anxiety over the thought that I’m not doing enough for my child or spending enough time with her during the week. I think every working mom struggles with this, especially if you’re in a working environment that isn’t very supportive of the work/life balance.

Over time, I’ve learned to let my anxieties fall to the wayside and rock being a working mom with this one simple realization: it isn’t about how many hours are spent at home; it’s about the quality in those hours. The acceptance of quality over quantity is a very freeing feeling for any working mom but it isn’t enough. To fully realize your ability to be both working and a mom, I’m sharing some tips and advice that have helped me along the way to completely ROCK being a working mom.

1.       Disconnect from the world to connect with those you love. For our family, this means that the TV is off and phones are put away during dinner time. We eat together as a family and talk about the ups and downs of our day, even our five-year-old contributes. She talks about what she did at school, activities and things she and her friends are learning at school for the week. It’s the perfect way to get quality time with loved ones.

2.       Be completely, 100% unapologetic about your working mom lifestyle. Only you have to live your life and live with your choices. Do not allow others or society make you feel as if you are a bad mom or an uninvolved mom for your choice to work. We know this couldn’t be further from the truth but unfortunately, there are many who will try to make you feel this way. Ignore the haters and keep it moving.

3.       Build your own working mom support network. Befriend other working moms in your child’s class and offer to help them anyway you can, when you can. Having these friendships makes it easier for you to ask for help when you need it, too.

4. Your child’s school calendar is king. As soon as you receive it, add all vacation days, early release days and holidays to your own calendar so you know well in advance if other child care arrangements need to be made or if you need to submit time off requests from work to be at parent teacher conferences or other important events. 

   5. Sunday is your reset day. I talk a lot about the Sunday Reset. This is your day to organize for the upcoming week: meal plans, laundry, synchronize schedules with your spouse and get your kids prepped for the week as well. I can’t stress how much of a difference this plan of attack makes for me in my working mom world…and how much of a disaster I feel my week can quickly become when I don’t do it.

6.      Don’t forget your spouse. So many times, we focus our thoughts and attentions solely on the kids thinking our spouses can take care of themselves but they need our love and attention, too. Don’t forget to find little ways to connect with your husband or wife. Sometimes the smallest things mean the most.

7.       Make time for you. Yes, it’s important to think of the kids and your spouse but it’s also just as important to schedule a little “me time” onto your calendar. This is the source of your energy and inspiration. Don’t let your tank go empty!

8.       Delegate. Being truly connected with your spouse or partner means knowing when to let go and let them. If you’re anything like me, this can be hard to do {hello, control freak!} but it is necessary in keeping your balance.

9.      Find a routine that works for you and your family and stick to it. Bottom line, predictability makes you more successful and productive at home and in the office.

10. Be intentional and greedy about your time and commitments. Aside from Maddy and Michael, time is my next most precious thing. Feel confident and okay in saying “no” to events, people or activities that don’t really mesh with your family or that take you away from your family without a good reason. Know what your limitations are and respect those boundaries. Last but certainly not least, if you feel that you’re missing out on your kid’s activities during the week, volunteer to be involved with their extra-curricular activities on the weekends or by planning little excursions or activities.

These are my top 10 bits of advice on rocking being a working mom. What tips or advice do you have to share?