When people talk about work-life satisfaction, they usually mean leaving the office to have a drink with co-workers, meet up with friends or head home for a relaxing night. When working moms think about it, work-life satisfaction becomes a totally different issue.
While 20-somethings without kids may want to let off some steam after work, moms have other priorities that can sometimes conflict with work responsibilities. It’s up to you to determine where you fall on the work-life satisfaction spectrum, and you should juggle your family’s and your own needs in the process.
Set a deadline
As a working mother, there are dozens of things that can call you away from work, and while not every minor bump and scrape your kids suffer on the playground needs to send you running for the door, it can help to set a firm deadline for when you’ll leave. Just make sure that you let your co-workers know what your plan is – otherwise, you run the risk of coming off as selfish. Offer to lend a hand the next time you can.
Stay connected
You need to stay focused while at work, but that doesn’t mean you need to lock your cellphone away the minute you get into the office. Send your kids a text or give them a call – after five minutes, you’ll be ready to return to work with undivided attention. You can also set up a time to have a phone conversation if you need to check up on your little ones. Just don’t make sitting on your phone all day a habit.
Work-life satisfaction is always in flux, and some days you might have more free time than others, so don’t panic if you go a week without spending any quality time with your kids. Good times might be right around the corner.