Maintaining work-life balance seems like an end goal for many women. But in reality, it’s impossible to achieve. Instead of striving for it, mompreneurs must embrace the integration of both on terms workable to her
At least once in her career, every working mother is asked: “How do you maintain work-life balance?” With a progressive Indian society forcing mothers to “have it all”— career, love, family and me-time — achieving work-life balance is easier said than done even though the concept of “working mothers” has come into existence since decades.
However, there are many women who have perfected the art of doing both at once, that, too, successfully and conveniently. Thanks to digitisation, the boundaries between work and personal time have blurred. Yet, there are some women, who take breaks from work to fulfill the responsibility of being a full-time mother.
After all, the struggle of striking a balance is real.
The term “work-life balance” indicates the distinct nature of work and life. It also suggests that one needs to delegate equal time for both. From juggling between the house and office work, surpassing in managing offices, running an organisation and managing children at home, ensuring that nothing is ignored — all of it can just be chaotic. In the melee, there comes multiple moments when meeting all the obligations seems impossible. But not giving up on the integration of both career and family is the key to deal with struggle. Mompreneurs, as women in leadership roles are called today, will definitely swear by this mantra.
Being open to making bold choices: Entrepreneurial duties are challenging and in a competitive industry, everyone wants to move ahead that, too, at a fast pace. Technology has created choices that demand quicker decision-making. It may just be about skipping a corporate socialising event to attending a school function for the kids or missing out a family brunch to fly for an important investment meet. There will be plenty of moments when life will give some harsh options to choose from. But one has to do the best with what is available. There’s no need to go on a guilt trip after making bold choices. Being a woman entrepreneur and a mother at the same time, it’s okay to be strong enough to lead in times of modifications. After all, sacrifices have always been a fact of life. For ages, men have been making such sacrifices on the personal front for work commitments but when it comes to women entrepreneurs, they often end up feeling guilty. Gladly, times have changed and so should mindsets.
Being mindful about the schedule: There is always enough time for work, being with family and friends, exercising and binge-watching Netflix. It all depends on being mindful while planning the week ahead, focussing on all set commitments. Maintaining a time log for a week or two can reveal the hours being spent involuntarily, considering humans have the tendency to overestimate the time spent on working and underestimate the number of hours spent for fun or leisure. The important part is to keep the family members in the loop about the schedule so that even if someone has to hit the gym in the evening, she can arrange childcare in advance and avoid unnecessary stress.
Remain focussed: Whether it is about taking charge of the entrepreneurial responsibilities at work or being an ideal mother to the kids at home — every role demands hundred per cent focus. While it may sound impossible for many mompreneurs, it is the key to making life easier eventually. Keeping the laptop aside and focussing on children and other family members at home, talking about things that matter to them even if it is for a short period, can work wonders. What does not is spending hours with them with half a mind. It’s far from having quality time and does no good on both ends — be it professionally or personally.
Being smart in setting boundaries: This is something no one else can do for a person. As the boss lady, one is required to be smart in making commitments. Rather than pleasing everyone around by agreeing to all requests, she must stay selective and keep “no” as an option, too. While at work, instead of blindly following deadlines, identify their importance; offer to send updates through emails if possible instead of attending long meeting hours where you are not a key stakeholder. Saying “no” to certain things isn’t always a negative deal. It can often lead to opportunities for others to pitch in, learn and let you say “yes” to other crucial things in life.
Learning to embrace the chaos: Life of a mompreneur can be extremely erratic and unpredictable. Despite meticulous planning, things might seldom fall out of place. One can fail to meet even daily goals, regardless of them being real. Being a CEO or a co-founder of a start-up may sound glamorous but one has to build the resistance power of bearing the blows life throws.
One has to keep calm even after missing a few deadlines sometimes or when a fever-ridden kid is screaming his heart out while you are attending a conference call. The sooner you accept this reality, the easier it will be to eliminate a lot of stress. Not only will it make your life easier but also of those you are surrounded by.
It goes without saying that mompreneurs are superheroes for commendably handling household chores and professional leadership duties with aplomb but while work-life balance may seem like an end goal, in reality, it is probably impossible.
So, instead of striving to make it happen, mompreneurs must embrace the integration of both to achieve tremendous success in the boardroom while being able to raise and enjoy a healthy generation.
(The writer is CEO and co-founder of a leading training, skilling and consulting organisation)
