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Five Essential Points For Managing Work And Family Simultaneously

2nd February, 2010 - Posted by health news - No Comments

The old saying tells us that the best laid plans of mice and men will fail. Not sure how complicated a life a mouse might lead when we’re not watching, but it appears well nigh impossible to plan our busy lives around work and family, without any of those additional “days off” devoted to teacher training, weather or illness!

Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone and everything were flexible, schedules included and you could simply drop your work commitments at a moment’s notice to substitute care for a sickening child?!

1. Where you can – plan. Some of these troublesome days are truly unpredictable, while others may be scheduled in advance. 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. Many employers these days grant a certain amount of personal days and you should talk to your Human Resources department and your line manager as you try to anticipate these scenarios.

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.

It would definitely be an advantage if you and your partner have a sympathetic employer who could understand your position. Never use these personal/sick standby days for anything other than the reason they were intended.

3. Line up favours. If you have several children to take care of, you should come up with a backup plan as well. See if you can get some additional emergency care-giving help lined up among good neighbours or friends. Always repay these favours in any way you can. With a number of emergency backup plans in place, you’ll be able to cope when a sick child or three comes to you.

4. Stock up on vitamins. While on the subject of coping with sick children, remember that any amount of prevention is better than a 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 forecaster. Keep an eye on the weather forecast during the winter months. Weather forecasting has improved much over the years and if they say there is a threat of a blizzard a couple of days ahead, you can be pretty sure and start making contingency plans now. When a school district is closed, you may well not be able to get to your work either, but if the office is open try and set-up a personal day or plan to work from home if allowed.

You might think you have to wear so many different hats, that you never know which one to put on.

These days, online life coaching is available to really help you understand this part of your “wardrobe selection!” And thankfully, coaching for women can make all the difference between managing and panicking!

Amanda Alexander is the Director of Coaching Mums and a widely renowned ICF-accredited coach who delivers professional coaching programmes to working mums across the globe who long for more time, balance and fulfilment in their busy lives. Download our free eBook especially for working mums with 5 easy ways to achieve balance.