Leadership
Keeping Plates in the Air: How to Attain Work-Life Balance
By Roxanne Emmerich, CSP, CMC

His eyes reminded me of the sad eyes of a pet store puppy begging children on the other side of the glass to take him home and love him. His name was Brad, and he was the only kid in that second grade class who didn’t have at least one parent attend the special poetry recital that afternoon. Actually, it wasn’t amazing that Brad didn’t have a parent there. What was amazing was that all 22 of the other children had at least one parent in attendance.

No doubt, Brad’s parents have traditional jobs. No doubt they lack the flexibility to adjust their schedules and break away for 90 minutes.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 1995, women comprised 46 percent of the workforce. In 1960, that number was only 33 percent. However, consideration for the needs of working mothers and fathers whose spouses also work has not grown as quickly. In the management ranks, only 29 percent of male managers have a working spouse. This begs the question: If someone has never had to close a sale quickly to get to the day care before it closes, pick up the dry cleaning, stop for groceries, make a meal, and clean up the kitchen—all before the 7 p.m. piano lesson, how conscientious will that person be in easing the burden for a working parent? Since many managers just won’t think of helping you create a more balanced life, here are some things you can do to maintain your sanity while juggling it all.

Make Peace with Imperfection
Imagine my surprise when I picked up my son at 5 p.m. from his Montessori school to find out that we were returning at 6:30 for “craft night,” for which parents were expected to bring decorated holiday cookies. Decorated cookies! I barely had time to stop at the store before dinner, much less buy raw ingredients and then bake and decorate cookies.

Instead, we bought Oreos and a decorated plate on which to display them. I hid them under my arm as I walked  into a room spread with intricately decorated cookies that must have taken hours and considerable skill to produce. There went my “mother of the year” award.

At the end of the evening, I discreetly went back for my plate. But where had all the Oreos gone? The plates of beautifully decorated cookies were still full, but the Oreos were history.

In a pinch? Buy new underwear instead of doing the wash. Let Ronald do the cooking. Invest in surplus Oreos.

Create Flexibility
Not only is it important for companies to create flexibility in scheduling work for employees, but it is also important for employees to take the initiative and pinch-hit for one another to create that flexibility. If an employee approaches a supervisor with a well-thought-out proposal for completing the necessary work, most managers won’t care if different people are doing their work at different times. Remain responsible for results and quality so your manager doesn’t assume that flexibility decreases results.

Focus on What’s Important
Focus on the important, understanding that important doesn’t mean urgent. In fact, most things on our to-do lists need not be done at all. Outsource what ever can be outsourced. Have the kids or a cleaning professional clean, go only to the parties you want to attend, and realize that your in-box is not your purpose in life.

Many people neglect their families so much in their pursuit of “making a living” that when they eventually break away from their in-baskets, many find that their families no longer want them. I bet most of the kids in Brad’s second grade class eventually forgot the poetry recital. Brad never will.