SmartQ’ s Superwomen

Article 1: Super Work-Life Balance Tips for SmartQ’s Superwomen

With more and more Indian women joining the work-force, there is a need to reassess and identify effective ways for women to cope with the stresses of work and family. A quick search on Google throws up loads of information on the growing significance of work-life balance. Several businesswomen live by smart work-life mantras that require a fair amount of commitment, while others insist that the aspect of balance is a myth, and the best one can hope to achieve is a work-life fit.

Working women around the world face severe challenges striking that balance since a day continues to comprise only 24 hours. The main challenge is preventing yourself from adopting an ‘all work, no play’ attitude. As a working woman, you may not have time to drive your child to work on every occasion. Yet, by trying to successfully work that into your schedule once every couple of days can spare your child some tears; and you, possibly, your guilt. We hope that these multi-tasking tips for SmartQ’s Superwomen will help them better understand how to set their priorities.

Take it as it comes. If you are starting a business and taking up modest roles and responsibilities in anticipation of a future life event, you are limiting yourself and all that you’re capable of. While it is always prudent to think about the future, you will in all probability, be ready to face those new circumstances by the time you get there (whether marriage or pregnancy, for instance). You may have grown enough to bring onboard a great and supportive team. You may find help in unexpected quarters, like family and friends. It is important to be confident that you can deal with that moment when it arrives.

Women are built to prioritise family. They, therefore, need to communicate with their families about their own priorities. As a mother or a caretaker, your absence during a few hours of the day could affect folks at home. Acknowledge that your family is as involved in the business as you are, facing the same risks and stresses as you; and it will be their support that will encourage you to succeed. So, develop a support system to back you up. Ask for help and accept it before things get out of hand. Keep your near ones in confidence and call on them for support when you are in trouble, even children. It will help develop them as caring and intelligent individuals. Prepare for emergencies and have a backup plan ready in case of any major fallouts from business.

Given the dynamism of business, business women are beginning to accept that there won’t be a 50-50 ‘balance’ as much as a work-life ‘fit’ between their work and personal lives every day. Since they will possibly have more or less work on some days than others, they should allow for flexibly of work hours, depending upon what will be urgent at work or at home on that given day. As opposed to salaried working women, this is a huge benefit available to businesswomen. On the flipside, businesswomen have to train themselves to not get comfortable in any situation, and stay agile to face surprises.

When there is too much work, prioritise what needs to be tackled immediately and do no more, so that you do not cut into that weekend in Khandala with your family. There may be entire weeks where you will be swamped with work, but not setting boundaries will take a toll on your relationships, health and peace of mind. Since women strive to do everything at once, we find it difficult to say no when there is cause for it. Remind yourself why you need to build those boundaries. The idea is living your life besides earning a living; and being swamped with work takes a great deal away from the most precious things in life.

We tend to make work personal because it defines us as people. “What do you do?” is a question we prepare for from the moment we graduate or take up our first jobs. This is a difficult one; but it is necessary to know that you are more than what you do for a living, that your work is only a page in the book about who you are. Could you be a caretaker, a parent, an artist, an animal-lover, a travel-junkie or a philanthropist too? Remind yourself to work on those chapters of the book as well.Also, do forgive yourself when things don’t get done. You will find plenty of similar opportunities to do a better job.

Finally,  love what you do. People who love their jobs are better equipped to find meaningful and

effective ways to appropriately allocate their time because they are motivated at home as well as at work.