Women in business are expected to flawlessly and seamlessly take on many roles in life. As explained in The OM Factor, we’re expected to be businesswomen, mothers, daughters, friends, sisters, aunts, and homemakers all at once. So, how can women in business maintain a better balance? It’s important to remember that while you may take on many roles, you don’t have to be everywhere and everything all at once.
Many women in business feel guilty taking time for themselves, or taking time away from their work. One of the many challenges women face is scrutiny for not being the best, and less than the best is never enough. A few tips for women in business in maintaining a better balance without guilt are:
• Play to your strengths at work – If you’re leading a team, you should never expect to take on everything. You know your strengths better than anyone, and you know the talent you’ve chosen to back you up. Women in business shouldn’t fear playing to their own strengths and delegating other tasks to team members who may be better suited to the job. Not only will you save time and energy, but you’ll let your team shine in the process.
• Plan your “me” time – Sometimes taking some time for yourself doesn’t come naturally, and that’s okay. In these cases, you may need to pencil in your “me” time into your schedule, and treat it as just as important of a task as you would a big meeting. In essence, it is an important meeting; it’s a meeting to get back in touch with you.
• Invest in time tracking tools – If you’re one to get carried away and lose track of hours, time tracking tools and apps can be a huge help. This is one big advantage that women in business have today that they didn’t have even a decade ago. Virtual time tracking can keep you on schedule and make sure you don’t lose sight of everything that is important in a day.
• Be realistic and honest about your time – After the end of each day, take a couple of minutes to analyze your day and how you spent your time. What worked well? What could have been better managed? Answering these questions honestly will put you on the right track to better regular time management.
Maintaining a healthy work and life balance doesn’t have to be difficult, it simply has to be an honest and somewhat disciplined venture. Once you get in the swing of making time for you, it will become natural without the guilt.
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