12 Career Moms Share Happiness Secrets
Do Moms have a Secret Career Ingredient?
You say Balance. We say Juggle.
Work & family are the biggest part of our lives and certainly shouldn’t be at odds with one another. But as we stretch ourselves thin, trying to have a great family, grow our careers, and achieve that elusive work life balance, sometimes we moms do yearn for a day between Saturday and Sunday.
Until that materializes, or a 25 hour work week becomes the new norm, what’s a mom gotta do?
Those in the trenches know that we create magic out of the imbalance. Moms work smart, we prioritize and some days we actually do achieve superwoman status- that’s just how we are!
But is there a secret sauce?
Or maybe yummy ingredients from each of our lives can be combined to whip up something outstanding. After all, we know it’s a mom’s love that makes the dish perfect!
Career Moms Share Happiness Secrets
We asked 12 moms to share how they manage to deal with the efficiency, insanity, guilt and make peace with work & life outside? Enjoy their answers and let us know your secret.
Today, I will Live in the Moment
When I’m in the office I focus on getting my work done and working on the highest priority things for my company. But when I’m not in the office, my daughter and my family take priority. Sometimes that means I can’t take on absolutely everything under the sun but I’ve found that having these limits actually helps me work smarter and be more productive. I think my company will be more successful because I’m forced to identify the most important projects to work on.
Sara Mauskopf
Founder, Modern Parenting Website Winnie
You Win Some
I do and am! I mean…my kid watches TV and sometimes wears pajamas all day…but I think I’m doing pretty good! haha!
Larken Ogle Lech
CEO & Founder, MA MA Media
Shed the Mom Guilt Trap
With my kids being so far apart in age, this is more of a challenge for me. I am not very organized with cooking for the week ahead of time so the days I commute, it’s a real challenge. I have finally decided to listen to my husband and agree that the guilt of not cooking a fantastic meal everyday is much lighter than the guilt of not spending time with my kids in the evenings. If we are relaxed and the kids are happy, it’s all worth it. I am still working on weekend planning where both kids can have their own fun/activities!
Renuka Hegde Sathe
Senior Product Manager, Penton
First, Love Yourself & the rest will fall in line
One way I try to keep things running relatively smoothly is by doing a lot of prep work on the weekends. I meal plan and pre-cook many meals, which allows us to enjoy our evenings together more during the week. I also believe in the importance of scheduling some time for myself throughout the week, mainly workouts. Workouts make such a difference in how I feel- mentally and physically. And when I feel well, I can be a better wife and mom.
Andrea Lee
Wellness Blogger at Andrea’s Wellness Notes
I mean we rock pjs like all day haha but we craft, pray, eat, play until her heart is content. I work my business in spare moments, free apps help with posting. I think being a real person is what makes anyone succeed in business. We have hard days but we have many great days too.
Kelli Beard
Independent Distributor for It Works! Global
Playdate is Mom Code for Work Hour
When my boys have a holiday from kindergarten or pre-school, I still sometimes need to work part of the day. On those days, I have been known to do working or networking playdates, where the kids play and the mom and I work or network. It’s a win for all. And when your kids are having fun, you’re not worried about getting an email done, finishing a project, or even getting to know a new business contact.
Suzanne Brown
TedX Speaker & Founder, Mompowerment
Love is….Movie time together (too)
My kids are under 12. So whenever a kids movie come out, I make sure to have money set aside- so that we can enjoy a night out at the movies (movie snacks included). Outside of that I just get it in, when I can.
Nancy L. Collins
Founder, Your Beauty with Nancy Collins
Keep Calm and Stay Efficient
When my kids were young, my husband travelled a lot on business. it was a struggle between full time job and take care of my boys and their activities. I started planning a weekly menu to cook for the week over the weekends so that my week nights were free and I could spend time with my kids. I was organized in my own ways and was able to manage. Today, my kids are teenagers and are in competitive swim teams and I still do the same.
Geeta Damaraju, Speech Therapist
I prioritize chores and cooking in ways that are less time consuming. They are not perfect but efficient enough for me to get more free time with my family. I also make sure to leave the office on time most of the days. Some family or kids activities over the weekends or holidays are a must for me and helps with the guilt factor too.
Surabhi Singh, Digital Marketing Consultant
Having systems in place is crucial for not going insane in business and motherhood. Not just programs and apps to manage life, but automatic ways that you do life and business that are true to who you are. For example, having personal and professional boundaries for doing business that you commit to. This protects your emotions from getting in the way and helps you say ‘yes’ to the right things and ‘no’ to the wrong things.
Lilah Higgins
Owner & Executive Designer at The Higgins Creative
Summon the Family- Your Clan, Your Tribe, Your Network
It helps to have a supportive family. Mothers should also be sure to carve out me time each day so they don’t go insane. I make sure to set aside time in the day to read, because it’s something I really enjoy and it helps me leaving refreshed and ready to go! I also balance it all with lots of Diet Coke.
Amber Myers
Military spouse & Founder, Airing My Laundry
Perfection is Overrated
Love your kids, love your work and don’t try to be perfect. Sometimes dinner = pancakes, sometimes they go to bed without a shower, sometimes we all sleep in the same bed just to cuddle and sometimes bedtime is well past bedtime but, they are healthy and happy and do well in school, and I’m not a mean cranky parent because I’m trying to make everything perfect. There’s no such thing as perfection and I’m cool with that. Oh…and I exercise….a lot. Because that kills the stress and makes me happy and on some weekends I send them to grandma’s house so I can go out with the hubby, and drink, a lot lol- I don’t beat myself up anymore, we are all flawed, just do the best that you can and love yourself as much as you love the kids and everything works out.
Lucy Pabon, Beach Body Fitness Coach
So, maybe there’s no guidebook to managing it all, or a one-size-fits-all work life balance template. But one thing is for sure…
A Happy Mom = A Great Mom!
If your career makes you hum, it won’t be long before your family adjusts and sings along.
This article was originally published on Maroon Oak.
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