20 Tips For A Balanced Life For Us Women. Here's some practical advice on how to boost your well-being along with your career.

"Ahhh! I can't spread myself so thin in so many directions!"

Does that phrase sound familiar? You may find yourself screaming this in frustration way too often. But the reality is - you don't need to live this way!????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

For career women who have to juggle both home and work, it is understandable that it may be hard to find that perfect balance. If left unmanaged, this situation may become your "normal" and lead to unnecessarily increased responsibilities for us women, which causes stress.??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

For women in the workforce and those carrying most of the workload at home, dual responsibilities can, over time and if not mitigated, cause increased stress, compromise physical and emotional health, and lead to burnout and lower work productivity. Not to mention, age us prematurely!

For working women, it is crucial to recognise that a complete "balance" between work and home life can be an unattainable dream.???????????????????????????????????????????????????

Instead, consider constant adjustments among the multiple roles you manage, along with other functions in your life and at different times.

Here's an example: When you have a newborn requiring your full attention, your focus shifts to 60%-70% home from 40%-30% focused on work. This situation may change when your children grow up. Your priorities may shift to 50% work and 50% home, perhaps because you just got promoted to lead a new team and your children have entered a more independent age.????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

You must realise that each role may, at times (depending on your life and career stage), require more effort and time than other roles across your life's journey and shifting priorities.???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Also, remember to speak up and seek help from others to share your stress and your load.????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Furthermore, prioritising your roles at different stages of your career and life can help you decide how best to manage your time across your various roles and responsibilities at which stage of your life. This approach may be more practical than achieving the "perfect balance" between work and personal life.

It took me a long time to learn how to juggle my many multiple roles without feeling like I was losing my mind. The following are my tried and tested practical tips that I would like to share with you to commemorate the International Women's Day celebration on the 8th of March! Especially since this year's theme is Embrace Equity.?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Tips for a healthy work-life balance

Each of the tips below will largely depend on your current personal situation, career stage, life stage, life context, circle of support and preferences.???????????????????????????????????????????????????

A.???MANAGE YOUR MINDSET

1.????Acknowledge your emotions and feelings - Whether positive, negative, or neutral—they are all valid emotions and need to be expressed to have an avenue to release.

2.????Manage your own expectations - Don't be so hard on yourself, "Perfection" does not exist, and it is okay if you are not as productive as you think you should be at a particular moment. Be gentle with yourself. Many times the stress is self-imposed. Make up for it another time. You don't have to be everything every day. Be content with just doing your best with the limited resources that you currently have.

3.????Practice Self-Empathy – For instance, acknowledge, "I made a mistake, but I'm human; I will do better next time". Forgive yourself and move on. You don't need to beat yourself up.?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

B.???MANAGE YOUR SELF-CARE

4.????Establish your boundaries, so you are not taking on extra burdens. It is perfectly okay to say NO sometime. What's the point of pleasing others when it only stresses you out?

5.????Dedicate a relaxation or self-care activity at least once weekly - Taking care of yourself first will help you function your best. You transfer positive energy when you are happy and can give from a full cup, not an empty one. Do something to make yourself happy at least once a week! (My tip - spas and Manicures do the trick!)

6.????Go for a break or a holiday! - Yes, you need it more than you admit. You don't have to feel guilty that you are taking some time to recharge. You need this to restore your "Batteries".?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

7.????Don't eat and work – This seems strange, but way too many of us do this. Working and eating don't mix. Give your body the time it needs to recharge and nourish. It is also bad for digestion if you are not relaxed when you eat.

8.????Sleep at a specific time and don't overtime all the time – Establishing a routine to sleep enough is essential. You have 16 hours in a day to do everything else; put aside a minimum of 8 hours to rest and recharge. Don't discount that for your well-being.????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

C. MANAGE YOUR EFFECTIVENESS

9.????It is good to have a structure but be flexible in your approach - It is good to follow some routine but don't let that rule your life that you become stressed when things don't go as planned.

10.?Separate spaces for work and personal life - Mixing your personal work space and personal relaxation space will not allow you to set boundaries you need to have that balance. Switch off when it's time, don't work when you relax and don't relax when you're working. Focus on being present and live in the moment fully.???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

11.?Simplify your TO DO list –?Split them into what is the highest priority, allowing for flexibility and again, you don't have to conquer the world in one day! Spread your weekly to-do list, tackling your highest priority first. Try the axis of IMPORTANT VS URGENT to prioritise which to do this and what to do last.??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

12.?Learn to Delegate – Give some of your tasks to others with clear expectations regarding the outcome. If you like sticking to deadlines and a particular way of doing things, state how you want something done. Clear communication will prevent misunderstandings and mistakes. And then let go already! Breathing down someone's throat every step after you delegate will undoubtedly drive you (and them!) crazy.

D. MANAGE YOUR CONNECTIONS

13.?Be selective about whom you want to invest your energy in and what connection formats you prefer – Figure out which forms of social media (Facetime, LinkedIn or other?) are most rewarding for you. It is good to join a network of people that aligns with your beliefs and values and be in the company of good counsel when you have doubts.

14.?Maintain a weekly check-in – Be it with a friend or family member experiencing similar challenges at home. This way, you don't feel like you are struggling alone, and you provide each other with the moral support you need.????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

15.?Have a prayer support group or a spiritual mentor - This point is significant for me as I can ask people with similar faith to keep me in their prayers. I feel supported not just emotionally but also spiritually.????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

E. INVOLVE YOUR FAMILY

16.?Get your husband or kids involved in creating a routine or structure - Allow them to make certain decisions and choices about activities and things you need to do as a family so you can have their buy-in and ownership. That way, you don't need to be one nagging all the time, as it was their choice in the first place.???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

17.?Dedicate a game or movie night – Have fun as a family once a week! And don't forget to occupy and reward them by allowing your kids to try a complicated jigsaw puzzle or tackle a complex quiz within a specific time frame — this way, you can settle them, and they are sure not to interfere with your work while you finish something meaningful until the timer goes off, then you can give them a small reward (negotiate something that makes sense to both of you)???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

18.?Ask them to help you – I ask my kids to do a simple task and help me with some of my work, like packing, and run through a checklist and make it fun by turning it into a game! That way, you can have fun and delegate some tasks to them in a fun way!

19.?Assign roles – I assign roles for my kids so they know specific tasks are their responsibility. My eldest child is in charge of booking flights (yes, he is old enough to do that task!), my middle child handles booking restaurants like a pro, and my youngest is in charge of doing simple bookkeeping (so it can improve his accounting skills! Win-win, right?)

20.?Frequent thanksgiving – I started practising putting a thanksgiving note for something that goes right and when we receive a blessing into a tall jar. That reminds my family and me that our life is wonderful! It is the small blessings that matter, after all. Also, stop complaining! At the year's end, we take each note and read it out loud to reflect on what a great year it has been for us!???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

I hope you enjoyed the tips I shared above. Here's wishing you a happier, well-balanced life!????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY! We ladies Rock!

Written By: Imelda Sutisna

March 8th, 2023