Creating Work-life balance for Women in Tech

I remember being young and often losing myself - in books, art, and code.?I worked till I needed a break - most often for biological reasons.?Even as a young working adult,?I worked till I finished the problem at hand, and was mildly aware of meetings or other interruptions.?The result of my dogged single mindedness was productivity, and plenty of satisfaction and reward.

The word "balance" was not something I ever thought about or wanted to think about.

However, as I grew up, I had responsibilities.?Making sure I dropped and picked up kids form school, attending endless children's parties and participating in school events.?Working on more than one project at a time at work, tons of meetings and people to report to or support, spending time with family, and managing a social life. Add to this the ever-evolving technology and increased competition, the need to stay on top of my game by learning new technologies and keeping up with the latest trends -?as a woman in tech, managing work and life become a daunting task.

I needed work-life balance.?

However when I think of balance the picture that comes to my mind is that of a person walking a tightrope.?Holding things.?Lots of things.?The thought itself is stress invoking.??

In this article, I talk about some of the ways I have created harmony in my own life, lowered stress, increase flow, and stay healthy and fulfilled while adulting efficiently.

What is work-life balance?

Work-life balance is the ability to handle the demands of one's job with the other aspects of one's life, such as family, health, leisure activities, and other interests. It is the ability to find a way to manage the competing demands of work and personal life in a way that is satisfying and that allows for both to be successful.?

How can we achieve work-life balance?

Here are some ways I have been able to become more productive and less stressed.

1. Set realistic expectations

Do you have Single Woman goals with a Working Mom schedule?

Do you expect Highschool energy with an Adult wotkload?

I recently spoke to someone in my accelerated year program who had addded eldercare to her schedule and was surprised that she did not have enough time for everything else.??

Often, we forget, ignore or downplay all the things on our plate.?We do not allocate time, energy, emotions needed for the "extra" things that creep in.?This is where we find strees.

Start by being real about your workload, cadence and set expectations accordingly.

2. Prioritize

Did you know that until recently, "priority" was singular?

While I know that the days of single minded focus may not be available to all, what works for me is to focus on the current task.?This frees up my mind from worrying about the next thing, and the next thing, and the next thing etc.?This requires creating systems that allow me to be focused when it is available - because I know that my system will keep all my other tasks on point.

To have regrets is to live in the past, to be anxious is to live in the future. Life is in the moment.

3. Delegate and outsource

I know that no one can care for your child as well as you can - or cook or?clean or finish that task at work as you can.?However, it does not lead to long term growth.

I am reminded of the first time my daughter poured herself a bowl of cereal.?It was messy.?It was imperfect.?It created more work for me than me doing it for her.?However, it led to my daughter being more indepedant, and me doing less.

Who can you delegate to??Who can you ask for help??Support??What can be outsourced?

4. Make time for yourself

One of the ways this concept "landed" for me was to realize that I am better for all my people and tasks only when I am at my best.?My best self is a rested self. And I want to bring my best to all my people and tasks.

It's like putting your oxygen mask first.

I think a lot of time people use exceptions as an excuse to not improve the norm. I hear excuses such as "If my baby is sick, my rest is the last thing I am thinking of". Or "If there is a work deadline, I can't be thinking of resting".?Fair enough.?However, if baby being sick and work emergencies are the norm, perhaps there is a little more long term problem you should be looking to solve.

Most parents don't have sick babies every night, and if you are well rested on the healthy days, the sick nights become easier to handle.?Ditto work.?If the challenge is chronic, then you shoul,d be thinking of a different support system.

5. Utilize technology

Use technology to assist you in managing your time, such as configuring reminders or employing an app designed to track your advancement.

I put blocks of times on my calendar for all my taks, thus I don't worry about things I am not working on, being preset to one thing at a time.?I also put reminders to stop, eat, workout etc., etc.

One other tool I use is the Oura ring - which tracks my sleep, workouts etc. and give me feedback on how well I am using my physical tools - i.e. my body.

6. Set boundaries

Image a junk drawer.?Imagine all the nick knacks that get dumped into it, and the juk drawer keeps getting messier.?

Now, imagine Marie Kondo coming over, and organizing your junk drawer.?

Thanking the things you don't use anymore and letting them go.

Adding little compartments so everything in the junk drawer has a place.

Little boundaries that help organize your junk drawer and make it oh so much more useable.

It's easy to look at the junk drawer this way.?But the reality is that your life is analogous to the junk drawer.?You keep stuffing things into it. And you become overwhelmed by it.?In life, boundaries are what will help you become organized and efficient.

7. Be flexible

It is important to remain flexible, agile and able to switch between tasks and roles on short notice. The ability to pivot as needed is essential for success. Unexpected demands will show up.?How well you respond to them is based on where you are and how willing and open you are to pivot.??

Both a career in tech and raising a family are dynamic and ever changing.?So, the less friction to pivoting you have, the smoother the transition.?Remember to give yourself some grace when tihngs change.?Breathe and regroup.

Conclusion

I hope you have found this article helpful. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to reach out. Balance is key – remember to keep working towards improving your work-life balance for a better overall experience.

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