Motherhood and Career- Embrace the two!

Parenting has never been easy, and working a full-time 9-to-5 job as a mother can be quite challenging, especially in today’s world of AI. With jobs becoming redundant and everyone striving to stay relevant in the workplace, how do you survive the storm of conflicting priorities of work and motherhood?

As a working professional for almost 17 years and now raising a toddler, I completely hear you. And without a doubt, I have been there, and I’m doing that.

I have been late to the classes,

I have missed the ID cards,

I have missed completing that last-minute homework,

And I have taken holidays from my kid’s school, depriving him of that 100% attendance certificate.

And trust me, it has not been easy at the workplace either.

Those emergency days off to take your kid to the hospital, missing the meetings because your kid doesn’t want to let you work, the microphones being unmuted with the sound of your kid in the background, or sending that odd gibberish email because your kid jumped on your keyboard – I have experienced it all!

But you know what? This is perfectly normal! Nobody has ever had it all ??

So if you are someone who’s also trying to navigate through the journey, my advice to you: Embrace it all. Take each day as it comes and enjoy the journey as you progress.

I truly wish and hope you find balance in your journey of parenting and professionalism. Here are some tips from my journey:

1. Skip Perfection: I’ve never been a proponent of perfection due to the challenges and flaws it brings. But if you were that perfect employee until motherhood set in, I have a humble request: Let Go of Perfection. Parenthood is demanding and there will be many times when your kid will need your time, energy, and emotions. Trying to be a perfect mother while being a perfect employee will drain your energy, leaving you frustrated. Give yourself grace and let go do perfection.

2. Work-Life Balance – With all the debates around 80-hour workweeks, I have just three words for you. Leave the Discussions! You define your balance. Sometimes work will take precedence, and sometimes your kid will. Trying to achieve balance daily will only create chaos. Here’s a tip for you: Time block your day for focused, undistracted time for both work and your kid. Make this time your non-distracted time without guilt. Evaluate your work and determine how much time you need for deep-focus work. Contrary to the norm, we don’t need 8 hours of deep focus work. For some, it may be 3-6 hours and that is what you truly need to block your time. Let go of the mother’s guilt during this time.

3. Own Your Time, Own Your Priorities. If you don’t prioritize, you will always be like a ball in motion. Focus on what truly matters to you even if it means saying No to those office lunches, coffee breaks, and endless meetings. I am not negating the value of networking and office breaks, but if there’s no value exchange, then politely decline. It will be tough initially, but soon people will value your time.

4. Prioritize Your Health. Look at our parents’ generation, still active and taking care of grandkids even in their 70s. Now visualize yourself at that age. Do you want to be that grandparent who wants to play with the grandkids or the one who feels already aged? Health is a lifestyle, not a goal. Parenting doesn’t end when your child grows up, it’s a lifelong journey. If you don’t prioritize your health now, it will become your top priority later. And mind you, you don’t need to make it fancy. Simple activities like walking, stretching, lifting weights, or even jumping around the home can make a difference. Just 30 minutes a day or break it into 15-minute blocks. Make health your lifestyle.

5. Prioritize Self-Care. Health and self-care are distinct. While a 30-minute fitness routine benefits your health, it might not always bring you peace. With the hustle and bustle of life, self-care helps you to pause and find calm. It can be simply anything: those 30 minutes of extra sleep, a coffee catch-up, chatting with a friend, a salon visit or even scrolling through Instagram. Anything that calms your mind and makes you feel better is self-care. Nothing in this world is as important as having good mental peace. So please dedicate 30 minutes daily to your “me time”, a time that makes you feel rejuvenated and refreshed.

And lastly, remember every parent’s journey is unique, and what worked for me, might not work for you. The key is to keep learning from our setbacks and celebrate those small victories.

Stay strong, keep going, and know that you are doing an amazing job!??