What to consider when working part time
After I had my children, I decided to return to work part time doing four mornings from 7am until 1pm so I could carry on with the stud work I was good at and loved doing. Doing these hours meant I could be useful for the practice, continue investing in my career and still be with the children every afternoon. All great on paper but as with most things, the reality of doing it was harder than expected.
The things I found most difficult were:
- Being busy all morning, driving over 100 miles, seeing six or seven different clients, doing eight or nine hours work in six hours!
- Not having the time to get back to the practice to restock my car.
- No time to do the paperwork.
- Meetings were often held when I wasn't working, meaning I couldn’t attend which made me feel out of touch and out of the loop.
- Rushing to get jobs done, then picking up the children and within five minutes being in the middle of painting, sticking and gluing!
Despite these negatives, it worked for me.
It meant that I could do the job I loved, have the mental stimulation I knew I needed, keep my career going and still be with the children every afternoon.
I juggled all the balls and they mainly stayed up in the air!
I used to think I was good at organising and multi-tasking, but now I know I have taken it to a different level and am even better than before!
It was stressful and at times hasn’t always plain sailing.
One turning point for me was realising that I needed to have time each week just for myself, so I increased nursery hours so the children stayed in until 5pm one day each week.
This did two things…
It meant that for one day I wasn’t under time pressure at work; if I was 15 minutes behind it didn’t matter. This gave me breathing space and it was like having a weight taken off my shoulders for one day each week. And it also gave me a precious four hours each week child and work free. I used this time to get my haircut, to do something for myself and sometimes to do nothing!
With both my husband and I being on a full rota we had three or four weekends each month when one of us was on call, so this ‘free time’ was very precious, and I made sure that I didn’t over book it.
Everyone needs down time; everyone needs head space and time for themselves.
Take a look at your week when can you find your me time?
At the end of the day, this meant that I went to work for a break; it was the easy part of my week. I could think, have a coffee, not have a demanding child in my ear, talk to adults, have a giggle, use my brain, have a laugh, and get away from the chores…
If you too are looking at ways to put yourself back in control but don’t know where to start, contact me at [email protected] and we can work together to make the changes and put you back in the driving seat of your own life.